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UNIT 2
Values
Part I Pre-Reading Task
Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions:
1. Who is it about?
2. What happened to him one day?
3. Do you think it was worthwhile to walk two or three miles to pay back the six and a quarter cents?
4. Is the story related to the theme of the unit — values?
The following words in the recording may be new to you:
dismay
n. 沮丧，失望
disturb
vt. 使不安
conscientious
a. 认真的，尽职的
Part II
Text A
Does being rich mean you live a completely different life from ordinary people? Not, it seems, if your name is Sam Walton.
THE RICHEST MAN IN AMERICA, DOWN HOME
Art Harris
He put on a dinner jacket to serve as a waiter at the birthday party of The Richest Man in America. He imagined what surely awaited: a mansion, a "Rolls-Royce for every day of the week," dogs with diamond collars, servants everywhere.
Then he was off to the house, wheeling past the sleepy town square in Bentonville, a remote Arkansas town of 9,920, where Sam Walton started with a little dime store that grew into a $6 billion discount chain called Wal-Mart. He drove down a country road, turned at a mailbox marked "Sam and Helen Walton," and jumped out at a house in the woods.
It was nice, but no palace. The furniture appeared a little worn. An old pickup truck sat in the garage and a muddy bird dog ran about the yard. He never spotted any servants.
"It was a real disappointment," sighs waiter Jamie Beaulieu.
Only in America can a billionaire carry on like plain folks and get away with it. And the 67-year-old discount king Sam Moore Walton still travels these windy back roads in his 1979 Ford pickup, red and white, bird dogs by his side, and, come shooting season, waits in line like everyone else to buy shells at the local Wal-Mart.
"He doesn't want any special treatment," says night manager Johnny Baker, who struggles to call the boss by his first name as a recent corporate memo commands. Few here think of his billions; they call him "Mr. Sam" and accept his folksy ways. "He's the same man who opened his dime store on the square and worked 18 hours a day for his dream," says Mayor Richard Hoback.
By all accounts, he's friendly, cheerful, a fine neighbor who does his best to blend in, never flashy, never throwing his weight around.
No matter how big a time he had on Saturday night, you can find him in church on Sunday. Surely in a reserved seat, right? "We don't have reserved seats," says Gordon Garlington III, pastor of the local church.
So where does The Richest Man in America sit? Wherever he finds a seat. "Look, he's just not that way. He doesn't have a set place. At a church supper the other night, he and his wife were in back washing dishes."
For 19 years, he's used the same barber. John Mayhall finds him waiting when he opens up at 7 a.m. He chats about the national news, or reads in his chair, perhaps the Benton County Daily Democrat, another Walton property that keeps him off the front page. It buried the Forbes list at the bottom of page 2.
"He's just not a front-page person," a newspaper employee explains.
But one recent morning, The Richest Man in America did something that would have made headlines any where in the world: He forgot his money. "I said, 'Forget it, take care of it next time,'" says barber Mayhall. "But he said, 'No, I'll get it,' and he went home for his wallet."
Wasn't that, well, a little strange? "No sir," says Mayhall, "the only thing strange about Sam Walton is that he isn't strange."
But just how long Walton can hold firm to his folksy habits with celebrity hunters keeping following him wherever he goes is anyone's guess. Ever since Forbes magazine pronounced him America's richest man, with $2.8 billion in Wal-Mart stock, he's been a rich man on the run, steering clear of reporters, dreamers, and schemers.
"He may be the richest by Forbes rankings," says corporate affairs director Jim Von Gremp, "but he doesn't know whether he is or not — and he doesn't care. He doesn't spend much. He owns stock, but he's always left it in the company so it could grow. But the real story in his mind is the success achieved by the 100,000 people who make up the Wal-Mart team."
He's usually back home for Friday sales meetings, or the executive pep rally Saturday morning at 7 a.m., when Walton, as he does at new store openings, is liable to jump up on a chair and lead everyone in the Wal-Mart cheer: "Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Louder!"
And louder they yell. No one admits to feeling the least bit silly. It's all part of the Wal-Mart way of life as laid down by Sam: loyalty, hard work, long hours; get ideas into the system from the bottom up, Japanese-style; treat your people right; cut prices and margins to the bone and sleep well at night. Employees with one year on board qualify for stock options, and are urged to buy all they can.
After the pep rally, there's bird hunting, or tennis on his backyard court. But his stores are always on his mind. One tennis guest managed to put him off his game by asking why a can of balls cost more in one Wal-Mart than another. It turned out to be untrue, but the move worked. Walton lost four straight games.
