【推荐1】Yesterday I was a bit early for an appointment so I stopped in at McDonald's for a coffee. I think they make the best coffee. Two very pleasant young girls were working at the counter and the customer ahead was impossible to please!

The young girl was sweaty and nearly in tears. I only wanted coffee but I liked lots of milk in it. I really didn't want to be difficult so I said,“You go ahead and add lots of milk and if it's not enough, I'll ask for more. ” She smiled. She made a perfect coffee. I left her two pieces of candy as a tip.

I went to her supervisor and let the leader know how well she handled such a difficult customer ahead of me. More of that needs to be done for young people starting out - probably the first job. '

I remember how hard it was. I would have run away crying and quit, if it had been me yesterday serving those customers. I'd still be crying too.

Comments posted by molliecat on July 29

READERS' COMMENTS

FayBaby wrote: Customer service can be one of the most difficult and thankless jobs at times. Your expression of appreciation (感激)probably made her day.

Mish wrote: How dear you were to lend support there, dear molliecat. Love you ! kiwicat wrote: My sons both have dreadful(糟透了的)first job stories of how rude and demanding customers can be. I now always encourage a new cashier or someone to do job training. Thanks for the reminder(提醒物)that we can be more tolerant and thankful to those who offer front-line customer service. mindyjourney wrote: Thank you for helping calm the young worker with your appreciation and thoughtfulness,So many good lessons you have earned are shared. Blessings, dear molliecat.

1. Why did the writer have a coffee at McDonald's?

A．Because she arrived for the appointment ahead of time.

B．Because her appointment was delayed.

C．Because she wanted some coffee to calm down.

D．Because the coffee at McDonald's was very cheap.

2. What can we know about the customer before the writer?

A．The customer was a pleasant young woman.

B．The customer was difficult to deal with.

C．The customer was easy to please.

D．The customer was very sweaty.

3. What does the underlined word“supervisor” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A person in charge.

B．A person in need.

C．An elderly customer.

D．A reader of a website.

4. The passage is most likely to be taken from

A．a website	B．a practical guide
C．a newspaper	D．a textbook

【推荐2】I live in New York City, and my “neighbors” are people I don’t know. My city, neighborhood and block are filled with people who don’t know me, don’t care to know me, and don’t talk to me. I find that it’s pretty hard to love people you don’t even know. And sometimes, we all, myself included, use that as an excuse not to try.
One day, Brendan, a young man in New York, was coming home to his Brooklyn apartment when a homeless woman called Jackie asked him for money. He said that he had no money. By the end of the week, she asked two more times, and each time he answered “No.” The woman looked sad, so Brendan said, “I am on my way to a job interview. If I get the job, I will take you out for Chinese food.”
Brendan got the job and carried out his promise. That was when their friendship began. They built a strong friendship by supporting each other and spending their birthdays, holidays and tough times together, over a period of eight years. When Brendan’s heater broke, Jackie made him a blanket. Two days later when he told her that he had lost his job, she disappeared, returning minutes later, bringing him food to eat. She continued to do throughout the winter. Even with so little, she never hesitated to give back.
Over these years, Jackie moved from the streets and subway stations, into a halfway house, and is now moving into an apartment. To celebrate it, Brendan wanted to do something special for Jackie. He went with her to Target, and helped her to pick out everything she’d need for her new apartment.
May Brendan’s story encourage us to find a new way to honor, serve and love the people around us.
1. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 1?

A．He often stays indoors.

B．He cares about his neighbors.

C．He is good at making friends.

D．He hardly talks to his neighbors.

2. What did Brendan do when Jackie asked him for money?

A．He was angry with her.

B．He didn’t give her any.

C．He offered her some food.

D．He gave her some spare change.

3. What does the underlined words “his promise” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Giving Jackie some money.

B．Helping Jackie find a place to live in.

C．Taking Jackie out for Chinese food.

D．Making a blanket for Jackie.

4. What happened after Brendan and Jackie had the meal together?

A．They became good friends.

B．They became colleagues.

C．They fell in love with each other.

D．They became neighbors.

【推荐3】My mother-in-law left us an unexpected and priceless gift. After she died, my husband and his sister were going through the contents of her house when they discovered every letter that we had written her during our 46-year marriage. She also kept all the letters that my mother had written to her over the years.

During the pandemic (大流行病), I’ve had time to go through these letters. I read of our early married life, our struggle to have children and, especially, the progress of our three children from birth to adulthood. I began writing all these details for my children, and now they have details about when they were small. I discovered much that I had forgotten. To read the letters written by my mother to my husband’s mother is a gift. I wish that I had saved my mother’s letters to me, but now I have these letters that tell me things about my own mother that I never knew.

I come from a long line of letter writers and was trained to stay in touch with our parents. My grandparents loved to receive letters from across the ocean. When I was away on a student exchange in 1970, my mother told me that my grandfather kept my airmail letters in his shirt pocket and read them daily. Knowing this, I have tried my best to write to our two families regularly.

To all of you who write to me, I thank you. The handwritten word is a powerful tool of friendship; it connects us together. Perhaps I shall file them for my children so that they can read the events of our lives and know that they, too, were cherished. Keep writing to those you love. Those letters are our greatest gifts to each other.

1. What did the author do after she read the letters?

A．She started to write letters.

B．She read the letters to her children.

C．She asked her children to write letters regularly.

D．She wrote down details about her children’s childhood.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reason for writing letters.

B．The importance of studying abroad.

C．The influence of her grandfather.

D．The way to keep in touch with others.

3. What is the power of handwritten words according to the article?

A．They help us record a person’s life.

B．They strengthen emotional exchanges.

C．They enable us to survive the pandemic.

D．They allow us to practice writing skills.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the article?

A．Written letters — a New Trend

B．Communication — a Useful Tool

C．Written Memories — a Priceless Gift

D．Mother-in-law — a Beloved Family Member