Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It has been regarded as the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Although it’s not an official holiday, millions of employers give their employees the day off, and many people use that day to get a jump-start on their holiday shopping. A similar day in Canada and Great Britain is called “Boxing Day”.
Black Friday has become somewhat of a marketing sensation(营销效应) in recent years. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. To lure shoppers, retailers (零售商) routinely open their doors as early as 4 a. m. and offer special sales and promotions to the shoppers that arrive early. Some of the special deals offered by stores are only available in limited quantities. That is why some shoppers intent on getting the best deals often camp out in front of stores overnight so that they’ll be the first in line when the doors open.
But why Black Friday? Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. Bus drivers and police used “Black Friday” to describe the heavy traffic that would block city streets the day after Thanksgiving as shoppers headed to the stores.
Businesses, however, didn’t like the negative tone associated with the “Black Friday” name. In the early 1980s, a more positive explanation of the name began to spread. According to this alternative explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms (会计行业), operating at a loss is called being “in the red” because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts. Positive amounts were usually shown in black ink. Thus, being “in the black” is a good thing because it means stores are operating at a profit.
Recently, for those who are too busy to shop on Black Friday or who just don’t want to fight the crowds, the Monday following Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday (网络星期一) for the many online deals.
1. On Black Friday，the Americans .| A．don’t have to go to work as usual |
| B．look exactly like the Canadians |
| C．are usually busy doing shopping |
| D．stay at home and relax themselves |
| A．protect | B．attract |
| C．persuade | D．remind |
| A．It is totally different from Boxing Day. |
| B．They usually lose some money on the day. |
| C．It never keeps them very busy. |
| D．It probably brings them more money. |
| A．state the development of Cyber Monday |
| B．tell the difference between red and black |
| C．introduce Black Friday to the readers |
| D．explain the meaning of Boxing Day |
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【推荐1】It may not yet be October, but the world’s biggest beer festival is already happening in Munich, Germany. In spite of its name, Oktoberfest actually begins in the third weekend of September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. This year it started on Sept 21 and will end on Oct 6.
By the end of the two weeks, an estimated (估计) over 6 million people will have arrived at the famous tented fairgrounds for the celebration. While the festival falls in September, the beer is traditionally brewed (酿造) all the way back in March. During Oktoberfest, the rest of the year’s beer is drunk to make room for the new year’s beer.
Each year, over 5 million liter mugs (马克杯) of beer are usually drunk. But even more popular than the beers themselves are the mugs. Security guards take about 150,000 from souvenir hunters every year, but many still go missing. So the fine for stealing the must-have item is up to $60 (368 yuan).
While it may be obvious that Oktoberfest is about drinking massive (大量的) glasses of beer, eating plenty of delicious German foods is another fun festival activity. The most popular meals involve smoked meat and potatoes. Germans often prefer to eat heavy food, using plenty of mustards and sauces. The country has as many as 1,500 different kinds of sausages (香肠). There are also 300 kinds of bread to go with the sausages.
The clothes that Oktoberfest goers wear also make the annual fall festival special. Lederhosen (皮短裤) and tall socks are traditional dress. But no German outfit would be complete without the famous Peter Pan-esque (彼得·潘风格的) hats.
1. Which of the following aspects (方面) about Oktoberfest is not mentioned in the passage?| A．Foods. | B．Activities. |
| C．Clothes. | D．Weather. |
| A．Oktoberfest is the most popular beer festival in the world. |
| B．People can taste delicious German foods during Oktoberfest. |
| C．Every Oktoberfest goers must wear the Peter Pan-esque hat. |
| D．Each year, over 5 million mugs go missing during Oktoberfest. |
| A．Culture. | B．Science. |
| C．Education. | D．Sports. |
【推荐2】Unlike most other holidays, the history of April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, is not totally clear. The only point in time that can be agreed on as the beginning of this tradition was 1582, in France. Before that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25th. The celebration reached the highest point on April 1st. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX，the Gregorian calendar(公历，阳历) was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January 1st.
However, because in those days communications were not as developed as they are today, many people did not receive the news for several years. Some people refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st.These backward people were considered “fools” by other people. They were often sent on “fools” errands(徒劳无益的工作) or were made the targets of jokes.
