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Black Friday
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. The day after it has been known as Black Friday. It is the start of the holiday shopping season, and it has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US since 2005.
Most stores offer big sales on Black Friday. They open their doors quite early in the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts (打折). Some items (商品)like TVs and cloths are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.
Black Friday is a great time to go shopping. However, there are problem. The biggest one is that there are not enough low-priced items. Each store may only have a few. These items are in great need, so people stand in long lines to get them. They may wait three to four hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or computer, but not everybody can get one. Some people leave, disappointed.
The situation makes people worried. Some Black Friday events have been crazy. There have been fights over toys among shoppers. Some workers have even been hurt by large crowds. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan to go, you will expect large crowds and a bit of pushing.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it caused. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day “Big Friday”. It did not stick. The name “Black Friday” continued to spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay.
Now people all over the country take part in Black Friday events. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the UK, Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In Mexico, stores offer a weekend of discounts every year. They call it “El Buen Fin”, which means “the good weekend” in Spanish. I guess people everywhere like to buy things on sale.
Is Black Friday the start of the holiday shopping season?
_________________________________________________________________________What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
_________________________________________________________________________How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
_________________________________________________________________________Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
_________________________________________________________________________Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday? __________________________________________________________________________
It is said that people born under different star signs have different characteristics. Here are four people born under different star signs.
| Taurus （金牛座） |
Tom, an old man from England, has enough money to buy anything, but he is not willing to spend money on something he needs and wants. He has few friends and an old dog is his only partner. He is really tightfisted and lonely. |
| Gemini （双子座） |
Jack, born on 9th June, is a 16-year-old English boy. “A Gemini is a curious and clever person, and I am just this kind of person,” he said. My lucky colour is orange. I believe that my star sign decides what will happen to me in my life. |
| Cancer （巨蟹座） |
Mary was born on 1st July. She loves her family and cooking is her favourite. The French girl cares about nothing but business. She is hard-working. |
| Virgo （处女座） |
Lucy was born on 23rd August and is modest. The girl from Australia is studying in a college(大学). She likes reading and hopes that she can be a scientist in the future. |
Who is from England and likes orange best?
| A．Tom. | B．Jack. | C．Mary. | D．Lucy. |
What’s Mary’s star sign?
| A．Taurus . | B．Gemini. | C．Cancer. | D．Virgo. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “tightfisted” in Chinese?
| A．富裕的 | B．吝啬的 | C．奢侈的 | D．豁达的 |
What is colour? Why do some of the things around us look red, some green, others blue?
Colours are really made by reflected (反射) light. We see colour because most of the things reflect light. Something is red, for it reflects most of the red light. In the same way, if something is green, it reflects most of the green light. If something reflects all light, it is white. If it doesn’t reflect any light, it is black.
Some of the light is reflected and some is taken in (吸收) and turned into heat. The darker the colour is, the less light is reflected, the more light is taken in. So dark-coloured clothes are warmer in the sun than light-coloured clothes.When something reflects light, we can _______ .
| A．see its colour | B．see its heat |
| C．not see its colour | D．see nothing |
The dark-coloured clothes are warm because _________ is taken in.
| A．more light | B．less light |
| C．more colour | D．less colour |
In summer ________ make people feel cool.
| A．dark-coloured clothes |
| B．red-coloured clothes |
| C．green-coloured clothes |
| D．light-coloured clothes |
When trouble comes， what do we usually do? We pick up our mobile phones and call for help. That’s easy， right? But in an emergency， many people are unable to call for help. Floods and earthquakes come suddenly. Wars can hurt or kill. Successful communication can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Meet French NGO Telecoms Sans Frontiers (Telecommunications Without Borders (边际)). Its goal is to use mobile communication technology (技术) to help people in need. TSF began in 1998. First， they opened their main base (总部) in France. Then in 2003， they started another base in Nicaragua. The next year they opened their Thailand base. Now if a disaster hits anywhere in the world， TSF is ready. They can send workers to a disaster area to set up communication systems within 24 hours.
