Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day and the Friday before Cyber Monday in the United States. It is a busy shopping day and is a holiday in some states. Many people have a day off work on Black Friday. Some people use this to make trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go on vacation.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Shopping for Christmas presents is also popular on Black Friday. Many stores have special offers and lower their prices on some goods, such as toys.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Many people take a day of their annual leave on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Many organizations also close for the Thanksgiving weekend.

    Public transport systems may run on their normal schedule or may have changes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}There can also be congestion (拥挤）on roads to popular shopping destinations.

    Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}One theory is that the wheels ofvehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday.

    The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording business accounts.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits before Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day.

A. Black Friday is a public holiday in some states.

B. Black Friday is a shopping day for a lot of reasons.

C. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink.

D. Others use it to start shopping for the Christmas season.

E. Some stores extend their opening hours on Black Friday.

F. As time goes on, a new explanation of black Friday has become popular.

G. There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday.

    Things I Wish I'd Known in High School

    Sometimes high school seems like a necessary evil. Now at the end of my college journey, I know that there are still more things I could have done to make my high school experience more beneficial.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Take a class that scares you during high school. The experience will definitely prepare you for future academic challenges.

    Don't worry about your grades too much. Getting a B is not the end of the world.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}I started college with all A's since seventh grade, and it was hard to deal with not being able to repeat that. I stayed away from taking some harder courses I might have done well in because I was afraid of doing poorly. Now, I can fully accept that if I try my best in at least one harder class and get a B+, that is still something to be proud of.

    Find your own de-stressing routine. Another essential skill to begin building in high school is how to manage work and stress. Maybe you deal with stress by going for a run, or watching a silly movie. Talk with a friend for a while or play with your dog.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Spend your summers wisely. Don't take on a full-time job the first summer you decide to work.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Do find something to do that will make the ten weeks worthwhile. Look for programs that take you to interesting places, or a job that will give you insight into something you might be interested in.

    Finally, remember to have fun. Your life does not depend on high school.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You will have plenty of time to work hard in college and beyond. Be prepared, but don't stress out too much about it. If you can make your high school experience fun, you will have no problem doing the same for your life in college and beyond.

A. In fact, it's kind of a good thing.

B. Take full advantage of your brain.

C. You do have to be active about making friends.

D. Do your best, but leave time for fun with friends.

E. Forty hours a week will be a huge shock and you'll have plenty of time for that in the future.

F. Find out what relaxes you, and you will feel less stressed.

G. They will be improved if you make great efforts.

    Here are some ways parents can use to encourage a healthy self-image in their children.

    Teach what real value is. I think kids sometimes are confused about values. How valuable you are is not measured by how pretty you are on the outside.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We were watching the Oscars and my 6-year-old son said, “She is so pretty,” and then quickly looked at me and said You are prettier, Mom.” And I said, “It's okay. There are many people prettier than me on the outside. I know that's not why you love me{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Tell your kids about “the grass is always greener” syndrome. It is very easy for all of us to see the charm, whether it is in a famous singer or the most popular girl in the school. Do not think too highly of famous people.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Maybe they have the same struggles, like wanting acceptance from peers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't be afraid to have conversations with your child about how they're feeling about ads songs, etc. You are the parent!{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Take a stand and have confidence enough not to be followers and not to purchase clothing, music, or magazines that you don't believe send the right message to your children!

A. Use your mouth.

B. Be patient with your kids.

C. about what problems they might have.

D. It is important to teach children this from an early age.

E. Success is not measured by how famous you are, either.

F. Girls tend to like famous singers while boys prefer sports stars.

G In fact, kids of all ages want and need boundaries from you.

Rich and Famous

    Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today's situation is quite different.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor—in other words, they hope to become a celebrity (名人).

    According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Let's take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes' best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they'll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

    In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months{#blank#}4{#/blank#}They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

    While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals{#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won't realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.

A. The younger generation don't favor these professions any more.

B. In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.

C. Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people's life.

D. Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.

E. People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.

F. This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.

G. The reason is that they don't realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.

    Did you make financial decisions last New Year's Eve? Did they fall by the wayside? If so, you are not alone.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Make a smart budget

    Did you plan to make a budget and fail to do so? This is a perfect time to start, as you are heading into the new year. You may be able to stop yourself from overspending if you realize how overextended you are. If you've taken no other financial steps this year, start by setting a realistic budget.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Control your spending

    Even if you had a budget, were you able to stick to it?{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Use it as a psychological advantage－you have less to spend so you need to shop harder for bargains and research prices. Impulse buying (即兴购买) will be less likely to attract you and your spending should be more focused as a result.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    You had a savings goal, didn't you? If you didn't have a specific goal, it may be why your savings effort failed. Set a smaller savings goal now, and use that to build a larger savings goal for the upcoming year. Make sure that you equate（使等同）your savings with a specific goal.

    Reduce your debt

    Debt reduction is an important goal, especially in the case of high-interest debt such as credit cards. It's easy to get into an unrecoverable increase of debt if you have no plan to keep debt in check. It is a longer-term goal, but one you need to start right away.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. That may be a tall task, which is all the more reason to start immediately.

A. Increase your savings

B. Have a clear goal for your debt

C. You will go on with your new decisions

D. Most other financial improvements will follow

E. Start small by setting a spending budget for your shopping

F. But this year, you can make some progress on your financial goals

G. Attack the debt with the highest interest rate, and control your spending

Effective Ways to Protect Our Planet

We only have one earth. However, humans haven't been very good protectors of the earth over the years. To leave a fine planet for our children and future generations, we all need to take steps to develop better living habits. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Buy less. Cheap goods in the sales may make your life better, but few of those are essential. And they almost always end up in the trash can or are forgotten in the back of a. closet. So next time you're hesitating about buying or accepting a non-essential item, think over whether it will truly improve your life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Turn waste into treasure. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Not only does it keep items out of trash cans, but it can also prevent you from buying new items, which require lots of resources to produce. Moreover, children love making things. So instead of heading towards the craft store, check out your recycling bin first and improve your children's imagination.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Did you know it takes over 700 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make just one plain T-shirt? Instead of going to the mall to buy new clothes, you can consider looking first in a secondhand shop or trading clothes. Second-hand shopping also applies to many other categories of consumer goods such as furniture, cars and children's toys.

Walk, bike or car sharing.According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a typical passenger vehicle emits (排放) about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year. Thus, any amount of what you can cut back on will matter. For short trips, you can try walking or biking. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If travelling on foot or by bike isn't practical, you can try carpooling with a friend, neighbour or coworker to the same destination.

A. Save water.

B. Choose second-hand stores.

C. If not, it's okay to just say, "No, thanks!"

D. And here are some ways to protect the environment.

E. Plastic bottles are a clear example of waste material.

F. In this way, you can get some exercise without going to the gym.

G. Creating something new with unwanted items is a good way to protect the environment.