America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Shoppers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. About 136 million people shopped during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, shopped on Cyber Monday. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Online spending on Black Friday rose 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending increased 12 percent to $3 billion. NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was a more comfortable alternative than crowded malls.

    The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on solid shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling. Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. However, the business in malls is thriving again, it adds.  According to a survey, 94.2percent of malls were full with shops by the end of 2014. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That's about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That goes to China's Singles' Day, celebrated on November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion in 2015.

A．More and more people shop online nowadays.

B．That is the highest level in 27 years.

C．It is the busiest shopping day of the year.

D．One-in-five Americans used a tablet or smart-phone.

E．The traditional mall industry can hardly survive.

F．Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

G．Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world.

How to Protect Your Ears

    You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So no harm done…right?

    Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious— and irreversible(无法治愈的)—hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:

    Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you're listening to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Turn it down.

    Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.

    Take breaks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.

A. Use earplugs.

B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.

C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.

D. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.

E. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.

F. Unfortunately, there's no way to get back hearing you've already lost.

G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.

    It's easy to spot signs of physical suffering, but much emotional pain can be easily masked.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} “We don't tend to have conversations about mental well-being,” says Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a clinic psychologist. Simply asking someone “How are you” may just get “Fine, thank you”, says Van Dahlen. “It's important to be aware of what could lead to somebody needing help they're afraid to ask for,” she adds. The following are four signs a friend might need help.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you sense something different about the way your friend is acting — maybe he's not smiling much these days, for instance — trust your feelings and reach out. “Try saying, ‘I see these things. I care about you. Can I be of help?'”, Van Dahlen says.

    He's unusually unhappy or annoyed.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} “It may take more than one time to follow up if you're talking to someone who is upset,” Van Dahlen says, “but if a friend responds with anger, that could mean you're onto something.”

    He's less put together than usual.

    Drinking more and ignoring personal hygiene (卫生) can be signs that someone is in trouble. Don't consider these behaviors are nothing.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} He seems overwhelmed (压倒) by life.

    No one is happy all the time, but if your once optimistic friend can't find anything to be hopeful about, he may be having thoughts of worthlessness, sadness and something negative. “{#blank#}5{#/blank#}” says Van Dahlen, “so that more people can get the help they need.”

A. He's acting a bit more withdrawn.

B. He doesn't seem like himself lately.

C. Instead treat them as a sign to care for your friend.

D. Getting angry quickly and easily can be a sign that something is wrong.

E. It's a constant effort to bring into the open discussions about mental health.

F. Many people avoid talking about it no matter how close they are to someone.

G. We want people to get comfortable being more open and discussing mental health.

                                  5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About High School

    As a teenager,you get a lot of things shouted at you from all different directions and it's often overwhelming.

⒈High school is never like it is in the movies.

    As a freshman,everything is so new and you're dealing with the constant feeling of apathy all while caring way too much.It's a delicate balance that I think only teenagers alone ever understand fully.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Expect change,but don't try so hard to fantasize it.

⒉Make friends with your teachers.

    Not all of the teachers will be fair,or even tolerable,and while that may inspire you to want to take your first dignified stand against today's education system,it won't prevent you from failing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pay attention in class because no,you're not "too cool for school."

⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You're going to meet people who are dealing with all kinds of problems.Maybe you'll be the one experiencing these things,and in that case,what would you want your friend to do for you?Sometimes you won't feel like being there,maybe you'll be too tired to listen,but it'll be worth it in the end if you really just make yourself reliable.

⒋Do not sink in self-pity

    Of course,feeling sorry for yourself is okay,it's even healthy!But when you're the person who's always complaining about yourself and your life and questioning all the bad things that happen to you,no one is going to want to talk to you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

⒌You are beautiful,intelligent,and worth it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You're surrounded by hundreds of other people who are even better at the things you thought you were best at.Stop comparing yourself.You're not stupid because you failed a history test.You are yourself and that's all you ever will be.

A.Respect your teachers.

B.Lower your expectations.

C.Have a pity on your friends.

D.Nobody is going to feel sorry for you.

E.Most teenagers experience low self-esteem.

F.Many teens often show emotional moods.

G Be the kind of friend you would want.

    I'm a survivor of atomic bombing (原子弹轰炸)of Nagasaki, Japan. I was born on December 25, 1944, so when the bombs fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I was only nine months old. My family were not even in the city of Nagasaki. We were outside. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There are three ways that atomic bombs can kill you. One is the blast (冲击波). That knocks down all the buildings nearby. The second is the fireball. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And those who were touched by the fireball disappeared immediately. And the third way is the radiation (辐射).

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I remember both my mother and my sister were sick in bed. And when I was six, they died.

    When my sister died, I heard her doctor tell my father that I wouldn't live to see my tenth birthday. So I knew that I was not going to live long. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Whenever I get a simple cold, I thought this might be the end of my life.

    I also felt that it was wrong for me to stay alive. Why did my sister and my mother, who were wonderful people, had to die? And yet L, who am not worthy, am still alive? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It kills everything on its way. It kills slowly. and painfully.

    If the United States is attacked with radioactive weapons, millions of people will die. If North

    Korea is attacked, Korea, Japan, part of China and even Russia will be affected I want all nations to come together and start finding a way of getting rid of nuclear weapons altogether.

A. But I always took good care of myself.

B. There was a huge fireball in both cities.

C. Therefore, I was always worried about my health.

D. The radioactive dust was what started killing our family.

E. It always does much more harm than good to human being.

F. This feeling is the kind of weapon that shouldn't be allowed on the earth

G. However, radiation from the bombing went far beyond the city limits and harmed us.

There are reasonable dependencies that are healthy for an individual's development. However, other dependencies bring unhappiness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In this article, we're going to be talking about some of them.

Other people's opinions

Depending on other people's opinions means letting your behavior, likes and desires be determined by the approval of those that surround you, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As a result of this, you guide your life projects, dreams, and behavior according to what others may think.

Fashion

Few are able to tell apart their own tastes and style from the current fashion trends. Now, we're not only talking about clothing or accessories here but about general preferences and even philosophies. That desire to hop on a train and be part of the majority sometimes leads to dependency. Some become truly concerned about not being "in style". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Physical appearance

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} As a result, they end up believing that their worth as human beings is defined by the way they look. We can't lie; beauty opens doors to some individuals. Also, it makes it easier for some to climb to the top. However, it doesn't serve much beyond that initial chapter.

Money

When the individual begins associating their personal value with the amount of money they have, it becomes a problem. Relying on money sometimes means believing that happiness equals consumption. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To those who think this way, not having money is equivalent to losing everything, including themselves.