大学体验英语第二册Unit2-Passage B

My First Job
Two distinguished¹ Americans recalling their first job experience　
Louis Caldera: The Parking-Lot Sweeper
　My parents imbued² in me the concepts of family, faith and patriotism³ when I was young. Even though we struggled to make ends meet, they stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities.　

　I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard-box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 A.M. To pick up trash, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower⁴. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd sleep in the car on the way home. 　

　I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic⁵, and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests - in my case, school, homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping⁶ burgers at a fast-food joint⁷ while taking a full load of college-prep courses. 　

?The hard work paid off. I attended the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state assembly. In these jobs and in everything else I've done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families, that is something we should honor. 　
Note: Louis Caldera was the 17th Secretary of the Army of the U.S.A. 　
Suze Orman: The Waitress　

　I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self respect and did what she loved - serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.　

? Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. He always ate a ham-and-Monterey-Jack omelet, and when I saw him walking toward the diner, I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down. 　

?Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, "We just don't have the money." 　

?The next day, Fred saw me and asked, "What's wrong, sunshine? You're not smiling today." I shared my dream with him and said, "Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me." 　

?He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000 - along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, "The only collateral⁸ on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true." 　

　I took the checks to Merrill Lynch - the first time I had ever entered a brokerage house - where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money. 　
　I found myself thinking about what it would be like to be a stockbroker¹⁰. After great deliberation I decided¹¹ to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker⁹. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm. 　
　I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted¹² on my heart forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, "That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make. Who else could have invested in a counter 'girl' with a million-dollar personality and watch that investment mature into a very successful career woman. How few 'investors¹³' have that opportunity?" 　
Note: Suze Orman is a bestselling financial author whose books include "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom" and "The Courage to Be Rich."　

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 imbued   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
• These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

4 mower   

n.割草机

参考例句：

• We need a lawn mower to cut the grass.我们需要一台草坪修剪机来割草。
• Your big lawn mower is just the job for the high grass.割高草时正需要你的大割草机。

5 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

6 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

9 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

10 stockbroker   

n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）

参考例句：

• The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
• My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 imprinted   

v.盖印（imprint的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The terrible scenes were indelibly imprinted on his mind. 那些恐怖场面深深地铭刻在他的心中。
• The scene was imprinted on my mind. 那个场面铭刻在我的心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会