Question

   Thanksgiving is always on 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. Some items (商品) like TVs and clothes 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 problems. The biggest one is that there are not enough lowpriced 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 a 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 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?

Answer 1

5. B

•  1. Yes. 2. There are not enough lowpriced items.

• 3. Three to four hours. 4. In Philadelphia.

• 5. Because they can get things on sale. /Because they can get things with big discounts.