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?

____________________

 0  135665  135673  135679  135683  135689  135691  135695  135701  135703  135709  135715  135719  135721  135725  135731  135733  135739  135743  135745  135749  135751  135755  135757  135759  135760  135761  135763  135764  135765  135767  135769  135773  135775  135779  135781  135785  135791  135793  135799  135803  135805  135809  135815  135821  135823  135829  135833  135835  135841  135845  135851  135859  159627 

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