内容正文:
Community Restores the Robbed Bakery
Adapted from The Christian Science
Monitor Weekly 20240122
Ruben Ramirez Jr. hoped 2024 would start with a bang① for his struggling, family-owned bakery in Los Angeles. But he wasn't thinking of a destructive bang like this—or the unexpected generosity② it would spark.
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Through decades of ups and downs③, the bakery is a fixture in the community, founded 48 years ago by Ruben Ramirez Sr. Three Kings Day, a traditional celebration, was coming up on Saturday. It's a big business opportunity for the bakery, and the Ramirez family was looking forward to a boost④ from orders of roscas, the circular-shaped sweet bread for the occasion.
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However, in the early morning of Jan. 2, a man trashed Ruben's bakery, and left with cash, equipment, and food—an estimated⑤ loss of more than $70,000. Whether the bakery could survive this time?
Against all expectations, the bakery reopened for business on Jan. 5, just three days later, as proof of the power of community and a testament⑥ to rebirth and recovery after tragedy⑦.
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The bakery has deep roots in the neighborhood. So, the desire to help was instant. A friend from high school, Luis Arandia, texted Mr. Ramirez Jr. and offered to set up a fund-raising page. Before long, the media had been contacted. Then, 1,700 people had contributed⑧ more than $85,000—which was $10,000 over the original goal.
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Several customers drove from a distance to support the bakery on its first day back in business. Juanita Cervantes has been a customer for decades, and even though she moved a couple of towns away seven years ago, she still comes two to three times a week for the bread and authentic⑨ food. It took Jimmy Torres, who came with his mother and two daughters, 45 minutes to drive from his home in Long Beach.
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Like other customers that morning, he had learned about the tragedy on the news. The family left the bakery clutching⑩ their bags of bolillos (面包棒) and sugary churros (甜油条). “Totally worth it,” says Mr. Torres. His mother adds that they are “trying to help each other.”
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At 10 a.m., business looked brisk⑪. Workers shaped rosca dough⑫ in the back room, handed breakfast burritos (墨西哥卷饼) to eager customers for takeout, and rolled out stacked⑬ trays of bolillos. Family, friends, and employees had pitched in⑭ to clean up and repair the mess, as Mr. Ramirez describes it. The local council member's office donated paint. Now regulars and strangers were lining up at the counter⑮, and TV news crews that showed up to chronicle⑯ the unfolding⑰ story of community unity⑱ were reporting from the store.
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“I'm overwhelmed⑲ by the response,” Mr. Ramirez says. The more that people call, the bigger the smile on his face. As he recalled, when arriving at the scene of broken glass and destruction in the early hours of Jan. 2, he felt deeply angry. Then sad. But now he was overcome⑳ by the tremendous outpouring of goodwill.
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①with a bang 很成功
②generosity n. 慷慨
③ups and downs 起落;兴衰
④boost n. 提高;增长
⑤estimate v. 估计
⑥testament n. 证明;证据
⑦tragedy n. 悲剧
⑧contribute v. 捐赠
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⑨authentic adj. 正宗的
⑩clutch v. 紧抓
⑪brisk adj. 兴隆的,红火的
⑫dough n. 面团
⑬stacked adj. 放有成堆 成叠……的
⑭pitch in 参与
⑮counter n. 柜台
⑯chronicle v. 按时间顺序记述
⑰unfold v. 逐渐展现
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⑱unity n. 团结
⑲overwhelm v. 使不知所措
⑳overcome v. 受到……的极大影响
goodwill n. 友善;善意
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with
generosity
Founded
a
was robbed
which
recovery
instant
to support
unfolding
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1.destructive adj. A.something always seems to be in a particular place or occasion
2.fixture n. B.to damage or destroy sth.
3.found v. C.happening immediately
4.trash v. D.to start sth., such as an organization,
especially by providing money
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5.proof n. E.information, documents, etc. that show that sth. is true
6.instant adj. F.causing destruction or damage
答案:1~5.FADBE 6.C
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Describe a volunteer activity you've attended.
One possible version:
I am glad to share the “Pay It Forward at the Nursing Home” initiative recently launched at my school. The primary goal is to instill traditional Chinese moral virtues, such as caring for the elderly and fostering a willingness to help, among our students. I participated in the activity last week. We went to the nursing home and engaged in various tasks, including cleaning up the rooms, watering trees,
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and putting on performances. Additionally, we shared home-made cakes and dumplings with the elderly residents. Being part of this activity and offering a helping hand filled me with pride. I firmly believe that even small acts can make a significant difference.
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$