Lesson 2
Why Are They So Unlucky? Text A
wonder why so many shop-assistants are so foultempered? Inspiteso many "campaigns"improveservicesthe past years, we see no appreciable change so far. If DadMum arebe believed,services usedbe quite goodthe fifties. But then, they always say everything usedbe goodthe fifties.findolder people grow,more nostalgic they become.
Now Granny never letsday go by without remi-niscingthe good old thingsthe good old days . Once when she saw Xiao Hongme eating some mooncakes with relish, she said pityingly, "You poor children, you don't know what real mooncakes taste like. The worstthe old tasted much better thanbest that rnoney can buy nowadays!" We burst out laughing, not taking her words seriously.
Nowcome backthe bad serviceshopsdepartment stores. People often say that when you buy something, you are spending moneybuy rudenessanger. Todaysawloing exactly that.was atdepartment store andhappenedwitnesstypical quarrel.was nexta counter selling tea andsaw an elderly man come upaskyoung woman was busy weighingwrapping tea into standard-sized "packs "Do you have very good green tea?"
The woman glanced upsize him up. He was ordinarily dressedspoke withprovincial accent. obviouslymanno consequence. She wentwith her workthe man hadrepeatquestion. After another pausewoman snorted out: "Yes: Twenty-six yuanliang. " Not believingears,man triedcorrect her. "You mean twenty-six yuawjin?" Upon thiswoman flared upshouted: "I said twenty-six yuanLIANG ! Can't you hear straight? If you wantjin, then it's two hundredsixty yuan. Is that CLEAR?"
The man seemedbe stunried by her sudden outburst but he kepttemperasked again. "Do you have some thing under two yuan'Liang?" Obviously she was makinj things difficultthe old manshe answered as rudely as be fore;"What do you mean under two yuan? Anything fromcentone yuan ninety-nine centsunder two yuan. "don't remember what exaetlyman said , but somehow he managefind out there waskind costing one yuan ninety-sixliang "Can you show itme?"
"Do you wantbuyor not?" "Well,wantlook atleavessmellflavoc first. " "You can look , smell , eat , drink or do whatever you like withat home. Hereonly sell tea. If you wantbuy it, buy it. If you can't afford it, don't come herewaste people's time Obviously you don't know whatproperBeijing ! "
"Look here young lady, it's you who don't know what proper!have been livingBeijing long before you were born,I've never seen anyone as rude as you are. Your jobto servecustomers , notinsult them. Nowthe last time are you goingshow metea or not?" "Andthe last timeam telling ityou. Either buyor get outhere!knowlikesyou-you want something good,yet grudgemoney you havespendit!"
"Thisinsufferable Whoin charge here?wantsee your head ! " "My head? It'smy shoulders. Takegood look if you want to. " The old man went away fuming. "I've got down your number ber. I'll writethe Evening News. " The threat didn't seemfrightengirl. At most she'll havemakeself-criticism, which costs her nothing. Even if she should losemonth's bonus, itonlyfew yuan. But if she could be sacked,bet she wouldn't darebe so rudeaggressive.
Text B
Allhousewives who wentthe new supermarket had one great ambition:belucky customer who did not havepayher shopping. For this was whatnotice just insideentrance promised. It said; "Remember, onceweek, oneour customers gets free goods. This may be your lucky day ! "
For several weeks Mrs Edwards hoped , like manyher friends,belucky customer. Unlike her friends, she never gave up hope. The cupboardsher kitchen were fullthings which she did not need. In vain her husband trieddissuade suade her. She dreamedthe day whenmanagerthe supermarket would approach hersay:"Madam, thisyour lucky day. Everythingyour basketfree. "
One Friday morning, after she had finished her shoppinghad taken ither car, she found that she had forgottenbuy any tea. She dashed backthe supermarket, gottea and went towardscashdesk. As she did so, she sawmanagerthe supermarket approaeh her. "Madam" , he said, holding outhandzs, "I wantcongratutate you! You are our lucky customereverything you haveyour hasketfree!"
