阅读理解

　　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 controlles whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,”he said．Some retailers are attractikng consmers 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 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．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的)．Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below．I was one of those children, carefree and happy．I live on a street that is only one block long．I have lived on the same street for sixteen years．I love my street．One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end．When I think of home, I think of my street．Only I see it as it was before．Unfortunately things change．One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become．Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors．

　　It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won't be around much longer．I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car．In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days．The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home．The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days．It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever．

　　The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on．Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home．The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street．We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle．Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on．Children who rode tricycles now drive cars．The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways．Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison．Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days．

　　Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes．For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill．The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street．We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag．The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill．When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same．It is a piece of my childhood．It is a visual reminder of being a kid．Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod．

　　There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change．But something happened．People grow up, and people grow old．Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved．In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors．I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction．It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　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．On that day, retailers 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 price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper．But it's a nightmare 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 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．

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