This developed, over time, into a tradition of playing a trick on someone on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the Britain and France. April Fools’ Day thus developed into an international fun feast, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own kind of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
1. According to an earlier calendar, New Year’s Day in France was ________.| A．March 25th | B．January 1st |
| C．April 1st | D．April 3rd |
| A．France. | B．England. |
| C．Scotland. | D．America. |
| A．They accepted it happily. |
| B．They refused it immediately. |
| C．Some recognized it. |
| D．Some laughed at it. |
| A．what the French did on April Fools’ Day |
| B．how April Fools’ Day came into being |
| C．when was the new calendar introduced |
| D．why some people were fooled in France |
【推荐3】Music festivals in Europe
Visiting a festival abroad can be a great reason to travel and a way to experience different cultures. These days there is such a number of choices that it’s possible to spend the whole summer watching live music in exciting places. Of course, it’s also a chance to meet people from across the world.
Melt! Festival, Germany
This festival takes place on an open air museum for industrial machinery. There’s also a lake which can be used for swimming when it’s hot. This year’s line-up has over 120 different bands. Around 90% of the people celebrating the festival are Germans , with whom it provides a perfect chance to practise speaking the language.
Exit Festival, Serbia
Set on the banks of the Danube in an old castle, the festival began as a way to show people’s dissatisfaction with the government. Now it’s less political but still worries about people who are poor, ill, old, etc. and tries to help them. This year’s festival will host many famous bands. From electronic music and dance music to hard rock, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Scotland
Set on a Scottish estate (庄园) near Inverness, this year Belladrum will welcome artists from around the world. The most enjoyable part of the weekend is the ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance and party) which is always a lively event. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a beginner because the band teaches you each dance.
1. Which is True about Melt! Festival?| A．It provides German lessons. | B．The bands are from 120 countries. |
| C．It is held by a local museum. | D．Most of the festival visitors are Germans. |
| A．For personal reasons. | B．For political reasons. |
| C．To help stop a fight. | D．To offer help to the poor. |
| A．It falls in summer. | B．It invites the most famous bands. |
| C．It teaches people Scottish dances. | D．It is a live music festival. |
【推荐1】Frogs are like other animals-they need food, a place to live, protection from disease, a safe place to raise babies and all the other things that make life possible on this planet. But the world has lost around 200 frog species since 1970. So, why are we losing the world’s frogs now?
The short answer is that they don’t have enough places to live. “But that’s not true!” most people say. “There are some woods outside my house some frogs can live in!” But here’s the thing about frogs and other amphibians(两栖动物):They have what’s called “high species turnover”.
Species turnover is a way of thinking about diversity. Imagine you are walking from an area with species A. How far would you have to walk before species A would be replaced by species B? The longer the distance, the lower the turnover rate. Amphibians have high turnover rates-in mountainous areas, you can have species that are unique to a small area like a single mountain range, so any loss of the habitat has a relatively higher risk of causing that species to decrease or go extinct.
Frogs spend time migrating(迁居)between land and water during the year. Water sources are required for the laying of eggs and the raising of young frogs, but many adults spend most of their time on land. Anything we do to a frog’s habitat that keeps it from getting from one location to another-building roads and draining(使……的水流干)wetlands are two prime examples-can do some serious damage to a population, or even an entire species. Because many frogs are adapted to pretty narrow climatic conditions, and because they need access to water, it makes them even more vulnerable to climate change. The increasing frequency of drought isn’t doing them any favor.
1. What’s the common reaction to the short answer?| A．Doubtful. | B．Nervous. | C．Annoyed. | D．Guilty. |
| A．They need to cover the long distance. |
| B．Their habitat is limited to a small area. |
| C．They have to live in mountainous areas. |
| D．Their babies are easily killed by other species. |
| A．Important. | B．Sensitive. | C．Accessible. | D．Accustomed. |
| A．Ways to protect frogs. | B．A great diversity of frogs. |
| C．Causes of the loss of frogs. | D．Man-made damage to frogs. |
Overpopulation is one of the main causes behind the threatening of poverty on an individual level as well as a social level. This is simple math. If there are more mouths to feed and less income, definitely much will remain poor.
