The holiday shopping season got off to a flying start over the thanksgiving weekend in

the u.s.retailers(零售商) attracted discount-hungry consumers with specials(特价商品) of television, dvd players and other gift. discounters like wal-mart and target had the greatest success, offering customers early bird specials, while major department stores and clothing chains only met modest sales goals. online sales were also strong.

“it was as expected. it wasn’t source of great prosperity, but it was a good start,” said nevill, a man in a us retail consulting firm. he said, “one thing we often heard was that only things marked down(降价) were selling. consumers want a bargain, especially around the holiday.” shoppers did seem to like the many markdowns. a lady in the state of Connecticut said, “i’ve never seen so many sales. i feel like a kid in a candy store.”

Nevill estimated that discounters had a 4% gain over last year’s thanksgiving figure, while sales at department stores and mall-based clothing chains were up 2% for the weekend. however, the thanksgiving weekend is not necessarily a good way to judge how retailers will be successful for the season. over the past few years, the weekend accounted for less than 10% of sales.

online merchants also had a good weekend. sales were up 61% last Friday, compared to the day after thanksgiving a year ago.

46、Over the Thanksgiving weekend, people bought a lot more than usual because.()

A.wal-mart and target offered birds as gift

B.shopping was the major weekend activity

C.people had time to go shopping online

D.they were allowed special discounts

47、Retailers have the experience that consumers seem to.()

A.feel eager to buy discounted goods

B.be hungry for special kinds of goods

C.like to buy new DVD players as gifts

D.be interested in major department stores

48、From the context we know that Wal-Mart and Target are the names of two.()

A.food stores

B.large retailers

C.online services

D.clothing chains

49、By saying “I feel like a kid in a candy store,” the lady in Connecticut probably means that ().

A.she has difficulty choosing from such a wide variety of goods

B.she cannot decide whether she should buy some candy

C.she is quite interested in buying candy

D.she recalls her happy childhood days

50、Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage？()

A.Online sales were 61% higher than retailers

B.Online merchants had an average weekend sale

C.Retailers lost much profit because of the discounts they offered

D.Retailers had an increase in sales in the Thanksgiving weekend