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.
1.Is Black Friday the start of the holiday shopping season?
2.What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
3.How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
4.Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
5.Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday?
A Special Delivery
Ben and Sally lived in California with their two daughters. Ben liked travelling. 1.___________ , but sally stayed home with the girls. Ben and his friends owned a company. People at the company liked to play jokes on each other. One day, Ben’s friends wanted to play a joke on Ben and Sally. 2.____The letter said,
Dear Sally.
I’m having a great time here in Africa. I’m sending a special gift to you. I hope you like it. Please take good care of it until I get home.
Love to you and the kids,
Ben
On the same day, Sally also got a phone call. The caller told her that a delivery was coming. At one o’clock, a truck stopped in front of Sally’s house. The truck driver gave Sally a rope. An animal was tied to the rope. It was a baby elephant! 3.____________ , and it began eating grass.
Then the driver drove away. Sally stood there and held the rope to the elephant. She asked herself, “What can I feed an elephant with? Bananas?”
4._____________ . He said, “It’s illegal (非法的)to have wild animal here.” Then the policeman gave Sally a ticket.
Ben’s friends were hiding in the backyard and laughing. They had planned everything perfectly. They had rented (租借)the elephant from a zoo and asked the policeman to write the ticket! Ben’s friends also made a film of everything. 5.___________ .
When Sally learned about the truth, she couldn’t help laughing.
A. So they sent a letter to Sally
B. After a while, a policeman came
C. The elephant ran into Sally’s yard
D. They wanted Ben to watch the video
E. One summer, he went to Africa on a trip
New Technology Revolutionizes(变革) Learning
More and more people believe that technologies are great for learning. Today, such teaching tools as iPads are used in a lot of courses, including language, history and science.
Many teachers are supporters of using iPads in language learning. They say that students now have much more time for discussion in the classroom.Instead of spending valuable class time listening to texts or watching teaching videos, students can do this on their own and come to class prepared for discussion.
The teachers also say that iPads allow students to learn at their own pace. Some students might listen to a dialogue only once and understand it, so they can save time for doing other things. Other students, however, might need to listen to the same dialogue again and again to understand it. Using iPads is especially helpful to students who are learning a language at different paces.
The students who are using the new tool in some courses are also happy. They believe that using iPads is a more enjoyable way to learn (such as listening to stories and watching movies). The class has become much more interesting and creative.
There are other advantages for students. By using iPads, they can pay more attention to the material and learn more. Teaching notes are stored in their iPads and are easy to find .Some students spend more time studying now.“I can listen to my language material or watch teaching videos on the bus, instead of having to wait until I get home,” a student explained.
Many adults complain that technologies such as iPads are doing harm to students. They worry that students might use iPads to download teaching notes and use them to cheat during exams. Some believe that iPads may separate students from each other. If a student spends more time watching videos on an iPad, he will have fewer opportunities to have face-to-face communication with others.
However, technologies are already a part of most students’ day-to-day lives. As for cheating, teachers can ask students to hand in their iPads when they take exams. Education needs to make changes with the times as technology is playing an important part. We should look forward to a wonderful future when iPads and other technologies can add a lot to the classroom.
1.What does the expression“at their own pace” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. According to their own timetable.
B. Without their teachers’ help.
C. Because of their wonderful goals.
D. Against their parents’ hope.
2.From the passage we can learn that____.
A. students with iPads have less discussion in class
B. students get more fun from learning with iPads
C. iPads help students save time waiting for buses
D. iPads prevent students from cheating in exams
3. The writer probably agrees that____.
A. teachers can take control of students’ learning
B. exam results depend a lot on now technology
C. technology in education has a bright future
D. note-taking is as helpful as video-watching
Do you enjoy visiting a museum? Did you ever make a plan before a visit? Every museum must have something that attracts you. And there are many possible ways to enjoy yourself in a museum.
If you follow these steps below, you'll know what is worth seeing and doing, so that you can make the most of your time at the museum.
Decide what museum you will visit. There are so many different kinds of museums and you first need to find one that you like. It's easy for you to choose one and start an enjoyable visit!
Do some research online. Every museum now has a website which allows you to look through the information about it. On the website, you may look for such things as:
•The exhibits(展品)–See what is on show at the museum at all times, and what special exhibitions are held for a short time.
