One dark stormy night, an elderly couple hurried into a hotel and asked whether they could be put up for the night. “I’ m very
31 ,” the clerk(職員) on night shift（值晚班） said politely, “we are all
32 tonight. But you could stay in my room if you don’t
33 . As I’m on duty, I’ll be staying up in the office anyway,” The young man gave the
34 _ advice.
The elderly couple
35 his offer with gratitude(感激). They
36 for the inconvenience(不便) they had caused him. The next day, the rain stopped and it cleared up. When the old gentleman went to pay his
37 , the clerk behind the counter was that same helpful young man. “The room you and your wife stayed in is not a proper guest room in this hotel,
38 you don’t need to pay,” said the clerk, with the same friendly smile.
The old gentleman nodded in
39 , “You are an employee that every boss in the hotel business would
40 . Perhaps
41 I’ll build a hotel for you. ” The clerk was surprised but, deciding that the guest must have been joking, he gave the words no more
42 .
Two years later, the young man received a registered letter(掛號信) from the old gentleman, in which he
43 the experience of that dark stormy night. The letter also enclosed（附上） a formal
44 and a round-trip air ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay a visit.
At a street comer in Manhattan, the young man met his
45 guest. The old gentleman, pointing to a beautiful new
46 towering over(聳立) the crossroads, said, “Look, that is the hotel I
47 to build for you. I hope you will manage it for me. Remember what I said then? Well, I was serious about it.”
“But…will there be any conditions, sir? Why do you choose me? And who are you?”
“My name is William Aster. There’s not any condition.
48 I told you before, you are the best employee…!”
This building was
49 the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Starting business in 1931, this hotel has been a symbol of honor in the city of New York. The young man who became its first
50 was George Boldt, the man who turned Waldorf into one of the best hotels in the world.
| 小題1: | | A．sorry | B．happy | C．anxious | D．lucky |
|
| 小題2: | | A．advertised | B．decided | C．booked | D．taken |
|
| 小題3: | | A．mind | B．bother | C．trouble | D．complain |
|
| 小題4: | | A．bad | B．valuable(貴重的) | C．beautiful | D．sincere(真誠的) |
|
| 小題5: | | A．accepted | B．thanked | C．refused | D．weighed |
|
| 小題6: | | A．affected | B．prepared | C．balanced | D．apologized(道歉) |
|
| 小題7: | | A．service | B．house | C．food | D．bill |
|
| 小題9: | | A．comfort | B．gratitude | C．surprise | D．silence |
|
| 小題10: | | A．give up | B．dream of | C．devote to | D．fight for |
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| 小題11: | | A．any time | B．another day | C．the other day | D．some day |
|
| 小題12: | | A．guidance | B．thought | C．freedom | D．argument |
|
| 小題13: | | A．called on | B．called at | C．called for | D．called up |
|
| 小題14: | | A．invitation | B．check | C．card | D．letter |
|
| 小題15: | | A．old | B．interesting | C．former | D．new |
|
| 小題16: | | A．house | B．building | C．room | D．park |
|
| 小題17: | | A．wanted | B．agreed | C．promised | D．liked |
|
| 小題18: | | A．Since | B．Once | C．If | D．Though |
|
| 小題19: | | A．just | B．only | C．anyhow | D．finally |
|
| 小題20: | | A．professor | B．manager | C．waiter | D．president |
|