Another theory which is used as an explanation for poverty is lack of education. If you look at any of the underdeveloped countries, you will find that the level of education there is very low. Lack of education means lack of employment opportunities, thus leading to unemployment coupled with poverty in the future.
Moving away from one’s own homeland to another city or country in search of employment leads to poverty too. It may take these people a lot of time to find jobs. Meanwhile they live in bad conditions. The cost of living in the city or country is most of the time too high for them.
There may be other causes of poverty like the change in business. For example, in America, a couple of decades ago, heavy industry flourished, which employed a lot of African-American people. But now, the focus is more on information technology and health care, both of which employ only skilled and trained people. This has led to unemployment among African-Americans.
Poverty has many ill effects on society. That’s why steps should be taken to get rid of it!
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “flourished” in Paragraph 5?
(No more than 5 words)
2. Why is overpopulation a cause of poverty today? (No more than12 words)
3. What’s the situation of education in underdeveloped countries? (No more than 8 words)
4. What does the passage mainly talk about? (No more than 10 words)
5. In your opinion, what’s the most significant cause of poverty today? Please give your reason. (No more than 25 words)
【推荐3】Ladies, if you find yourselves wandering an unknown city with a man who is questioning your directional abilities, don’t doubt yourselves.
A recent small study published in the journal Psychological Science found that the longstanding theory that women have a more difficult time reading maps wasn’t true.
Historically, men have performed better than women in studies that tested their spatial(空间的)ability. But the leading study author Margaret Tarampi and a researcher from the University of California, Santa Barbara theorized that social influences had an effect on this outcome: The cultural belief that women are worse at reading maps could be seen as a stereotype(固有模式) threat, meaning women believe they’re bad at something, so they perform poorly as a result. The researchers also theorized that women performed better at skills that involve a social element. In other words, if reading a map means helping someone else, they might perform better.
Tarampi and her team tested both theories on undergraduate students at UCSB across three separate experiments. And, indeed, the results showed that men scored better than women only when they were mentioned the stereotype of male superiority before the test.
When the researchers did not mention it and gave a social context for reading the map, women’s scores improved across the board. Women also performed better when the test maps simply included human figures, rather than just random objects and landmarks.
So ladies, next time you struggle to figure out whether you should make a left or right at the Louvre, take out your tourist map with a healthy dose of confidence.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To warn women of one of their shortcomings. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C．To encourage women to read maps. |
| D．To state a social phenomenon. |
| A．a poor sense of direction | B．a lack of experience |
| C．a social stereotype | D．threats from others |
| A．they were asked to help someone else by reading a map |
| B．they were informed of the stereotype before the test |
| C．the test maps simply included human figures |
| D．there were social elements in the map |
| A．Women can read maps as well as men. | B．Women are better drivers than men. |
| C．Women always have difficulty reading maps. | D．Women are better at spatial ability. |
Since 1983 the workshop has offered teens the opportunity to explore new directions in their writing. The workshop sections are small(12 teen students). Fostering the sense of belonging to a learning community, trusting one’s own language and voice·and learning to think for other-these are the qualities and skills that the workshop strives to develop.
TERP Young Scholars
The program welcomes talented teen students to an extraordinary learning opportunity at the University of Maryland. Participants benefit from its vast resources，including libraries, computer and labs. They also enjoy trips to nearby Washington, movie nights，activities at the student union，mixers, and more. It offers college courses that are at the cutting edge of theory，thought and technology. Upon successful completion，they can earn three college credits of this university.
Books Summer Program
It is a lively and warm camp for outstanding teens who love literature and ideas. In the past eleven years, it has gathered exceptional middle and high school students to read selections from the greatest works of literature, experience college-level discussions and have fun with others. You’ll also discuss the likes of Plato, Jefferson, Tolstoy, Borges and Vonnegut.
Zeal Travel
We offer our teens two-week and three-week long trips to Hawaii，Alaska, Australia, Costa Rica, and Spain. All trips include 15-25 hours of community service activities. Every trip also includes exciting outdoor pursuits like surfing, scuba diving，ice climbing, zip line tours, hiking, and more.
