Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.

Leia o texto.

Carta a uma jovem senhora que, estando em uma roda em que dava aos presentes o tratamento de “você” se dirigiu ao autor chamando-o “o senhor”:

— Senhora.

Aquele a quem chamastes senhor aqui está, de peito magoado, a cara triste, para vos dizer que senhor ele não é, de nada, nem de ninguém.

Bem o sabeis, por certo, que a única nobreza do plebeu está em não querer esconder sua condição, e esta nobreza tenho eu. Assim se entre tantos senhores ricos e nobres a quem chamáveis «você» escolhestes a mim para tratar de «senhor», é bem de ver que só poderíeis ter encontrado essa senhoria nas rugas de minha testa e na prata dos meus cabelos. Senhor de muitos anos, eis aí; o território onde eu mando é no país do tempo que foi. Essa palavra “senhor”, no meio de uma frase, ergueu entre nós dois um muro frio e triste.

Vi o muro, e calei. Não é de muito, eu juro, que me acontece essa tristeza; mas também não era a vez primeira. De começo eram apenas os «brotos» ainda mal núbeis que me davam senhoria; depois assim começaram a tratar-me as moças de dezoito a vinte, com essa mistura de respeito, confiança, distância e desprezo que é o sabor dessa palavra melancólica. Sim, eu vi o muro; e, astuto ou desanimado, calei. Mas havia na roda um rapaz de ouvido fino e coração cruel; ele instou para que repetisses a palavra; fingistes não entender o que ele pedia, e voltastes a dizer a frase sem usar nem «senhor», nem «você». Mas o danado insistiu, e denunciou o que ouvira, e que, no embaraço de vossa delicadeza, evitáveis repetir. Todos riram, inclusive nós dois. A roda era íntima, e o caso era de riso.

O que não quer dizer que fosse alegre; é das tristezas que rimos de coração mais leve. Vim para casa, e como sou um homem forte, olhei-me ao espelho; e como tenho minhas fraquezas, fiz um soneto. Não vou escrevê-lo aqui; não cabe na coluna. Para vos dar o tom, direi que no fim do segundo quarteto eu confesso que às vezes já me falece valor «para enfrentar o tédio dos espelhos”; e no último terceto digo a mim mesmo: “Volta, portanto a cara e vê de perto – a cara, a tua cara verdadeira – ó Braga envelhecido, envilecido”.

Sim, a velhice é coisa vil; Bilac o disse em prosa, numa crônica, ainda que nos sonetos ele almejasse envelhecer sorrindo. Não sou Bilac; e nem me dá consolo, mas tristeza, pensar que as musas desse poeta andam por aí hoje encanecidas e murchas, se é que ainda andam e já não desceram todas à escuridão do túmulo. Vivem apenas, eternamente moças e lindas, na música de seus versos, cheios de sol e outras estrelas. Mas a verdade (ouvi, senhora, esta confissão de um senhor ido e vivido, ainda que mal e tristemente), a verdade é o instante. E vosso instante é de graça, juventude e extraordinária beleza. Tendes todos os direitos; sois um belo momento da aventura do gênero humano sobre a terra. De trás de meu muro frio eu vos saúdo e canto. Mas ser senhor é triste; eu sou, senhora, e humildemente, o vosso servo.

(Rubem Braga)

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.