•The history of the museum –There will often be very interesting stories about the exhibits and the benefactors(捐赠者). That can make your visit more interesting.
•Activities –See whether there are talks, tours our special activities on the day when you visit. Many museums hold some activities that meet the interests of all age groups.
•Cost,food or shortage–It's important how much the visit will cost. You have to decide whether or not you can eat there. You might also need to find out transportation needs, as well as storage for coats, bags etc.
Learn at least one thing on your visit. It is always good to take away something new from your visit.
Plan breaks into your visit. When you walk around, standing here and studying exhibits there, you may become very tired. So it is important to take breaks. A break is a good opportunity for you to think of what you have seen and what else you might want to do in museum.
Take a friend or two. Visiting museums is always a lot more fun when you are with someone else. You can talk over what you’re seeing. A friend also brings another way of thinking when you talk about the exhibit.
1.According to the passage, we should first ____.
A. do some research online B. make a plan for lunch
C. decide on a museum to visit D. choose a friend to go with
2.To make our visit more interesting, we can____.
A. organize activities like special shows and talks
B. read the stories about exhibits and benefactors
C. learn about the interests of all age groups
D. walk around the museum without breaks
3.If we visit a museum with friends, we can____.
A. share the experience with them
B. come up with strange ideas
C. cut down the cost of the visit
D. discuss the next visit plan
Bags of Love
Last year, I worked in a middle school near my mother’s house, and I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped her do some housework and buy some food.
After the first week, I noticed that the food was eaten up very quickly. Then I began keeping an eye on my mum. To my surprise, I found that she would put some of the food into a paper bag and go out with it at about nine every morning. And finally, I decided to follow her. I saw her taking the food to the street children. She would also spend a lot of time talking and playing with them.
One day, I talked to a neighbour and found out that my mum was well-known in the area. The children were very friendly with her and even thought of her as their own mother. Then it hit me – why wouldn’t she want to tell me about it? Was she worried that I would stop buying food if I found out?
When my mum got home, I gave her a big hug (拥抱).I told her she didn’t need to keep it a secret from me. And she told me something about the children. Some of them lived with an old lady in a small house. Others slept on the street. For years, she was helping the poor street children by giving them food. After she told me everything, I was so moved by how selfless (无私的) she was. She helped others in need. As her son, I was so proud of my mum.
I continued to buy food for my mum after that. But I always added one more bag for her other children.
1.After the first week, the writer noticed that _____.
A. the food was put into a big box
B. his mum followed the children
C. the food was eaten up quickly
D. his mum stopped buying food
2. The street children thought of the writer’s mum as their _____.
A. old grandma B. own mother
C. new neighbour D. dear teacher
3.How did the writer feel about his mum after she told him everything?
A.He was proud of her.
B. He was confident in her.
C. He was angry with her.
D. He was worried about her.
4.The writer added one more bag of food to _____.
A. make friends with the children
B. get a hug from his mother
C. become well-known in the area
D. help the poor street children
A
| |
| |
My favourite season…. | |
Matt/UK: | My favourite season is spring, because everything is getting new and fresh again. I like having picnics and taking photos with my friends. I don’t like autumn, because I know that it’s going to be getting cold soon.
|
Anna/Germany: | Autumn is my favourite season. I love the changing of leaves. I like the colours. I love the autumn wind that blows the leaves around. And I often take a walk in that autumn air with a warm cup of coffee. My least favourite season is summer, because it’s too hot.
|
Neil/Canada: | I like summer best. It’s very cool in my hometown, and it’s nice to have a long and sunny summer. There are a lot of outdoor activities you can take part in, such as going camping. My least favourite is winter, because it’s pretty cold, and you don’t want to go outside.
|
Kat/US: | My favourite season is winter, because there’s a lot of snow, and it’s very beautiful. When the countryside is covered with snow, it’s perfectly white. Also, I love building snowmen with my friends. So I like winter.
|
1.Matt’s favourite season is _____
A. spring B. summer C. autumn D. winter
2.Where is Anna from?
A. The US. B. Canada C. The UK D. Germany
3.What’s the weather like in Neil’s hometown in summer?
A. Wet B. Cool C. Windy D. Cloudy
4.In winter, Kat loves _____.
A. going camping B. taking a walk
C. building snowmen D. having picnics