Once TSF arrives at a disaster area， they set up telephone connections (连接点）and Internet service. They share these services with other international helpers on the scene such as the UN or UNICEF. Mobile communication helps other volunteers do their jobs better.
TSF also offers three-minute phone calls to local people who need to contact their loved ones. These communications can allow people to get together again after being separated (分开). Often the callers are moved to tears after speaking to a relative found to be still alive. Then the families can decide on a safe course of action for their family members.
Since 1998， TSF has helped thousands of people in many countries. Most of the TSF workers does not get paid with money， but the satisfaction（满足）of helping others and changing lives is often a great reward.Telecoms Sans Frontiers is __________.
| A．a mobile phone company from France |
| B．a charity group from France |
| C．a mobile phone company from Thailand |
| D．a charity group from Thailand |
How soon can TSF send workers to a disaster area?
| A．In one day. | B．In two days. |
| C．In three days. | D．In four days. |
Which one shows the right order of the following events?
a. People are moved to cry.
b. TSF workers set up communication systems.
c. A disaster hits somewhere in the world.
d. TSF arrives at the disaster area in a short time.
e. People make free calls to other family members.
| A．a-b-c-d-e | B．c-b-d-a-e |
| C．c-d-b-a-e | D．c-d-b-e-a |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．TSF has a history of over 20 years. |
| B．Most TSF workers are volunteers. |
| C．TSF provides services for local people only. |
| D．TSF had opened 4 bases all over the world by 2004. |
Can dogs and cats get along well in the same home? People who are thinking about getting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found that if the cat is taken back home before the dog， and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats， a year for dogs)， it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. In two-thirds of the homes cats and dogs have a good relationship.
However， it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes， while aggression (侵略，好斗) and fighting were found in 10% of the homes.
In homes with cats and dogs living in peace， researchers found a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “Dog”， and dogs can learn One reason for this is probably that some of their body languages are just different. For example， when a cat turns its head away it means aggression， while a dog doing the same means submission (顺从).how to talk “Cat”.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to become smarter. They can learn to read each other’s body languages， suggesting that the two may have more in common than was expected. Once familiar with each other’s body language， cats and dogs can play together， and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa.
The importance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets – to people who don’t get along well， including neighbors， workmates， and even countries. If cats and dogs can learn to get along， surely people have a good chance.The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.
| A．early | B．mostly | C．quickly | D．smoothly |
Some cats and dogs may fight when ___________.
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstand each other’s body languages |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
What can we humans learn from cats and dogs?
| A．We should learn to get along well with others. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |
Sometimes， kids feel that they don’t like sports because they may not understand how to play them or they haven’t had much practice doing them. Sports can seem complicated because of all the rules and special equipment (设备). Even the fields and courts they are played on come in different shapes and sizes and have confusing – looking (令人困惑的) lines drawn on them.
People spend many years learning about their favorite sports and practicing how to do them well. So don’t feel bad if you don’t know the difference between a “corner kick” and a “goal kick” in soccer. If you want to learn more about a sport， you might ask your mum or dad about the programmes that introduce kids to new sports. These may be better than just joining a team that starts playing games right away without much explaining first.
Gym class and programmes at school can also be a way to try new sports with a mix of kids. Another way to learn about a sport is to watch instructional videos or DVDs or check out library books that explain the rules and offer advice for kids to learn to play them.
If you have an older friend or family member who’s good at a sport， you might ask him or her to help you practice. Some sports are just good to understand， even if you never want to play on a competitive team. For example， you might play softball or volleyball， just for fun， at a summer picnic.Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Sports Are Good for You |
| B．What Sport Is Most Suitable for You |
| C．Learning about Sports |
| D．How and Where to Have Sports |
The underlined word “complicated” in the first paragraph probably means “___________”.
| A．interesting | B．harmful |
| C．easy | D．difficult |
According to the writer， it is __________ for / of you not to be able to tell the difference between a “corner kick” and a “goal kick” in soccer.
| A．natural | B．impossible |
| C．funny | D．foolish |