巨額支票的背后

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(fā)生怎樣的轉(zhuǎn)折呢？

1?Elmer?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.

2?The?owner?of?the?large?cheque?was?a?real?estate?（房地產(chǎn)）?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.

3?They?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.

4?And?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.

5?She?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.

6?Elmer?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.

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？

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？

A.?Practice?makes?perfect.

B.?Seeing?is?believing.

C.?One?good?turn?deserves?another.

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

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(chǎn)行業(yè)，她意識到她可以把埃爾默送到房地產(chǎn)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……”。