There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons (优惠券), sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping (跺脚) their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which fell on Nov 28，2014, “has become in recent decades a special American holiday”, said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows(手肘)of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day “Black Friday”, said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the “red” – that is, debt – and into the “black”, or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers (零售商) opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, “for it isn’t just about the bargains”, noted CNN. “For many shoppers, it’s just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year’s Eve.”
1.Which of the following statements about Black Friday is TRUE?
A.It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers.
B.It is a shopping festival in the US that falls on the second Friday after Thanksgiving.
C.It has been a traditional American holiday since the founding of the nation.
D.It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price.
2.According to The Huffington Post, the name of “Black Friday” may be first used ______.
A.at the beginning of the 20th century in the US
B.by American people who expected to bring home bargains after Thanksgiving Day
C.by the police to show their displeasure toward heavy traffic caused by shopping crowds
D.to describe the bad weather on the day
3.According to the article, people who queue up for Black Friday ______.
A.usually help each other to find good bargains
B.have great fun as part of the waiting crowd
C.have a lot of complaints about the service of the retail clerks
D.have to wait until 5 to 6 am to start shopping
4.What is the article mainly about?
A.The shopping habits of Americans.
B.An introduction to the origin and influences of Black Friday.
C.Tips on how to get good bargains on Black Friday.
D.People’s mixed feelings toward Black Friday.
Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said，“You may go to prison，or you may go to Camp Green Lake.”Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before. So， Stanley Yelnats seems set to serve an easy sentence，which is only fair because he is as innocent as you or me. But Stanley is not going where he thinks he is.
Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a place that has no lake and nothing green. Nor is it a camp，at least not the kind of camp kids look forward to in the summertime. It is only a desert wasteland，dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the camp.
At Camp Green Lake，the warden(看守)makes the boys“ build character” by spending all day, every day, digging holes：five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is searching for something，and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth. Fate is to find a solution to it all—the family curse，the mystery of the holes. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations，but now it is about to reveal its verdict(裁决).
1.Stanley Yelnats went to Camp Green Lake to_________.
A.enjoy the summertime B.show his innocence
C.Serve his sentence D.make a choice
2.We can learn from the passage that Stanley_________.
A.stole the shoes for his relative B.got the shoes by accident
C.donated the shoes to an auction D.blamed the judge for the sentence
3.In fact，the warden made the boys dig holes to__________.
A.kill the time
B.build character
C.break the family curse
D.look for something
4.In which section of a newspaper does this passage probably appear?
A.Law. B.Geography. C.News. D.Literature.
Nowadays, girls are so mean to each other. Many girls are becoming the victims of the harmful behaviors of the female bully.
Emma Tracey was a popular 17-year-old and a well-liked athlete who had already won a soccer scholarship to college. But none of that stopped Emma from becoming the target of online girl on girl bullying (欺凌). Emma began to receive hundreds of online unpleasant comments via the latest social networking site called www.formspring.com.
In March 2011, Emma committed suicide and although all agreed that the online bother was not the single factor that led to Emma’ death, everyone did agree that it was a contributory factor.
Unfortunately, Emma’ story is not unique. A 2010 study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center states: “Cyberbullying victims were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying. Girls are 57% more likely to be victims of aggressive cyberbullying and 92% more likely to be the criminals.”
Suicide is obviously the extreme and no one can minimize the tragedy of it. However, there are other damages that occur as a result of aggressive bullying. It can damage self-confidence and lead to feelings of worthlessness, and also increase social isolation and make victims become withdrawn, depressed, anxious, and unsafe. So what causes girls to be so unkind towards each other?
A term known as relational aggression may best describe the cause of girl on girl bullying. It starts with a clique (派系) usually led by a girl with a high level of social status and popularity. In order not to lose her position, she will control girls within the clique and take action if she feels threatened. At the leader’s directive the girls within the clique will spread rumors and lies and annoy other girls continuously.
