Since 1989, Dave Thomas, who died at age 69, had been one of the most recognizable faces on TV. He appeared in more than 800 commercials (商业广告) for the hamburger chain named for his daughter. "As long as it works," he said in 1991. "I'll continue to do those commercials."

Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood. "He still won't let anyone see his feet, which are out of shape because he never had proper fitting shoes, " Wendy said in 1993. Born to a single mother, he was adopted (收养) as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan. After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work. "He fed me," Thomas said, "and if I got out of line, he'd beat me."

Moving out on his own at 15, Thomas worked, first as a waiter, in many restaurants. But he had something much better in mind. "I thought if I owned a restaurant," he said, "I could eat for free. " When he was 24, meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in 1968.

In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy's Old Fashioned hamburgers, in Columbus, Ohio, which set itself apart by serving made-to-order burgers. With 6,000 restaurants worldwide, the chain now makes $ 6 billion a year in sales.

Although troubled by his own experience with adoption, Thomas, married since 1954 to Lorraine, 66, and with four grown kids besides Wendy, felt it could offer a future for other children. He started the Dave Thomas Foundation (基金会) for Adoption in 1992.

In 1993, Thomas, who had left school at 15, graduated from Coconut Creek High School in Florida. He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party. The kids voted him Most Likely to Succeed.

"The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave," says friend Pat Williams, "He wasn't a great actor or a great speaker. He was just Joe Everybody. "

1.When did Dave Thomas begin to do commercials for the hamburger chain?

____________________

2.Did Dave Thomas live a happy life or a hard life when he was young?

____________________

3.Who led Dave Thomas to success?

____________________

4.Where did Thomas start the first Wendy's Old Fashioned hamburgers?

____________________

5.Why did he start the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992?

____________________

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed. During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症).When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming(克服)difficulties and going for my dreams. I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Clearly, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me. When we finished talking, I pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming difficulties than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You won that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.” Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:Dear Rick, My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can. I told you someday that I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me. Your friend, Matthew

1.The underlined part in Paragraph 3 “Why me?” probably means .

A. Why do you come to see me? B. Why do I have to stay at home?

C. Why does the disease fall on me? D. Why give a gold medal to me?

2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Matthew knew clearly about his illness.

B. Matthew once got his own gold medal.

C. Matthew thanked Rick for his kindness.

D. Matthew lived happily and brightly all his life.

3.Rick wrote the passage with the purpose of .

A. expressing his pity to all the disabled children

B. telling an experience of meeting a disabled child

C. describing his unusual friendship with a disabled child

D. showing his admiration towards the disabled child

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网