他這個人

一個平凡的收銀員用他的善良快樂感染著身邊的每一個人。其人其事再次印證:予人玫瑰，手有余香。讓我們讀讀——

You can’t get in or out of the 29th Street Rite Aid(賴特藥店。美國連鎖藥店，1962年開張，分店近四千家。)without a verbal salute from Buddy. That isn’t surprising. During the past 32 years，Buddy Hazelton has made welcoming customers to the Eugene，Oregon store his personal mission(important job). In fact，he has elevated(develop)it to an art form，the practice of which he integrates(join)seamlessly(with no mark)into his actual，far more mundane(ordinary)job:store cashier.

“Hi，there，”Buddy’s salutation comes like a lobbed(弧線的)tennis ball，bright， bouncing and easy to return. He is standing at his check stand by the front door. No one enters or leaves the place without a comment from Buddy.“If you need any help，let us know，”he calls after customers. His voice is sing-song，his tone polished by years of delivery(practice). He looks up to see a couple about to exit the store.“Take care my friend，see ya again.”

“Hi ladies.”

“Thanks pal.”

“See ya，sunshine.”

What is surprising about the greetings is this:It’s almost impossible to get in the last word. Buddy’s habit of offering the final pleasantry is a compulsion(desire).“Take care，”he’ll say to a departing customer. If he responds，“You too，”he’ll reply，“Always，”but then will tack on a quick，“Come again.”

If the customer says that she will， in fact，return，Buddy， scanning (examine) a bottle of shampoo，will cap the exchange with a，“We hope so，”or his classic，definitive，“Perfect.”

And his chatter on customer’s purchases(buying)provides a sort of play-by-play for Rite Aid like the one radio announcer lends a baseball game. Buddy’s devotion to his job is legendary(well-known). In the most ordinary of roles，that of a chain-store clerk，Buddy has become an icon (figure;signal)of unpretentious(not showing off)goodness. In addition，his prolific(plenty of)charity fundraising has landed him in the local newspapers.

(To be continued.)

1. 釋疑解難

1)“During the past 32 years，… his personal mission.”一句中，has made 后跟復合賓語:賓語“welcoming customers…store”加賓語補足語“his personal mission”。句意為:過去32 年間，Buddy 一直以迎接這間俄勒崗州尤金市分店的顧客為己任。

2)“In fact，…store cashier.”一句中，“the practice…”是“an art form”的同位語;“of which…”同位修飾“the practice”;“far more…cashier”偏正修飾句中前面內容。句意:他實際上將他的工作上升為一種藝術形式，并且自然地融入其平凡的收銀員工作中。

3)“His voice … of delivery.”一句中，“，his tone … of delivery”系獨立結構，為狀語，也可寫作“with his tone … of delivery”。句意:他的聲調平和優雅，乃多年習練而成。

4)“In the most ordinary…goodness.”一句中，“that”是“the most ordinary”的同位語。全句意為:在連鎖店職員這一最平凡崗位上， Buddy已經成為純樸這一道德的象征。

2. 由意識詞(根據文中語境，選出與下列釋義相符的詞。)

1) to say or to do something better than what someone else has just said or done ——

2) a strong and unreasonable desire that is difficult to control ——

3) to make something better，higher or more educated;to raise or lift up ——

4) famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something ——

3. 學詞用詞(用上題選出的詞完成句子。)

1) ______ book is better for you than a light love story.

2) Drinking is ______ with him. He drinks alcohol every day.

3) He’s good at writing，and I’m sure he will ______ me with the composition.

4) Yuan Longping，the father of hybridized(cross-bred)rice，is ______ in his own lifetime for his scientific discovery.

4. 讀文寫文(依據所讀文章，完成下面的此文概述。)

Buddy is an ordinary store cashier. He has formed a habit of (1)____ customers with a (2)____ salute. Every time customers enter or leave the store， they get a (3)____ from Buddy， whose greetings make it almost (4)____ for customers to get in the (5)____ word and a compulsion for him to offer the final (6)____ ， and whose (7)____ to his job and plenty of charity (8)____ has made him (9)____ the (10)____ around.

[Suggested answers]

2. 1) cap 2) compulsion 3) elevate 4) legendary

3. 1) An elevating2) a compulsion3) cap4) a legend

4.(1) welcoming / greeting / … (2) verbal / spoken / …

(3) comment / remark / … (4) impossible / a failure / …

(5) last / final / …(6) pleasantry / amusement / …

(7) devotion / passion / … (8) fund raising / contribution / …

(9) popular with / admired by / … (10) customers / natives / …

(Continued)

He runs her purchases over the scanner. As she signs her charge slip(購物賬單)，he holds up the bathroom scale(浴室秤) she is buying，“If this thing doesn’t show you what you want，jump up and down on it a few times.”She grins(露齒一笑)，zipping up her purse. A pause.“What about my mirror?”she says.“What should I do if I don’t like what that shows?”

Buddy laughs，fitting the scale into the sack.“Don’t jump up and down on it，”he says，and gives a tiny bow.“Thanks so much.”He turns to the next customer.

Early evening，a very old man comes to Buddy’s stand，leaning on his shopping cart as though it were a walker. Buddy places his purchases into paper sacks.“How’s Betsy?”Buddy asks loudly，about the man’s wife at home. She is sick and doesn’t get out much anymore. The old man’s reply is inaudible(難以聽到的).“You tell her I say hello，okay?”Buddy says.

Just to be sure，Buddy leans across the counter and writes something on one of the paper bags perched(擱在上面的)in the wire basket.“You take care，”Buddy calls to him as the man pushes his cart slowly towards the door. The note reads，“Hi Betsy，”in Buddy’s scrawled script(凌亂字跡). Then，descending diagonally(往下對角處)in big printed letters，“from Buddy.”

Rite Aid is building a new store to replace the cavernous(幽暗)， threadbare(老舊)building it now occupies. Buddy explains to one customer that the new location is right next door.

“You aren’t retiring with the old building，are you?”he asks.

“You can’t，”says another customer，an older woman，as she pushes her shopping cart towards the automatic door.“Buddy，you are Rite Aid.”

[問答]

1.This last part of the story is __________ .

A. to describe Buddy further

B. to make us believe in Buddy more

C. to prove the author’s idea of Buddy

D. All the A. B. C.

2.This last part has ________ stories.

A. 2B. 3C. 4D. 5

3.The last two paragraphs show that _________ .

A. Buddy will continue to be working at Rite Aid

B. Buddy is quite popular with his customers

C. Rite Aid means to be Buddy

D. All the A. B. C.

答案:

1. D2. B3. B

編輯/梁宇清