Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in the United States that originated from the Pilgrims' harvest feast in 1621. It traditionally includes gathering with family, watching football, and eating turkey and other foods like stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is known for significant retail sales and crowded shopping. People express gratitude for what they are thankful for on Thanksgiving.
8. In the year _____, life was very hard
162
in England. 0
9. Some people suffered religious
persecution because they didn’t
agree with the_____ and his religion.
KIN
G
10. They wanted a better life. So they
decided to leave ENGLAN
________ and
D
travel to America.
11. They travelled on a boat called the
_________. It was a stormy and
MAYFLOWE
R
crowded journey.
12. After 9, hard weeks at sea, the
Pilgrims finally arrived in America.
They named the land
_____________.
NEW
ENGLAND
13. But, the pilgrims were not prepared
for the cold ______ season.
WINTER
14. Sadly, more than half of the Pilgrims
_____ during their first year in
America.
DIE
D
15. However, some of the pilgrims did
_________ and they were very
grateful to God and the Native
SURVIVE
Americans.
16. They met a friendly
Native American
tribe TAUGH
who ______
themThow to survive
in their new land.
17.
18. Their first harvest was bountiful.
They celebrated their good fortune
by having a big feast with the ______
Americans. NATIVE
19. Today, Americans still celebrate this
event with a big feast and by giving
thanks for all that we have. We call
this day ____________.
THANKSGIVIN
G
30. Black Friday
The Friday after thanksgiving, there are crazy
sales in popular stores in the USA.
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49883432/
#49883432
31. Black Friday Article: (1 of 4)
Black Friday refers to the day just after Thanksgiving
in the US. Because so many companies have a four
day weekend, many people begin their Christmas
shopping on this day. (Thanksgiving always falls on a
Thursday in the US, and then people have Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday off from work.)
Black Friday is often reported as one of the busiest
shopping days of the year. Shopping malls are
packed with people, parking lots are crowded, and
lines at stores are very, very long.
Some stores even open at five or six in the morning
because there are so many people. Other stores
have discounts and sales to draw even more
customers.
32. Black Friday Article: (2 of 4)
The word "black" to describe the Friday likely
began in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. Traffic
jams filled the roads into the downtown area
every year. The stores and sidewalks were
overflowing with shoppers.
The experience for so many of the people who
ventured downtown was stressful and chaotic. It
was a terrible, or black, day. Because other cities
around the country similarly experienced traffic
jams, busy stores, and too many shoppers on the
day after Thanksgiving, the term spread. Black
Friday became a common idiom in American
English.
33. Black Friday Article: (3 of 4)
Although many people may see the day after
Thanksgiving negatively, retailers have a very
different opinion. It's their best opportunity to
improve earnings for the year, and take the
business out of the red (loss) and into the black
(profit).
For example, if sales were slow in the spring,
summer, and fall, then the store must attract
many customers and make many sales between
Thanksgiving and Christmas. The first and most
important day of this last chance shopping
season is Black Friday.
34. Black Friday Article: (4 of 4)
Of course, there are some people who dislike
Black Friday. There are some people who hate
the day and its crowds very much. But there are
also some people who strongly oppose the
shopping day because they believe it harms
society.
They think that people should consume less and
reuse resources more, and so have created a day
called "Buy Nothing Day." It falls on the same
day as Black Friday, and it encourages people to
buy nothing, of course.
However, for most people, Black Friday just
presents one more opportunity to go
shopping. For those who don't like shopping,
35. Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the day just after Thanksgiving called in
the US?
2. What happens on that day?
3. Where did the term begin?
4. Why do retailers like Black Friday?
5. The article calls Black Friday a last chance
shopping season? What does this mean?
6. The article comments about people who oppose
Black Friday. What did they do?
7. Why do they oppose shopping?
38. I am thankful for my
Shewife!
is pretty, smart, and
loving.I get too serious or
When
stressed out, she makes me
laugh and gives me a hug.
Without her, I would be sad and
lonely.
I am so thankful for my wife!
39. I am thankful for Burger
It isKing cheap, and
tasty,
I convenient.
went to burger king on
Saturday. They gave me a
coupon for a whopper, French
fries, and a drink. That was
very nice of them. King I would be
Without Burger
a little sad, but I would go to
McDonalds instead.
I am so thankful for Burger
King!
Cranberries are a major commercial crop in certain American states and Canadian provinces (see cultivation and uses below). Most cranberries are processed into products such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried cranberries, with the remainder sold fresh to consumers. Cranberry sauce is regarded as an indispensable part of traditional American and Canadian Thanksgiving menus and some European winter festivals.[3]Since the early 21st century within the global functional food industry, raw cranberries have been marketed as a "superfruit" due to their nutrient content and antioxidant qualities.[4][5][dead link]
This is usually in September through the first part of November. To harvest cranberries, the beds are flooded with six to eight inches of water above the vines. A harvester is driven through the beds to remove the fruit from the vines. For the past 50 years, water reel type harvesters have been used. Harvested cranberries float in the water and can be corralled into a corner of the bed and conveyed or pumped from the bed. From the farm, cranberries are taken to receiving stations where they are cleaned, sorted, and stored prior to packaging or processing.