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Millions of Americans have been heading to the shops on Black Friday, a crucial event for US retailers. Many stores open their doors overnight, hoping to entice customers with cut-price bargains. Black Friday－the day after the Thanksgiving public holiday－is traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Consumers are spending in an uncertain environment as fears about the health of the US economy
persist. Thousands of people queued late on Thursday evening in the hope of being the first to find a
bargain, with many shops offering deep discounts on clothing, electronic goods and toys.
"Several chains opened even earlier than the typical midnight start. Children's retailer Toys R Us threw open its doors at 22:00 on Thursday for the first time. Others stayed open after trading on Thanksgiving
itself. Judging from the excitement at Toys R Us at 10 pm (on Thursday) and throughout the evening, the
shopper is back, " Toys R Us chief executive Jerry Storch told Reuters. Department store Macy's said it
had 7,000 shoppers outside its flagship Herald Square store in Manhattan in the early hours of Friday
morning, some 2,000 more than last year.
Despite continued concerns over the US economy and a stubbornly high unemployment rate of 9.6%,
analysts are predicting a better holiday season than last year. The National Retail Federation says it expects sales to be 2.3% higher than 2009, to totalling $447m (285m). That could bode well for the US economy, with consumer spending making up about 70% of total economic output. "This is shaping up to be one
of the biggest Black Fridays we've seen," said David Bassuk, managing director at consulting firm Alix
Partners.
Black Friday is so named because it is the day of the year when retailers traditionally hope to leave the "red" and enter the " black ", breaking even or making a profit.
1. What will happen after the Thanksgiving public holiday is over?
A. The white collars are feeling down.
B. The day will be black enough on Friday.
C. The fear of expenses will be caused.
D. The Christmas season is really coming.
2. What's the customers' hope during Christmas season?
A. To make a good deal with retailers.
B. To kill time by shopping overnight.
C. To buy more discounted things.
D. To enjoy the merry atmosphere.
3. What do most Americans concern about?
A. The worse situation which American economy is in.
B. The fear that they lose chance to buy cheaper clothes.
C. The profit that retailers will make during Christmas season.
D. The sale that is believed to be higher than last year.
4. What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?
A. Americans are worried about inflation.
B. America's economy wouldn't inflation.
C. The sale this year is $ 447m higher than 2009.
D. Black Friday promises economic recovery.
5. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. Black Friday got the name from a tale in history.
B. Black Friday often let most Americans down.
C. Black Friday drives most Americans crazy.
D. Black Friday is when retailers expect to make money.
