Black Friday 黑色星期五，指的是美國感恩節隔天的大拍賣活動日，是一年中最為熱

絡的購物日，也被視為聖誕節禮物購物季的開始。這一天可以 “shop until you drop” 血

拼到掛~ ~稱此天為黑色星期五據說是源自於美國費城(Philadelphia)，用以形容當天上

街購物的人潮車流。後來另有一說為店家因為大拍賣而大發利市，帳本上為「黑字」，

就是有盈餘之意。

Walmart 沃瑪特，由山姆．沃爾頓(Sam Walton)創於1962年美國阿肯色州羅傑斯城

(Rogers, Arkansas)的百貨商店。1990年成為全美最大的零售商，並於1993年進軍國際

市場，1999年成為世界最大的私人公司。目前全球約有8970家店面，員工約200萬

人，是世界最大的零售商。

        Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, millions of Americans flock to(v.蜂擁而至)

stores to take advantage of(利用) discounted(adj.折扣的) prices. Known as “Black

Friday,” it is not only the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States but also the

unofficial beginning of the Christmas season. In the past, many stores would open at 6 in the

morning, with shoppers arriving hours earlier to be the first in line(排隊) when the doors

opened. In 2011, some retail(adj.零售的) chains(n.連鎖店) opened their stores at midnight

for the first time, causing a backlash(n.強制反對/抵制) among those who believed that a

shopping event should not intrude(v.擾亂/入侵) on the Thanksgiving holiday.

每年感恩節隔天，數百萬的美國人都會利用打折湧入商場搶便宜。這就是所謂的「黑色星期

五」{與不吉祥的13號星期五不同}，這天不只是美國一年之中最繁忙的採購日，同時也是聖

誕節檔期的非正式序幕。過去許多商家會在清晨六點開始營業，許多顧客則會提早數小時抵

達以便在開門時拔得頭籌。2011年時，部分連鎖零售商首次在午夜就開始營業，造成認為血

拼活動不應當擾亂感恩佳節的人士極大的反彈。

The term Black Friday was first used in Philadelphia(費城) in the mid-1960s to

describe the heavy traffic that became common on the day after Thanksgiving. In time(經

過一段時間之後), the term spread to other areas of the country, and some people came to

(逐漸開始) believe that it symbolized(象徵) the time of year that most stores begin to

make a profit(賺錢/獲利), or be “in the black(有結/盈餘).” Shoppers today must plan

ahead to deal with the extreme competition(n.競爭) to find the best deals in stores. Many

people start searching online stores weeks in advance(事先) to find which ones will have

the biggest sales, and people will arrive up to(至多/到達...程度) 10 hours early to get a

good place in line.

「黑色星期五」這個詞最早在1960年代中期的費城被用來描述漸漸成為常態的感恩節後塞車

狀況。後來這個詞傳播到美國其他地區，有些人開始相信它代表著大多數商家在一年的這個

時候開始賺錢，或是「呈現盈餘」{記帳時紅色是赤字，黑色是盈餘}的時候。今日的消費者

會事先計畫，才能在這場激烈的競賽中找到店面中最優惠的商品。許多人開始上網搜尋數週

前就已上線的商家資訊，以便找到最划算的店家。人們也會為了搶到好位置而提早將近十小

時到店門口前排隊。

Critics of Black Friday complain that it promotes unrestrained(adj.無節制的)

consumerism(消費主義) and can lead to violence. In 2008, a Walmart(沃瑪特) employee

was trampled(v.踐踏/踩傷) to death by shoppers as they pushed their way inside the store.

This year, one woman used pepper spray(n.胡椒噴霧劑/防狼噴霧) on her fellow(adj.處境

相同的) customers as she was competed(v.競爭) with them to buy a video game system.

Black Friday sales have been slower than usual in recent years because of the bad economy,

but stores reported a strong turnout(n.到場人數) this year as people begin to spend more

on Christmas gifts.

批評黑色星期五的人抱怨這樣的狀況促使揮霍無度的消費主義，且可能會引起暴力。2008年

時，一名沃爾瑪的員工就在顧客擠入店內時被踩死。今年，一名女子竟然用防狼噴霧對付與

她競購同一款電玩遊戲機的其他顧客。由於近年來景氣低迷，黑色星期五的銷售比往年要低，

但隨著人們在聖誕節禮物上的花費增加，今年商家回報的來客量還是相當可觀。

Reading Comprehension:

1. This article is mainly about  ________________.

(A) the unofficial religious service on Black Friday  

(B) how to get a good place in line before Black Friday   

(C) how to get the best deals on your Christmas gifts 

(D) the busiest shopping day after Thanksgiving

2. The term “Black Friday” not only described “________” at first but also symbolized

 “________.”

  (A) heavy traffic on that day; the biggest sales of the year

  (B) the busiest shopping day of the year; the extreme competition 

  (C) heavy traffic on that day; making a profit

  (D) the bad economy; unrestrained consumerism

3. What does the phrase “in time” in the second paragraph mean?

    (A) Having early enough to do something before it happens. 

    (B) After a long period of time when a situation has changed.

    (C)Something happens at a particular moment in the future.  

    (D) Doing something at or before a certain moment. 

4. Which of the following about Black Friday in this article is NOT correct? 

   (A) More and more consumers start doing online Black Friday shopping this year.

   (B) Americans will wait for hours to take advantage of discounted prices on Black

 Friday.

   (C) Most stores opened at six in the next morning right after Thanksgiving.

   (D) Americans usually start to go Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.

5. In the conclusion, some people complained that ________________.  

   (A) many stores wouldn’t open until the midnight after Thanksgiving

   (B) the busiest shopping day of the year led to heavy traffic in the Untied States

   (C) people bought less and less Christmas gifts because of the bad economy in recent

 years

   (D) Black Friday shopping promoted unrestrained consumerism and resulted in violence