Additional Information
Three timesmanhis early 30s approached Shen Limin's clothes counterthe Baihua Garment Storebusy Xidan Streetcentral Beijing. The first time Shen showed himvarious garments. He left but returnedwhile laterstood there staring atskirt. Then he went away again, but came back afterfew minutes.
Curious, Shen asked, "Why don't you buy that skir since you loveso much?" The man said that he really wanted to, but98-yuan price was too muchhim. She suggested that he choose something cheaper, but he replied thatskirt was whatwife would like most.
They started talkinghe told her he boughtwifegift every yearcelebrationtheir wedding anniversary. Shen was so moved that she offeredskirthim30 yuan,wholesale price. Whenman hesitatedsurprise, she told h'sm, "I do that simply because you aregood husband. "
Asdivorcee, Shen, 35, spoke fromdepthsher heart. She could not imagine any husband being so considerate or tender. Her failuremarriageher divorce three years ago scared her away menprompted herresign from her job aslog keepera film studiobecomeself-employed garment seller. What makes Shen unusualthat she make moneyhelp deserted ids. Her lovechildrenher sympathythe wretched stemmed fiomday her six-year-old younger brother was crusheddeatha mishapa warehouse near her home.
Her sympathetic nature kept her marriage togetherseven years. Her husband had beenclarinet playeran army band. A go-between had introduced them. One cold snowy night they deeidedget married. He had been walking her homekept darting into shops. She grew impatient thinking he was merely wantingbuy cigarettesshe stomped off. But he ran after herpresented her withgauze mask he had bought.herhelp keep outcold.
His thoughtfulness moved hertears. He said that perhaps they should break up since she cotild not understand him. "I will marry you if that can atonemy mistake," Shen said she responded. And somatter was sealed. The deatha bosom fiiend seven years later markedbeginningthe endShenher husband.
Asfriend lay dyingheart disease. 20 days after giving birtha son-a pregnancy she had risked because her husband wasonly sonhi, family-she asked Shencarethe child. Shen promised she would, even though she hadsonher own. Her husband was strongly opposed, however. Still. Shen would often goseechild, who was livinghis grandmother's home.
"I felt guilty whensawchild wearing dirty clothes," Shen said."thoughtchild would not have been like that hadmother been alive. " Whengrandparents decidedsendboyfriendsTianjin, Shen wantedadopt him. Her husband then moved outsaid he wanteddivorce. Shen wentTianjinlookthe childfound him. Butfamily refusedgiveboy up. Shen would not leave until she was convincedchild was being kindly treatedproperly cared for.
Her yearsmarriage had given Shencomfortable life-style but that was all, she said. The divorce made her realize'she had feelingsambitions again. Shen had once dreamedbecomingfilm actress,tried outroles but only ended up with bit parts. She fared betterthe stage with amateur troupes. But her dreams were shattered when she was refused admissiona professional art school becauseher age. She was too oldlearn howact , she was told.
New dreams filledvoidher disappiontment. She turnedhelping children. She wrotethe SOS VillageTianjin,homeorphaned children, applying forjob asnurse. But she was turned down because she hadson. She still wantedhelp children but did not know how. Findingwaymake money becamepracticalurgent problem. Eerly last year she started her own business asclothing dealer, setting upstallwest Beiing.
Her mother did not likeideafeltwould be bad fos.her grandsonbe brought upsuch an environment. She threatenedsmashstall, but gradually Shen won her over. "I don't want my sonfollow my example," she said. " expectlothim. " She still maintains contact with her friend's sonTianjin.
She movedXidan this summer whennew Baihua Garment store pened. She now has two assistants , onethemuniversity graduate. Shen said that her business life has made herdifferent woman, one vhoindependentfullconfidence. Friends tryget herdate but shenot interested. At first, she said, her distastemarriage or love affairs was so strong that she cut her hair shortwore men's clothes.
