每日英語 #109: Black Friday 黑色星期五

ESLPOD

Black Friday 黑色星期五

In the U.S., Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. We refer to the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday.” Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many people look forward to it as though it is.

在美國，美國人在每年十一月的第四個星期四慶祝感恩節。我們稱感恩節後的星期五為「黑色星期五」。黑色星期五不是官方假日，但許多人像期待假期一樣期待這一天。

Black Friday is the unofficial first shopping day of the Christmas and holiday season, and it’s the busiest shopping day of the entire year. “To draw” (attract; bring) people into the stores, “retailers” (sellers; stores) have very big “bargains” (discounts; good deals) that are often available one day only. Do you want a new TV for half price? Do you want a new sofa at a 30% discount? Do you want to buy the most popular toys of the season on sale? If so, you may want to get ready for Black Friday.

黑色星期五是聖誕和假期季節非正式的第一個購物日，也是全年最繁忙的購物日。為了「吸引」（引人入店）顧客進店，「零售商」（賣家；商店）通常只在這一天提供很大的「優惠」（折扣；好交易）。你想以半價購買一台新電視嗎？你想以七折的價格購買一個新沙發嗎？你想買到本季最受歡迎的玩具嗎？如果是這樣，那你可能需要準備好迎接黑色星期五。

On Black Friday, many stores open very early in the morning, some as early as 5:00 a.m. Many people stand in line and some people even “camp out” (sleep outdoors) overnight waiting for stores to open. Some larger stores have started opening their doors at 12:00 midnight on Black Friday and staying open for 24 hours.

在黑色星期五，許多商店在清晨很早就開門，有些商店甚至早上五點就開門。許多人排隊，有些人甚至「露營」（在戶外過夜）等待商店開門。一些較大的商店在黑色星期五的午夜十二點開門，並持續營業24小時。

Because Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, many people look to Black Friday as an “indicator” (something that shows what will come in the future) of how much shoppers will spend this holiday season. If sales are good on Black Friday, then business owners can be “optimistic” (feel hopeful and confident) that shoppers will spend a lot over the holiday season. If sales are not good, business owners know that they may not turn a “profit” (earn money) that important sales season.

由於黑色星期五是全年最繁忙的購物日之一，許多人將黑色星期五視為假日季節購物者花費多少的「指標」（顯示未來情況的徵兆）。如果黑色星期五的銷售情況良好，商家就可以「樂觀」（感到有希望和信心）地認為購物者在假日季節會花費更多。如果銷售情況不好，商家就會知道在這個重要的銷售季節中可能無法「盈利」（賺錢）。

重要單字

• Black Friday /blæk ˈfraɪdeɪ/ - 黑色星期五
• Retailers /ˈriːˌteɪlərz/ - 零售商
• Bargains /ˈbɑːrɡənz/ - 優惠
• Camp out /kæmp aʊt/ - 露營
• Indicator /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪtər/ - 指標
• Optimistic /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/ - 樂觀的
• Profit /ˈprɒfɪt/ - 利潤