Jerry was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Jerry said. Later, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, he forgot the password, nervous. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments(碎片) of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic (過敏的)to anything. “Yes,” I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Bullets!” Over their laughter, I told them. “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
小題1:The author left Jerry’s restaurant because he___________.
A.wanted to start business on his own |
B.was afraid of another robbery later |
C.was not equal to the job any longer |
D.didn’t get along well with others |
小題2:Why was Jerry shot?
A.Because he left the back door open. |
B.Because he opened the safe too slowly. |
C.Because he pretended to forget the password. |
D.Because he didn’t open the safe in time. |
小題3:What was Jerry really afraid in the emergency room?
A.The doctors and nurses gave him up. |
B.He decided to take action to live again. |
C.He saw the expressions of the doctors and nurses. |
D.He might not be saved by doctors and nurses. |
小題4:From the passage we can learn that Jerry was _________.
A.no longer positive to his life after the operation |
B.optimistic even when things were at their worst |
C.Jerry influenced all his colleges in many ways |
D.badly injured and stayed in hospital for six months |
小題5:Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
A.Where there is life, there is hope. |
B.Everything comes to him who waits. |
C.Humor is the best medicine that creates miracle. |
D.Attitude determines everything. |