1. Which program will students attend to earn college credits?| A．Young Writers Workshop. | B．TERP Young Scholars. |
| C．Books Summer Program. | D．Zeal Travel. |
| A．Learn how to write stories. | B．Make friends with famous writers. |
| C．Play some games with others. | D．Read and discuss the greatest works. |
| A．Adventurous and meaningful. | B．Educational and inspiring. |
| C．Traditional and helpful. | D．Crazy and challenging. |
【推荐2】A sharp rise in US pedestrian(行人) deaths has been partly blamed on people using their smartphones while driving or crossing the road. A recent report estimates that there were 6, 000 pedestrian deaths in 2016, the highest number in more than 20 years. In the last six years, fatalities(死亡数) have grown at four times the rate of overall traffic deaths.
The report say a number of factors are to blame, including mobile use. “A more recent factor contributing to the increase in pedestrian fatalities may be the growing use of smartphones by all road users, which can be a significant source of distraction for both drivers and pedestrians,” the report stated. Other factors include increased driving and more walking for exercise and environmental reasons. Alcohol is also blamed.
The report is based on data from all states for the first six months of 2016. The UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said it also saw mobile phones as dangerously distracting.
“More and more teenagers and young adults are being injured as a result of distraction, as a result of crossing roads while using their phone. This can be as a result of having a conversation, listening to music, texting or using the net,” said road safety manager Nick Lloyd.
Some cities around the world are taking measures to counter the issue of smartphone distraction. In the Bavarian town, the station has fitted red and green lights in the ground to warn people who stubbornly look at their smartphone. Officials in the Dutch town ran trials in February of traffic lights that project a red or green lighting strip across the pavements to alert smartphone zombies who were glued to their mobiles as they cross the road. Social media, games and music are major distractions in traffic. Dutch road safety group VVN said that the idea rewarded bad behavior.
1. What is the purpose of the report?| A．To tell the readers a sharp rise in traffic deaths. |
| B．To state the reasons for the increase in pedestrian fatalities. |
| C．To remind people of the negative effects of using smartphones. |
| D．To appeal to the public not to use their smartphones on the road. |
| A．Traffic flows. | B．Exercise on the roads. |
| C．Smartphone use. | D．Alcohol addiction. |
| A．Prevent. | B．Calculate. | C．Expose. | D．Clarify. |
| A．Flexible. | B．Conservative. | C．Approving. | D．Critical. |
【推荐3】Instead of leaving behind money as a big inheritance(遗产),people prefer to choose to create travel trust funds(基金) for their children. Ten kinds of travel trust funds have been set up since over 15 years ago.
More and more people thought that travel trust funds should be a part of their inheritances. Some people, who stored travel trust funds in the bank, did so to make sure their children could come back at any time. For example, at the time they studied or took courses in other countries. And there are also other trust funds to encourage travel with a charity(慈善) aim. For example, those funds would be given to volunteers who would work in Africa.
Now, let’s look at Mrs Liebman’s case. Her father worried that with two daughters living in Israel and one son in the US, the cost of plane tickets might prevent his children from visiting one another. At a family dinner in 2000, her father decided to create a travel fund which he would pay up to $800 every year. Four years later, he died and so far the money has been used by his kids for family parties. The amount was raised over the years to keep up with the rising cost of air travel. Most recently, Mrs Liebman, her husband and their three children flew from Israel to the US for a wedding and received a check to pay for their flights.
For Mrs Liebman, the money from her father has had a very positive influence. In the past dozen years, her brother’s and sister’s families have more chances to get together to enjoy their happy life. “There has been a new level of connection made. It’s really a good way to leave kids some kinds of travel trust funds when parents go away.” She said.
1. The second paragraph is written to tell us_________.| A．the different uses of travel trust funds | B．the tradition of the inheritance in the US |
| C．the advantages of travel trust funds | D．the form of Americans’ inheritance |
| A．Mrs. Liebman comes from a rich and large family. |
| B．Money should be used to travel with families. |
| C．Mrs Liebman’s father supported the way of leaving money for his kids. |
| D．Mrs Liebman’s father expected there was a good relationship among his kids. |
| A．left her children a lot of money to travel all over the world |
| B．worked in Africa as a volunteer before she got married |
| C．received money from the travel trust fund to visit her family members |
| D．went home every four years after her father died in 2,000 |
| A．Give away money for a charity aim. | B．Build travel trust funds for her parents. |
| C．Create some travel trust funds for her kids. | D．Make use of her free time to travel. |
