The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分類賬)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可圖的，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（較少的，較小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩夢(mèng)）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（沃爾瑪公司）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.     

63. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

 A. reduce         B. raise         C. increase        D. change

64. 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

65. 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.

66.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.

Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time.

59. This passage aims to __________.

 A. make comments on films for a cinema     B. introduce films for a film corporation

 C. recommend several films for fun           D. advertise several films for a website

60. If you bring your seven-year-old sister to the cinema, which of the following film should you avoid?

 A. Away We Go.        B. Orphan.          C. 2012.       D. 500 Days of Summer.

61. Among all the characters mentioned in the passage, who directed films in Hollywood?

   A. Roland Emmerich.   B. Tom and Summer.  C. Burt and Verona.  D. Esther.

62. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

 A. Orphan is a comedy about Esther adopted by a kind family.

   B. 500 Days of Summer is a romance with a happy ending.

   C. Away We Go shows beautiful scenery on the young couple’s journey.

 D. The ancient Mayan prediction is going to happen in 2012.

 Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good ,most would admit that their spoken English is poor .Whenever I speak to a Chinese student they always say, “My spoken English is poor.” However ,their spoken English does not have to remain “poor” ! I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

       First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary .

Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However ,you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive .Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

       Second ,they are afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous .Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly .However ,in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across ,to talk to someone in English ,as quickly and as well as you can ,even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense ,but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances（留出余地，體諒）for any mistakes he hears.

       The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening .You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking.

       Fourth ,most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners .Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor .If you have this proactive outlook ,then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

       If you do not use your English beyond the classroom you will forget what English you know .Remember: USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better by speaking English more.

56. What is most probably the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

   A. To improve your reading.                         B. To improve your spoken English.

   C. To improve your listening.                     D. To improve your vocabulary.

57. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that          .

   A. don’t be afraid of making mistakes .Just speak!

   B. don’t be nervous ,don’t be shy .Just write!

   C. don’t be fluency .Just be accuracy     

   D. don’t be shy ,don’t be fluency. Just listen and write!

58. The text is most probably taken from a          .

   A. teacher’s diary                          B. report on study

   C. sports newspaper                        D. movie magazine

Someone said that encouragement is simply reminding a person of the “shoulders” he’s standing on, the heritage he’s been given. That’s what happened    36    a young man, the son of a(n)   37    baseball player, was chosen by one of the minor league teams. Hard as he tried, his first season was    38    , and by midseason he expected to be removed    39   day. The coaches were     40    by his failure because he possessed all the characteristics of a superb（杰出的）athlete, but he seemed to have become    41    from his potential.

His    42    seemed darkest one day when he had already struck out his first time at bat. Then he stepped up to the batter’s box again and quickly ran up two strikes. The catcher called a     43    and ran for a conference to discuss strategies. While they were busy, the    44   , standing behind him, spoke casually to the boy.

Then play    45   , the next pitch was thrown and the young man knocked it out of the park. That was the turning    46   . From then on, he played the game with a new confidence and power that quickly    47    the attention of the parent team, and he was called   48    to the majors.

On the day he was leaving for the city, one of his coaches asked him what had caused such a turnaround. The young man replied it was the    49    remark the judge had    50    that day when his baseball career had seemed    51   .

“He told me I reminded him of all the times he had stood    52    my dad in the batter’s box,” the boy explained. “He said I was holding the bat just the way Dad had held it.    53   he told me, ‘I can see his genes in you; you have your father’s    54    .’ After that, whenever I swung the bat, I just    55    I was using Dad’s arms instead of my own.”

36. A. as                    B. since                      C. while                     D. when

37. A. star                   B. average                  C. amateur                        D. old

38. A. embarrassing   B. disappointing          C. satisfying               D. rewarding

39. A. some                B. a                         C. one                        D. any

40. A. amazed             B. impressed               C. puzzled                  D. ashamed

41. A. separated                 B. different                 C. inconsistent            D. divided

42. A. hope                 B. future                     C. dream                    D. ambition

43. A. break               B. rest                        C. pause                     D. stop

44. A. catcher             B. coach                    C. batter                     D. judge

45. A. began               B. lasted                     C. restarted                D. moved

46. A. part                  B. point                      C. place                     D. spot

47. A. drew                B. fixed                      C. focused                        D. took

48. A. in                     B. for                         C. up                         D. out

49. A. encouraging       B. casual                    C. demanding             D. wise

50. A. said                  B. made                     C. given                     D. pointed

51. A. hopeless           B. useless                   C. endless                  D. helpless

52. A. on the right       B. on the left               C. before              D. behind

53. A. And                  B. So                         C. Thus                     D. Therefore

54. A. strength            B. arms                      C. body                      D. talent

55. A. supposed         B. pretended               C. imagined                D. expected

—Our flight is boarding now. We’ll have to part.   —Don’t feel blue. ______.

   A. All that glitters is not gold                    B. All roads lead to Rome

   C. All good things come to an end                  D. A still tongue makes a wise head

The Qing Dynasty (AD1616-1911) had ten emperors altogether, nine _____ are buried in the two groups of tombs in Hebei Province.

   A. of that            B. of whom           C. that              D. which

There seems to be a __________ that the plan should be given up.

   A. prevention        B. measure            C. consensus         D. recognition

 Hardly could Tom _____ this amount of homework in such a short time.

   A. get down       B. get into               C. get off            D. get through

 —You’ve made great progress in your English, haven’t you?

   —Yes, but much _____.

   A. remains to do   B. is remained to do  C. remains to be done  D. is remained to be done

Quebec, once originally ______ by France, ______ the British in 1763.

   A. being colonized; was lost in                  B. was colonized; was lost to

   C. colonized; was lost to                        D. having being colonized; was lost in