The bullying starts at school but will quickly go to cyberbullying due to anonymity (匿名) and lack of punishment. Girls will easily do so in the anonymity of the Internet. Finally the cause will be summarized as the unsafety and jealousy of one girl and the twisted loyalty of members within her clique. Underneath the confident exterior (外表) of a female bully lie desperate unsafety.
1.The example of Emma Tracey is given to show .
A.popular youth are not easy to become the target of bullying
B.today’s youth don’t like to study any more
C.suicide is a serious problem among youth
D.cyberbullying is quite common among teenagers
2.The bullying will quickly go to cyberbullying mainly because .
A.it’s free to post comments online
B.the bullies don’t have to give their names online
C.it will not attract much attention
D.it will not affect their real life
3.Which of the following is NOT the cause of bullying?
A.Lack of safety.
B.The twisted loyalty of members within a clique.
C.Jealousy of others.
D.Trying to be friendly.
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that a female bully_______ .
A.has strong self-confidence
B.has strong leadership skills
C.is actually weak inside
D.is usually good at study
It was a cool spring evening in Melbourne, Australia. I drove to my boxing gym for a Friday night training session. After up, I started training. Then I noticed a tall and slim young man walking through the doors.There was something about him that caught my .
Before long, I realized that he might have a mental illness. Having volunteered for mental illness support groups, I really his problems when I looked at him.
He paid for the session, put on a pair of gloves and then started hitting the punchingbags. I watched him from a and wanted to help him to punch straighter andbetter. Then I felt it was best to leave that up to the trainer who was watching him.
After a few seconds of punching the bag, he stopped and started staring at the . The trainer went up to him and to help him. It was almost like he woke up from a dream. He eye contact with the ceiling at once.
Then the bell rang and it was the end of the round. rounds we are required to do five pushups (俯卧撑), all the boys that were training that night did five pushups. He to complete his five pushups. The bell sounded again and the next round began. He punched the bags for a few seconds and then he . This time he was staring at the walls which were decorated with boxing posters.
It was clear to me that he could not for long.
When I finished training, I decided to go up to him and offer him my help. I held the bag for him and asked him to punch. He the bag a few times and then stopped again.
I smiled at him and asked, “Do you like boxing?”
He replied with a very shy on his face, “Yes, boxing is alright.”
What else could I dothan this man and his willingness to give it a go? Most people put self-imposed (自我强加的) on their lives and stop themselves from having a go. I kept thinking about this man while admiring him for even turning up to a boxing gym, let alone training at what appeared to be his .
There are many lessons to learn from this man. What I admired about this man was that he had a go! That is what ordinariness from greatness.
So what will you have a go at?
1.A.lifting B.running C.warming D.going
2.A.heart B.attention C.breath D.imagination
3.A.experienced B.mentioned C.overcame D.understood
4.A.distance B.box C.poster D.screen
5.A.still B.even C.also D.ever
6.A.bags B.walls C.ceiling D.trainer
7.A.offered B.promised C.seemed D.planned
8.A.made B.broke C.kept D.avoided
9.A.Before B.Through C.During D.Between
10.A.for B.but C.or D.so
11.A.struggled B.preferred C.refused D.decided
12.A.slowed B.stopped C.continued D.hesitated
13.A.stand B.stay C.concentrate D.remember
14.A.hit B.felt C.grasped D.watched
15.A.view B.look C.sight D.scene
16.A.accept B.appreciate C.motivate D.notice
17.A.targets B.burdens C.limitations D.minds
18.A.worst B.fullest C.greatest D.hardest
19.A.really B.hardly C.merely D.nearly
20.A.prevents B.protects C.transforms D.separates
—I don’t know about you,but I’m sick and tired of this weather.
— .I can’t stand all this rain.
A.I don’t care B.It’s hard to say
C.So am I D.I hope so
Walmart, which is one of the largest American supermarket chains, some of its stores open 24 hours on Mondays through Saturdays.
A.keeps B.keep C.have kept D.had kept
