The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可图的，有益的）. On that day, retailers（零售商）slash prices to get consumers to buy.  It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.

“It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser（较少的，较小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩梦）for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.

While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.

Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart（沃尔玛公司）worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”

Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed.  Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.

And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.

Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.     

小题1: The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

A．reduce

B．raise

C．increase

D．change小题2:The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.

A．paragraph two and paragraph three

B．paragraph one and paragraph two

C．paragraph three and paragraph four

D．paragraph five and paragraph six小题3:Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?

A．Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.

B．Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.

C．Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.

D．Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.小题4:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.

B．Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.

C．The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.

D．Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

I remember one night a few years ago when my daughter was frantic with worry. After my Harvard Extension School classes, I usually arrived at the bus station near my home by 11 p. m., but on that night I was nowhere to be found. My daughter was nervous. It wasn’t safe for a single woman to walk alone on the streets at night, especially one as defenseless as I am: I can slay a mugger with my sharp wit, but I am just too short to do any real physical damage.

That night my daughter checked the bus station, drove around the streets, and contacted some friends. But she couldn’t find me--until she called my astronomy professor who told her that I was on top of the Science Center using the telescope to gaze at the stars. Unaware of the time, I had gotten lost in the heavens and was only thinking about the new things I had learned that night in class.

This story illustrates a habit I have developed over the years: I lose track of the time when it comes to learning. (41) . I may have started late; but I will continue to learn as long as I am able because there is no greater feeling, in my opinion, than traveling to a faraway country as I have and being able to identify by sight the painting of a famous artist, the statue of an obscure sculptor, the cathedral of an ancient architect. (42) . So I will continue to take classes and tell my story.

Lately it seems that everyone is asking me, "Mary, what advice do you have for other students" So while I have you all here, I m going to ease my burden of answering you each individually: (43) . So listen to me when I tell you this: Knowledge is power.

My studies were interrupted when I was in the 7th grade, back sometime around World War I. I loved school but I was forced to leave it to care for my family. I was con-signed to work in a Rhode Island cotton mill, where I labored for many years. I eventually married and raised 5 children, 20 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. But all the while I felt inferior to those around me. I knew I was as smart as a college graduate. I knew I was capable of doing a job well— I had proved it by running a successful family business for decades that still exists. But I wanted more. I wanted to feel confident when I spoke and I Wanted people to respect my opinions. Does it surprise you to discover how much you have in common with an 89 year old woman (44) .

(45) . That belief is what has motivated me for the last 75 years to get this degree. It is also the mission of the Harvard Extension School. Without the support I received from this school, I might not have graduated until I was 100 -- a phrase that many of you have probably used in jest.

[A] If the saying is true that wisdom comes with age,, you may safely assume that I am one of the wisest people in this hall and possibly at this university today.

[B] f know that many of you graduates today, whether you were ’born in 1907 or 1967, have faced similar barriers to completing your studies and have sometimes felt inferior around those you work or socialize with just because you didn’t have a degree.

[C] If you have treated education as your main goal, and not as s means to an end. then you, too, have probably been claimed as a missing person once in your academic career, whether you were lost in the stars or the stacks of Widener Library.

[D] But I am here today like you are--to prove that it can be done; that the power gained by understanding and appreciating the world around us can be obtained by anyone regardless of social status, personal challenges, .or age.

[E] How else do you explain a woman who began high school at age 71 and who is graduating with a bachelor s degree at 89

[F] And you, too, know that the journey was worth it, and that the power of knowledge makes me the most formidable 89-year-old woman at the bus stop.

[G] I have found that the world is a final exam that you can never be prepared enough for.

42（）