"I am afraidfallinglove." Shen said withbitter smile. She daubts whether she eauld begood wife , saying she woutd better asfriend or companion. Manyher customers have become friends. To one frequent calkr, sheSister Shen. "I really love my customers," Shen said. "I do my businessthe sake of love. "
Why Are They So Unlucky? Text A
wonder why so many shop-assistants are so foultempered? Inspiteso many "campaigns"improveservicesthe past years, we see no appreciable change so far. If DadMum arebe believed,services usedbe quite goodthe fifties. But then, they always say everything usedbe goodthe fifties.findolder people grow,more nostalgic they become.
Now Granny never letsday go by without remi-niscingthe good old thingsthe good old days . Once when she saw Xiao Hongme eating some mooncakes with relish, she said pityingly, "You poor children, you don't know what real mooncakes taste like. The worstthe old tasted much better thanbest that rnoney can buy nowadays!" We burst out laughing, not taking her words seriously.
Nowcome backthe bad serviceshopsdepartment stores. People often say that when you buy something, you are spending moneybuy rudenessanger. Todaysawloing exactly that.was atdepartment store andhappenedwitnesstypical quarrel.was nexta counter selling tea andsaw an elderly man come upaskyoung woman was busy weighingwrapping tea into standard-sized "packs "Do you have very good green tea?"
The woman glanced upsize him up. He was ordinarily dressedspoke withprovincial accent. obviouslymanno consequence. She wentwith her workthe man hadrepeatquestion. After another pausewoman snorted out: "Yes: Twenty-six yuanliang. " Not believingears,man triedcorrect her. "You mean twenty-six yuawjin?" Upon thiswoman flared upshouted: "I said twenty-six yuanLIANG ! Can't you hear straight? If you wantjin, then it's two hundredsixty yuan. Is that CLEAR?"
The man seemedbe stunried by her sudden outburst but he kepttemperasked again. "Do you have some thing under two yuan'Liang?" Obviously she was makinj things difficultthe old manshe answered as rudely as be fore;"What do you mean under two yuan? Anything fromcentone yuan ninety-nine centsunder two yuan. "don't remember what exaetlyman said , but somehow he managefind out there waskind costing one yuan ninety-sixliang "Can you show itme?"
"Do you wantbuyor not?" "Well,wantlook atleavessmellflavoc first. " "You can look , smell , eat , drink or do whatever you like withat home. Hereonly sell tea. If you wantbuy it, buy it. If you can't afford it, don't come herewaste people's time Obviously you don't know whatproperBeijing ! "
"Look here young lady, it's you who don't know what proper!have been livingBeijing long before you were born,I've never seen anyone as rude as you are. Your jobto servecustomers , notinsult them. Nowthe last time are you goingshow metea or not?" "Andthe last timeam telling ityou. Either buyor get outhere!knowlikesyou-you want something good,yet grudgemoney you havespendit!"
"Thisinsufferable Whoin charge here?wantsee your head ! " "My head? It'smy shoulders. Takegood look if you want to. " The old man went away fuming. "I've got down your number ber. I'll writethe Evening News. " The threat didn't seemfrightengirl. At most she'll havemakeself-criticism, which costs her nothing. Even if she should losemonth's bonus, itonlyfew yuan. But if she could be sacked,bet she wouldn't darebe so rudeaggressive.
Text B
Allhousewives who wentthe new supermarket had one great ambition:belucky customer who did not havepayher shopping. For this was whatnotice just insideentrance promised. It said; "Remember, onceweek, oneour customers gets free goods. This may be your lucky day ! "
For several weeks Mrs Edwards hoped , like manyher friends,belucky customer. Unlike her friends, she never gave up hope. The cupboardsher kitchen were fullthings which she did not need. In vain her husband trieddissuade suade her. She dreamedthe day whenmanagerthe supermarket would approach hersay:"Madam, thisyour lucky day. Everythingyour basketfree. "
One Friday morning, after she had finished her shoppinghad taken ither car, she found that she had forgottenbuy any tea. She dashed backthe supermarket, gottea and went towardscashdesk. As she did so, she sawmanagerthe supermarket approaeh her. "Madam" , he said, holding outhandzs, "I wantcongratutate you! You are our lucky customereverything you haveyour hasketfree!"
