Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for family, health, and life in general. However, Black Friday has turned it into a business.
Traditionally, the true value of Thanksgiving lies at home not the shopping centers. However, Black Friday has nowadays allowed society to ignore this as individuals long for something that they do not need or even truly want. Shopping on Black Friday becomes a sign of a shift into a culture that values material wealth over spending time with loved ones. People are willing to force their way through the crowds in their desperate search for marked-down sweaters and necklaces.
In recent years, Thanksgiving has become a pre-Black Friday holiday for many families. They are devoted to mapping out shopping routes and making organized schedules for which stores to hit first. By drawing individuals out to shopping centers with “matchless savings”, businesses encourage this behavior of ignoring Thanksgiving. Many families take their home-cooked meals while camping out at the door of shopping centers. With each new year, Thanksgiving is becoming victim to over commercialization—switching from a meaningful time of thanks and family to a day dedicated to products and profit.
Black Friday has shown that with current common standards, people cannot even set aside a single day to appreciate what they already have without immediately buying more. Families have lost sight of what is truly important in life, and have found reasons in debating between a low cost HD television and an appreciation for what they already have. Remember that Thanksgiving should be a day in which people are grateful for all that they have.
57. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A. The sign of a shift . B. The material wealth.
C. The shopping crowd. D. The true value of Thanksgiving.
58. In recent years, what will many families do when thanksgiving comes?
A. They’ll make full preparations for the Black Friday shopping.
B. They’ll choose a big store for their first visit.
C. They’ll visit some newly-opened shopping centers.
D. They’ll go camping at the gate of shopping center for a good deal.
59. In the last paragraph the author mainly intends to tell us that we should _________.
A. set aside a single day to buy more
B. stay with our families as long as we can
C. try to spend less to get low cost products
D. appreciate what we’ve possessed with our families
60. The author is __________ about the present ways people celebrate Thanksgiving.
A. puzzled B. worried C. supportive D. unconcerned