巨額支票的背后

陜西 邱麟茸

埃爾默是一個無家可歸的人，在撿到一張巨額支票后，他的生活會發生怎樣的轉折呢？

?主題語境：人與社會 篇幅：350詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1Elmer Alvarez was a homeless man when he found a $10,000 cheque in New Haven, Connecticut. Instead of cashing it in for himself, he looked for its rightful owner.

2The owner of the large cheque was a real estate (房地產) agent named Roberta Hoskie.She was on a busy schedule doing business around town when her cheque slipped away in a busy crossing. She didn't realize she had lost it until the next day.

3They settled the day they met to hand over the cheque. Elmer came with a friend. It turned out that he couldn't speak English well and he asked for the help of a stranger to translate what he wanted to do. Roberta also found something about Elmer that shocked her—Elmer was homeless.

4And since Roberta was in the real estate business, she realized she could send Elmer to the real estate school to be a part of her company. Not only that, she also rewarded him with an apartment and paid seven months' worth of rent to help him get back on his feet. Roberta's heart was drawn to Elmer's story because it reminded her of her own past.

5She once lived in a shelter, as a single mom with only around $400 to raise her son—until one day, someone blessed her with a job that led her to her success right now.Her experience of being homeless reminded her that she could be a blessing to someone and change his or her life, too. A year after they met, Roberta and Elmer started Outreach Foundation, a transitional home for homeless teenagers, providing some necessary services and education.

6Elmer's honesty is something that should be applauded. And in the end, he went from not having a roof over his head, to being capable of lending a hand to others who were really in need.

Reading Check

1. What do Roberta and Elmer have in common?

A. They both found a cheque.

B. They were both single parents.

C. They were both ambitious.

D. They had a similar experience.

2. Which of the following can best describe Elmer?

社區公共衛生護理干預是根據患者的情況制定的針對性的護理措施。本次研究發現,加強社區健康教育,包括定期發放關于疾病基本知識的書籍和開展預防疾病的知識講座,可以在增長患者基礎認知的情況下,提高患者的治療依從性;實施對癥心理護理,即醫護人員通過和患者的交流了解患者的心里變化,從而利用自身的所學知識對患者進行心理疏導,可以最大化的降低患者的心理壓力,增加患者的信任感;制定合理的康復訓練計劃,包括患者的日常用藥、飲食、休息以及運動等,不僅可以讓患者養成一個良好的生活習慣,還可以提高患者的身體免疫程度,降低并發癥的發生機率,有利于患者的身體恢復。

A. Honest. B. Enthusiastic. C. Sensitive. D. Brave.

3. What's the purpose of Outreach Foundation?

A. To provide a shelter for single moms.

B. To offer homeless teenagers support.

C. To pay rent for those poor workers.

D. To educate those homeless children.

4. What can be learned from the text?

B. Seeing is believing.

C. One good turn deserves another.

D. One man's meat is another man's poison.

Language Study

Difficult sentences

1. And since Roberta is in the real estate business, she realized she could send Elmer to the real estate school to be a part of her company. 由于羅伯塔從事的是房地產行業，她意識到她可以把埃爾默送到房地產學校（學習），以便成為她公司的一員。

【點石成金】該句中，since引導原因狀語從句，意為“因為；由于”，she realized she could send Elmer to the real estate school to be a part of her company為主句部分。

2. And in the end, he went from not having a roof over his head, to being capable of lending a hand to others who were really in need. 最后，他從沒有住所變成一個能夠向其他真正需要幫助的人伸出援手的人。

【點石成金】該句中，not having a roof over his head意為“沒有住所”，be capable of doing意為“能夠做……”。