3．Having worked at a 7-Eleven store for two years，I thought I had become successful at what our manager calls"customer relations"．I firmly believed that a friendly smile and an automatic"sir"，"ma'am"，and"thank you"would see me through any situation that might arise，from soothing（安慰，劝慰）impatient or unpleasant people to apologizing for giving out the wrong change．But the other night an old woman shattered my belief that a glib（非诚恳的）response could smooth over the rough spots of dealing with other human beings．
The moment she entered，the woman presented a sharp contrast to our shiny store with its bright lighting and neatly arranged shelves．Walking as if each step were painful，she slowly pushed open the glass door．She coughed dryly，breathing noisily with each breath．On a forty-degree night，she was wearing only a faded print dress，a thin sweater too small to button，and black slippers with the backs cut out to expose heels．There were no stockings or socks on her blue-veined legs．
After strolling around the store for several minutes，the old woman stopped in front of the rows of canned vegetables．She picked up some corn niblets and stared with a strange intensity at the label．At that point，I decided to be a good employee and asked her if she needed help．As I stood close to her，my smile became harder to maintain； her red-rimmed eyes were partially closed by yellowish crusts； her hands were covered with layer upon layer of dirt，and the unpleasant smell of sweat rose in a thick vaporous cloud from her clothes．
"I need some food，"she muttered（嘟囔）in reply to my bright"Can I help you？"
"Are you looking for corn，ma'am？"
"I need some food，"she repeated．"Any kind．"
"Well，the corn is ninety-five cents，"I said in my most helpful voice．"Or，if you like，we have a special on bologna（大红肠）today．"
"I can't pay，"she said．
For a second，I was tempted to say，"Take the corn．"But the employee rules flooded into my mind：Remain polite，but do not let customers get the best of you．Let them know that you are in control．For a moment，I even entertained the idea that this was some sort of test，and that this woman was someone from the head office，testing my loyalty．I responded dutifully，"I'm sorry，ma'am，but I can't give away anything for free．"
The old woman's face collapsed a bit more，if that were possible，and her hands trembled as she put the can back on the shelf．She shuffled（蹒跚）past me toward the door，her torn and dirty clothing barely covering her bent back．
Moments after she left，I rushed out the door with the can of corn，but she was nowhere in sight．For the rest of my shift，the image of the woman kept coming to my mind．I had been young，healthy．She had been old，sick and desperate．Wishing with all my heart that I had acted like a human being rather than a robot，I was saddened to realize how fragile a hold we have on our better instincts（本能，天性）．
55．What does the underlined world"shatter"in Paragraph 1probably meanB？
| A．maintain． | B．break． | C．hold． | D．lose． |
56．Which is NOT mentioned in Paragraph 2C？
A．The old lady's clothes．
B．The environment of the store．
C．The writer's feeling．
D．The old lady's difficulty in walking．
57．What can we learn from the textD？
A．The old lady couldn't afford the foods at the store．
B．The writer was an experienced shop assistant．
C．The writer talked with the old lady in a polite way．
D．The old lady was satisfied with his service．
58．According to the text，which is not the employee ruleC？
A．You should wear a friendly smile on your face．
B．You should use polite words，such as"sir"，"ma'am"，"thank you"．
C．You should do whatever the customers asked you to do．
D．You should be clear about your duty and be loyal to the company．
59．How did the writer feel after the old lady left the storeC？
A．Annoyed．
B．Pleasant．
C．Regretful．
D．Embarrassed．
60．What's the best title for the textC？
A．A Lady and I
B．Working at A Store．
C．If Only …
D．Sadness．
53随堂测系列答案
