黑色星期五到底是什么？每年什么时候过？

 　　Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day and the Friday before Cyber Monday in the United States. It is a busy shopping day and is a holiday in some states.

　　黑色星期五就是在美国感恩节和网络星期一（感恩节之后的第一个上班日的网购促销活动）之间的那个星期五。这一天是疯狂购物日，在很多州都是休息日。

　　A Day to Shop

　　购物日

　　Many people have a day off work or choose to take a day from their quota¹ of annual leave on Black Friday. Some people use this to make trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go on vacation. Others use it to start shopping for the Christmas season. Shopping for Christmas presents is also popular on Black Friday. Many stores have special offers and lower their prices on some goods, such as toys.

　　很多人这一天会放假，或者选择在黑色星期五这一天休一天年假。有些人利用这个休息日去探望住在别处的家人或朋友，或者去度假。其他人则在这一天开始圣诞节采购。黑色星期五这一天也流行购买圣诞礼物，很多商店都有特别优惠，有些商品会打折，比如玩具。

　　What's Open or Closed?

　　哪些商家营业哪些商家休息？

　　Black Friday is not a federal holiday, but is a public holiday in some states. Many people take a day of their annual leave on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Many organizations also close for the Thanksgiving weekend. Public transit² systems may run on their normal schedule or may have changes. Some stores extend their opening hours on Black Friday. There can also be congestion³ on roads to popular shopping destinations.

　　黑色星期五不是联邦假日，但在一些州是公共假日，很多人在感恩节之后这天休一天年假。很多组织也会在感恩节周末闭店，公交系统正常运营或者轮休。有些商家在黑色星期五会延长营业时间，通往大型购物场所的道路会堵车。

　　About Black Friday

　　关于黑色星期五

　　Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA. There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday.

　　黑色星期五是美国疯狂购物日之一。有两种流行说法可以解释为什么感恩节之后的这一天被称为“黑色星期五”。其中一种说法是感恩节之后这一天拥挤的交通会使车轮在路面留下很多黑色痕迹，就有了“黑色星期五”这个说法。

　　The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording⁴ business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day.

　　另外一种说法就是“黑色星期五”这个词源于传统商业记账方式。红笔记录赤字，黑笔记录盈利。很多生意，尤其是小买卖，在圣诞节之前就开始盈利，很多商家希望在感恩节之后这一天就能开始用黑笔记录盈利。

1 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。