HUNTING FOR A JOB S. S. McClure
I reached Boston late that night and got out at the South Station. I knew no one in Boston except Miss Bennet. She lived in Somerville1, and I immediately started out for Somerville. Miss Bennet and her family did all they could to make me comfortable and help me to get myself established2 in some way. I had only six dollars and their hospitality was of utmost importance to me.
My first application for a job in Boston was made in accordance with an idea of my own. Every boy in the Western states knew the Pope Manufacturing Company, which produced bicycles. When I published my first work "History of Western College Journalism" the Pope Company had given me an advertisement, and that seemed to be a "connection" of some kind. So I decided to go to the offices of the Pope Manufacturing Company to ask for a job. I walked into the general office and said that I wanted the president of the company.
"Colonel Pope?" asked the clerk. I answered, "Yes, Colonel Pope."
I was taken to Colonel Pope, who was then an alert energetic man of thir- ty-nine.I told Colonel Pope, by way of introduction, that he had once given me an advertisement for a little book I had published, that I had been a College editor and out of a job. What I wanted was work and I wanted it badly.
He said he was sorry, but they were laying off hands3. I still hung on4. It seemed to me that everything would be all up with me5, if I had to go out of that room without a job. I asked him if there wasn't anything at all that I could do. My earnestness made him look at me sharply.
"Willing to wash windows and scrub floors?" he asked. I told him that I was, and he turned to one of his clerks.
"Has Wilmot got anybody yet to help him in the downtown6 rink?" he asked.
The clerk said he thought not.
"Very well", said Colonel Pope. "You can go to the rink and help Wilmot out for tomorrow."
The next day I went to the bicycle rink and found that what Wilmot wanted was a man to teach beginners to ride. I had never been on a bicycle in my life nor even very close to one, but in a couple of hours I had learnt to ride a bicycle myself and was teaching other people.
Next day Mr. Wilmot paid me a dollar. He didn't say anything about my coming back the next morning, but I came and went to work, very much afraid that I would be told I wasn't needed. After that Mr. Wilmot did not exactly engage me, but he forgot to discharge me, and I came back every day and went to work. At the end of the week Colonel Pope sent for me and placed me in charge of the uptown7 rink.
Colonel Pope was a man who watched his workmen. I hadn't been mistaken when I felt that a young man would have a chance with him. He often used to say that "water would find its level", and he kept an eye on us. One day he called me into his office and asked me if I could edit a magazine.
"Yes, sir, " I replied quickly. I remember it flashed through my mind that I could do anything I was put at — that if I were req uired to run an ocean steamer I could somehow manage to do it. I could learn to do it as I went along8. I answered as quickly as I could get the words out of my mouth, afraid that Colonel Pope would change his mind before I could get them out.
This is how I got my first job. And I have never doubted ever since that one of the reasons why I got it was that I had been "willing to wash windows and scrub floors". I had been ready for anything.
A. Answer the following questions on the text.
1. In what way was the author received? Was it of great importance to him?
2. Describe Colonel Pope. What was his reaction to the young man’s story?
3. Why did the author still hang on though he found that the company was laying off hands?
4. Describe the young man’s job and how he coped with it.
5. Why did the man continue to work for Mr. Wilmot though he hadn’t engaged him?
6. What job was the young man offered in the long run?
7. What idea flashed through his mind? Why might it happen you think?
8. What helped the man to get his first job?
B. Comprehension Tasks
1. Why does the title suit the story?
2. Confirm the idea, suggested by the author in the last paragraph.
3. Do you agree with the the statement “water would find its level”? How do you understand it? Support
your opinion with examples.
4. Is the problem of unemployment real nowadays? Is this problem connected with the problem of wasted
lives? Give your reasons.
5. Have some of your friends ever hunted for a job? Was their experience a success? How do you
yourself plan to find your own job?
6. Find some additional information on the same problem.
218
274
Ответы на вопрос:
Question 21 : 1 the weather is the favourite conversational topic in england. when we arrived at the hotel we checked out at reception. question 23 : 1 we went on a package holiday so that we didn’t have to worry about meals and accommodation. everything was included. question 24 : 1 english often surprise people of other nationalities by this tendency to talk about weather. question 25 : 1 someone who looks after your room is called a maid. question 26 : 1 i always look forward to my summer holiday.выберите один ответ. question 27 : 1 the pianist placed her fingers ready over the keys of her piano.выберите один ответ. question 28 : 1 when we arrived we checked in at reception, then the porter carried our suitcases up to our room. question 29 : 1 the hurricane in moscow destroyed trees and buildings. question 30 : 1 we stayed at that hotel for 5 nights in august but i booked our room two months in advance. question 31 : 1 on sunday i am leaving for spain. would you like to see me off? question 32 : 1 can you ride a horse? question 33 : 1 i was very impressed with the glossy brochure they sent me giving details of their sailing holidays. question 34 : 1the two worst months in britain are january and february. they are cold, damp and unpleasant. question 35 : 1 they just lay on the beach all day, trying to get sunbath. question 36 : 1the breakfast is put in the bill. question 37 : 1 a spell of very hot weather often ends with a thunderstorm. question 38 : 1 it can be quite busy here during the tourist season. question 39 : 1 you can see so many interesting things when you travel. question 40 : 1 this area has a fairly mild climate so we didn’t expect the rain to fall so sharply.
Реши свою проблему, спроси otvet5GPT
-
Быстро
Мгновенный ответ на твой вопрос -
Точно
Бот обладает знаниями во всех сферах -
Бесплатно
Задай вопрос и получи ответ бесплатно
Популярно: Английский язык
-
Папкинапапка22201.12.2021 06:08
-
лёха56212.06.2020 14:26
-
Амира57323.09.2022 10:59
-
ivan240620058p0bydq20.05.2021 20:24
-
татьянаивановна122.04.2020 00:10
-
varvaranepomnas06.09.2021 17:01
-
MrEvgeniy126.07.2021 16:13
-
magrim60021.03.2022 22:18
-
арина149203.06.2020 22:59
-
RAYDEN0229.06.2023 06:59
Есть вопросы?
-
Как otvet5GPT работает?
otvet5GPT использует большую языковую модель вместе с базой данных GPT для обеспечения высококачественных образовательных результатов. otvet5GPT действует как доступный академический ресурс вне класса. -
Сколько это стоит?
Проект находиться на стадии тестирования и все услуги бесплатны. -
Могу ли я использовать otvet5GPT в школе?
Конечно! Нейросеть может помочь вам делать конспекты лекций, придумывать идеи в классе и многое другое! -
В чем отличия от ChatGPT?
otvet5GPT черпает академические источники из собственной базы данных и предназначен специально для студентов. otvet5GPT также адаптируется к вашему стилю письма, предоставляя ряд образовательных инструментов, предназначенных для улучшения обучения.