Question 9 is based on the passage you have just heard.

Passage One                  

     America’s holiday shopping season starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is the busiest shopping day of the year. Retailers make the most money this time of year, about 20 to 30 percent of annual revenue. About 136 million people will shop during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. More and more will shop online. In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. About 183.8 million people will shop on Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving. More than half of all holiday purchases will be made online. One-in-five Americans will use a tablet or smartphone. Online spending on Black Friday will rise 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending will increase 12 percent to $3 billion. For many, shopping online was “a more comfortable alternative” than crowded malls. The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on traditional shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling. However, Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. The sector is thriving again. The International Council of Shopping Centers said 94.2 percent of malls were full, or occupied, with shops by the end of 2014. That is the highest level in 27 years. Economist Gus Faucher said lower unemployment and rising wages could give Americans more money to spend. The average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That’s about $630.5 billion between November and December—an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

9. What is the speaker mainly talking about?

解析：B。本题目为主旨题。问题为：讲话人主要说了什么？原文所在句：America’s holiday shopping season starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is the busiest shopping day of the year.美国假期购物季开始于“黑色星期五”，即感恩节的后一天，这天是一年当中最忙的购物日。正确答案为B）Holiday shopping。