21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册textB(4-6).docVIP

4If you could come to my office in California to visit with me today, you would see that one side of the room is occupied by a beautiful old-fashioned soda fountain with nine leather-covered seats. Unusual? Yes. But if that soda fountain could speak, it would tell you a story about the day I almost lost hope and gave up. ? It was a recession period after World War II and jobs were scarce. My husband had purchased a small dry cleaning business with borrowed money. We had two darling babies, a tract house, a car and all the usual monthly payments. Then the bottom fell out. There was no money for the house payments or anything else. ? I felt that I had no special talent, no training, no college education. I didnt think much of myself. But I remembered someone in my past who had thought I had a little ability --- my high school English teacher. She had inspired me to take a course in journalism and named me advertising manager and feature editor of the school paper. I thought, Now if I could write a shoppers Column for the small weekly newspaper in our rural town, maybe I could earn that house payment. ? I had no car and no one to look after my two children. So I took them with me to the newspaper office, pushing them before me in an old broken-down baby stroller with a big pillow tied in the back. The wheel kept coming off, but I hit it back on with the heel of my shoe and kept going. I was determined that my children would not lose their home as I often had as a child. ? But at the newspaper office, there were no jobs available. Recession. So I got an idea. I asked if I might buy advertising space at wholesale and sell it at retail as a shoppers Column. They agreed. ? The newspaper column idea worked. I made enough money for the house payment and to buy an old used car. Then I hired a high school girl to look after my children from three to five each afternoon. When the clock struck three, I grabbed my advertising samples and flew out of the door to drive to my appoin