Additional Information
Three timesmanhis early 30s approached Shen Limin's clothes counterthe Baihua Garment Storebusy Xidan Streetcentral Beijing. The first time Shen showed himvarious garments. He left but returnedwhile laterstood there staring atskirt. Then he went away again, but came back afterfew minutes.
Curious, Shen asked, "Why don't you buy that skir since you loveso much?" The man said that he really wanted to, but98-yuan price was too muchhim. She suggested that he choose something cheaper, but he replied thatskirt was whatwife would like most.
They started talkinghe told her he boughtwifegift every yearcelebrationtheir wedding anniversary. Shen was so moved that she offeredskirthim30 yuan,wholesale price. Whenman hesitatedsurprise, she told h'sm, "I do that simply because you aregood husband. "
Asdivorcee, Shen, 35, spoke fromdepthsher heart. She could not imagine any husband being so considerate or tender. Her failuremarriageher divorce three years ago scared her away menprompted herresign from her job aslog keepera film studiobecomeself-employed garment seller. What makes Shen unusualthat she make moneyhelp deserted ids. Her lovechildrenher sympathythe wretched stemmed fiomday her six-year-old younger brother was crusheddeatha mishapa warehouse near her home.
Her sympathetic nature kept her marriage togetherseven years. Her husband had beenclarinet playeran army band. A go-between had introduced them. One cold snowy night they deeidedget married. He had been walking her homekept darting into shops. She grew impatient thinking he was merely wantingbuy cigarettesshe stomped off. But he ran after herpresented her withgauze mask he had bought.herhelp keep outcold.
His thoughtfulness moved hertears. He said that perhaps they should break up since she cotild not understand him. "I will marry you if that can atonemy mistake," Shen said she responded. And somatter was sealed. The deatha bosom fiiend seven years later markedbeginningthe endShenher husband.
Asfriend lay dyingheart disease. 20 days after giving birtha son-a pregnancy she had risked because her husband wasonly sonhi, family-she asked Shencarethe child. Shen promised she would, even though she hadsonher own. Her husband was strongly opposed, however. Still. Shen would often goseechild, who was livinghis grandmother's home.
"I felt guilty whensawchild wearing dirty clothes," Shen said."thoughtchild would not have been like that hadmother been alive. " Whengrandparents decidedsendboyfriendsTianjin, Shen wantedadopt him. Her husband then moved outsaid he wanteddivorce. Shen wentTianjinlookthe childfound him. Butfamily refusedgiveboy up. Shen would not leave until she was convincedchild was being kindly treatedproperly cared for.
Her yearsmarriage had given Shencomfortable life-style but that was all, she said. The divorce made her realize'she had feelingsambitions again. Shen had once dreamedbecomingfilm actress,tried outroles but only ended up with bit parts. She fared betterthe stage with amateur troupes. But her dreams were shattered when she was refused admissiona professional art school becauseher age. She was too oldlearn howact , she was told.
New dreams filledvoidher disappiontment. She turnedhelping children. She wrotethe SOS VillageTianjin,homeorphaned children, applying forjob asnurse. But she was turned down because she hadson. She still wantedhelp children but did not know how. Findingwaymake money becamepracticalurgent problem. Eerly last year she started her own business asclothing dealer, setting upstallwest Beiing.
Her mother did not likeideafeltwould be bad fos.her grandsonbe brought upsuch an environment. She threatenedsmashstall, but gradually Shen won her over. "I don't want my sonfollow my example," she said. " expectlothim. " She still maintains contact with her friend's sonTianjin.
She movedXidan this summer whennew Baihua Garment store pened. She now has two assistants , onethemuniversity graduate. Shen said that her business life has made herdifferent woman, one vhoindependentfullconfidence. Friends tryget herdate but shenot interested. At first, she said, her distastemarriage or love affairs was so strong that she cut her hair shortwore men's clothes.
"I am afraidfallinglove." Shen said withbitter smile. She daubts whether she eauld begood wife , saying she woutd better asfriend or companion. Manyher customers have become friends. To one frequent calkr, sheSister Shen. "I really love my customers," Shen said. "I do my businessthe sake of love. "