When I was in college twenty-five years ago, I spent four summers working in
36 at a luxury hotel in downtown Chicago.
37 , I was a maid.
I did not enter the world of housekeeping enthusiastically. My friends had
38 jobs such as making ice cream, selling goods at the mall, or life guarding at the outdoor pool. I had been hoping to get a job as an office lady for a famous company:
39 pay, air-conditioned office, the gold standard for summer jobs, as most of us dreamed of. When that
40 , the only option left was to take a train ride downtown each morning to work as a maid.
It was tiring work, cleaning up to eighteen rooms a day. My
41 attitude reflected my disdain(鄙视) for cleaning toilets,
42 bed sheets, dusting, eight hours a day for the comfort of total strangers who
43 left a tip. I thought it was beneathme. My maid work was average
44 the day I was assigned to the eighteenth floor.
That was Lorena’s regular floor. The only time another maid set foot on it was on Lorena’s day off. If you left any water
45 on the mirror, or a hair on the bed, Lorena would hunt you down when she
46 , as I found out firsthand. She’d ended her lecture to me with “
47 some pride in your work.”
She did. And so did Rosalie, Helen, Annette, and all the other experienced maids. Their devotion to doing a good job and their belief that their work was a
48 of their character stuck with me throughout my
49 career after graduation. I learned a lot from them during those four summers.
Not a week would go without one of them
50 some firm but friendly advice: “Where’s your commode brush? You don’t have one? How do you expect to get that bowl clean?”
Their pride in a job well done was reflected in how they treated
51 . They left the building at the end of the day in nice dresses and
52 makeup. They looked like they could have been attending an afternoon tea. And,
53 often, they were smiling and laughing, cheerfully greeting their co-workers a good evening. When you work with happiness and
54 , a job will be well done. I believe there is
55 in any job if you work hard and try your best.
| 小题1: | | A．cleaning | B．housekeeping | C．serving | D．managing |
|
| 小题2: | | A．In short | B．In brief | C．In other words | D．On the other hand |
|
| 小题3: | | A．winter | B．summer | C．awful | D．permanent |
|
| 小题4: | | A．extra | B．poor | C．average | D．good |
|
| 小题5: | | A．fell over | B．fell through | C．fell down | D．fell off |
|
| 小题6: | | A．negative | B．right | C．excellent | D．casual |
|
| 小题7: | | A．making | B．spreading | C．changing | D．doing |
|
| 小题8: | | A．frequently | B．rarely | C．occasionally | D．willingly |
|
| 小题9: | | A．when | B．after | C．until | D．before |
|
| 小题10: | | A．drops | B．signs | C．tracks | D．marks |
|
| 小题11: | | A．visited | B．arrived | C．left | D．returned |
|
| 小题12: | | A．take | B．obtain | C．reject | D．make |
|
| 小题13: | | A．reflection | B．truth | C．gratitude | D．award |
|
| 小题14: | | A．special | B．general | C．different | D．professional |
|
| 小题15: | | A．taking | B．following | C．offering | D．refusing |
|
| 小题16: | | A．others | B．themselves | C．customers | D．co-workers |
|
| 小题17: | | A．expensive | B．cautious | C．cheap | D．careful |
|
| 小题18: | | A．more | B．least | C．most | D．less |
|
| 小题19: | | A．frustration | B．regret | C．prejudice | D．satisfaction |
|
| 小题20: | | A．respect | B．aspect | C．challenge | D．failure |
|
