Have you ever been to an Irish wedding? I have just returned from one. It is a quarter to five in the morning: the sun has already climbed above the horizon; the birds are busy celebrating the new day and have eagerly been in search of food. But some of the guests have not yet left. They are still prolonging the night: dancing, singing, gossiping, putting off the unfortunate necessity of undertaking a day's work in the fields after a sleepless night.
Throughout most of her life, Bridget Mary, the bride, has been living in the small whitewashed thatched cottage I have just left. Twelve children have been brought up there but only two are still living at home. The eldest son, heir (继承人) to the small farm, is helping his father with the farm work (they employ no farm laborers); the youngest daughter is still at school. Two years ago, Bridget Mary went to England to take up domestic work in a hospital and it was while she was living there that she met her future husband, Terry. He himself is an Irishman who used to live in Dublin and now has a well paid job in a light engineering works in England. They got engaged and started saving. Now they are thinking of buying a small house near Terry's factory.
The wedding ceremony was performed in the church in the nearest town at half past eight yesterday morning. Another couple were being married at the same time. Nobody worried about the cost of the celebrations: four luxurious cars brought the bride, bridegroom, family and friends home, and forty people were crowded into the tiled kitchen and the tiny living room, hung with framed school certificates and religious pictures. A big meal was given; the wedding cake was cut and toasts were drunk in whisky or wine. And while the remains of the feast were being cleared away and the rooms swept, the four cars set out again, taking the married couple and relations for a drive round the countryside.
Mike Miles hadn't had a stable job in years. He bounced around from one position to another, never sure when his last day would be. Sometimes, he lost a position with less than a day's notice. This wasn't due to a poor work ethic—from arriving early to staying late, Miles says he did everything he could to build a good relationship with employers. But because Miles had a criminal record, he was always cut loose when it came time to let staff go.
It wasn't until October 2015, nearly a decade after his release from prison, that a cousin told Miles about Lancaster Food Company, a local business that focuses on hiring people released from prison. Hoping this would clear up what felt like a thick cloud of uncertainty over his future, Miles submitted an application. He got an interview, and he then began a new job.
Miles' scenario is rare in Lancaster, where the poverty rate holds steady at 30%. This figure riled Charlie Crystle, Lancaster's co-founder and CEO. Crystle was raised in Lancaster but left in 1986 to purse a college degree and later, a career in technology. He co-founded four tech companies, one of which sold for millions of dollars back in 2000.
Crystle is skeptical that many of Lancaster's low-income residents can get started the way he did. He believes food production is a key way to meet former offenders who may lack a college degree. Lancaster produces products like bread. Nowadays the company is rapidly expanding; however, at just 16 full-time employees, including administration and owners, it doesn't lower the city's poverty rate.
Crystle says he wants to inspire other companies to rethink their current practices and start conversations around minimum wage and employment opportunities for everyone, including ex-offenders. Dan Jurman, who chairs the city's Commission to Combat Poverty, believes that Crystle's business is a great way to make this happen. "None of us can handle these issues alone, " he said.
注意：1.文章包括上述内容，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；2.词数100左右；3．信的开头和结尾已为你写好，但不计入总词数。
Dear Miss Rose,
I am writing to you
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.……
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
The manager the customer who complained the next day.
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A. You should do it continuously. B. Someone may hang up on you. C. You don't need to go to the gym. D. Running in the gym may be a better choice. E. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself. F. Take a class for a hobby you've been wanting to develop. G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone. |
If something that you're doing doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. So challenge the following limits:
①Figure out what you're scared of and do it continuously.
If you're a salesman, and you're scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you'll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. But don't stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, "Go on, I'm not scared!"
②
Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.
③Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.
A simple 9minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.
④Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.
Don't just limit yourself to your fellow travelers－try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they're going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class.
→How do you ?
