I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie.His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy.But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee.He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Down's Syndrome(唐氏综合症).I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.
I shouldn't have worried.After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my trucker regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him.He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties.Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a coffee spill was visible, when Stevie got done with the table.Our only problem was convincing him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled.Money was tight, andwhat I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery.His social worker said that people with Down's syndrome often had heart problems at an early age, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery and doing fine.Frannie, my head waitress, let out a war whoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news.Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of the 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table.He ginned.“OK, Frannie, what was that all about? ” he asked.
“We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay.”
“I was wondering where he was.I had a new joke to tell him.What was the surgery about? ”
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, the sighed.“but I don't know how he and his mom are going to handle all the bills.From what I hear, they’re barely getting by as it is.”
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office.She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand.
“What's up? ” I asked.
“I cleared off the table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting after they left, and I found this.This was folded and put under a coffee cup.”
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it.On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed “Something For Stevie” .
That was three months ago.Today is Thanksgiving Day, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work.His social worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work.I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.I took him and his mother by their arms.“To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me.”
I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room.I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room.We stopped in front of the big table.Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins.
“First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess, ” I said.
Stevie looked at me, then pulled out one of the napkins.It had “Something for Stevie” printed on the outside.As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed on it.
I turned to his mother.“There's more $10, 000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems.Happy Thanksgiving.”
Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well… but you know what's funny?
While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table….
(1)
Why did the author have doubts about hiring Stevie?
[ ]
A.
Stevie was not that reliable.
B.
Stevie was mentally disabled.
C.
Stevie was too short and fat.
D.
Stevie was bad-tempered.
(2)
What made the author not fully satisfied with Stevie's work?
[ ]
A.
He made customers uncomfortable.
B.
He couldn't pay attention to his duties.
C.
He often spilled cups of coffee.
D.
He usually cleaned the table too early.
(3)
By saying the underlined words in Para.3, the author meant that the money she paid Stevie ________.
[ ]
A.
could help Stevie out of the trouble.
B.
couldn't thoroughly solve Stevie's problem.
C.
could make a great difference to Stevie's life.
D.
could send Stevie a group home
(4)
According to this text, Frannie sighed for Stevie's ________.
[ ]
A.
health problem
B.
work problem
C.
finance problem
D.
mental problem
(5)
Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table?
[ ]
A.
It was Stevie's duty to clean the table.
B.
The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning.
C.
Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him.
D.
She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.
WASHINGTON— After years working in financial and real estate management,61-year-old Bill Copeland retired to his version of the American dream-not full-time rest but a less-taxing job.
He's hardly alone.Close to two-thirds of Americans who have not yet retired say that when the time comes they will work for pay after retiring.The reason given most often has nothing to do with money-they simply want to stay busy.
For Copeland,after years of 60-and 80-hour work weeks,that means“only”40 hours a week at a job selling power tools and advising people on how to use them.
“I'm doing something I want to do,that I know about and I can help people,”said Copeland,who works in Falls Church,Virginia,at a Home Depot,a company that makes a special effort to attract older workers.
The political debate on the future of Social Security has fixed fresh attention on retirement and how older Americans make ends meet.As they live longer,healthier lives,work is a choice for an increasing number of old Americans.
In a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll,63 percent of those who have not retired said they thought they would work for pay after they retired.The reason given most often was“to stay busy,”followed by“to make ends meet”and“to have enough money for extras.”
People find various ways to stay in the work force-working past retirement age,cutting back to part-time,or retiring and then taking a new job— often with less stress(压力),fewer hours and less money.For many people,retirement is not an event but a process(过程).
Dernnis Bardy,a 47-year-old teacher,shares the same view with many who plan to keep working.
“It would be nice to have a little bit of extra money,”he said,adding,“I also want to stay active.Too many times,you see people who retire just seeming to fade away.”
(1)
According to the passage,Bill ________
[ ]
A.
works in a company serving older workers
B.
has many children and grandchildren to live together with him
C.
has found another job after retirement
D.
now works part time in financial and real estate management
(2)
We can learn from the passage that ________
[ ]
A.
more and more Americans prefer to retire step by step
B.
over half of the Americans plan to keep working just for pay after retirement
C.
nearly two-thirds of Americans are working 60 to 80 hours per week
D.
American people find various ways to stay where they are working after retirement
(3)
The underlined phrase“fade away”in the last paragraph probably means ________