Walton set up a college scholarship fund for employees' children, a disaster relief fund to rebuild employee homes damaged by fires, floods, tornadoes, and the like. He believed in cultivating ideas and rewarding success.
"He'd say, 'That fellow worked hard, let's give him a little extra,'" recalls retired president Ferold F. Arend, who was stunned at such generosity after the stingy employer he left to join Wal-Mart. "I had to change my way of thinking when I came aboard."
"The reason for our success," says Walton, in a company handout, "is our people and the way they're treated and the way they feel about their company. They believe things are different here, but they deserve the credit."
Adds company lawyer Jim Hendren: "I've never seen anyone yet who worked for him or was around him for any length of time who wasn't better off. And I don't mean just financially, although a lot of people are. It's just something about him — coming into contact with Sam Walton just makes you a better person."
(1066 words)
New Words and Expressions
mansion▲
n. a large house, usu. belonging to a rich person （豪华的）宅邸，大厦
remote
a. far away in space or time 遥远的
dime
n. （美国、加拿大的）10分硬币
billion
num.（美、法）十亿；（英、德）万亿
discount
n. amount of money which may be taken off the full price 折扣
pickup
n. a light van having an open body with low sides 小卡车，轻型货车
muddy▲
a. covered in mud 沾满泥的；泥泞的
sigh
vi. 叹气，叹息
billionaire
n. 亿万富翁；大富翁
carry on
behave in a wild or improper way; conduct; continue 举止随便；进行；继续做
folk
n. (usu.pl) people in general 人们；人民
get away with
do (sth.) without being caught or punished 做（某事）而未被发觉或未受惩罚
shell
n. (AmE) 猎枪弹；炮弹；壳
local
a. of a particular place 地方的，当地的
treatment
n. 对待；待遇
corporate▲
a. 公司的
memo▲
n. a note of sth. to be remembered 备忘录
folksy
a. simple and friendly 友好的，坦率的
mayor
n. 市长
by/from all accounts
according to what everyone says 人人都说
cheerful
a. (of a person) happy in a lively way; (of sth.) making one feel happy 愉快的；令人愉快的
blend
v. mix together thoroughly （将…）混合
blend in
mix harmoniously 融洽，十分协调
flashy
a. attracting attention by being too smart and decorated 浮华的，华而不实的
throw one's weight around
(infml) 盛气凌人
reserve
vt. keep for a special use; book (a seat, room, table, etc.) 将…留作专用；预定
pastor
n. 牧师
barber
n. 理发师
open up
(infml) 开门；打开
democrat
n. 民主党人；民主主义者
employee
n. 雇员，受雇者
headline
n. （报纸上的）标题
wallet▲
n. 皮夹子
hold to
keep to 遵守，不改变
celebrity
n. famous person 名人
stock
n. 资本；股票，证券
on the run
in flight; continuously active 奔逃，逃避；忙个不停
steer
v. 驾驶
steer clear of
keep away from 避开，避免
reporter
n. 记者
schemer
n. 阴谋家
scheme
n. 阴谋；计划
ranking
n. 地位；等级
rank
v. （将…）列为（某等级）
make up
form, constitute 构成，组成
executive
n., a. 经营管理方面的（人员）；行政方面的（人员）
pep
n. (infml) keen activity and energy 劲头，活力
rally
n., v. 集会
pep rally
a gathering intended to encourage the listeners 鼓舞士气的会议
opening
n. the act of becoming or making open, esp. officially （正式的）开张，开幕
liable
a. likely (to do sht.) 有可能做…的
yell▲
v. shout loudly 喊叫
lay down
establish 制定；设立
loyalty
n. being true and faithful (to) 忠诚
system
n. 系统
qualify
v. （使）具有资格
option
n. 期权，购买（或出售）权；选择自由
stock option
优先认股权
court
n. 球场
scholarship
n. 奖学金
tornado
n. 龙卷风
cultivate
vt. improve by care, training or study; develop 培养，陶冶
reward
v. give (sth.) to sb. in return for work or services 奖赏
retired
a. (of a person) having stopped working, usu. because of age 退休了的
retire
v. （使）退休
stun▲
vt. make (sb.) very surprised 使惊吓
generosity
n. the quality of being willing to give money, help, etc. 慷慨，大方
stingy
a. unwilling to spend money 吝啬的
employer
n. 雇佣者，雇主
aboard
adv., prep. on or into (a ship, train, aircraft, bus, etc.) 在（船、车、飞机等）上
come aboard
(fig) become a new member of an organization 入伙，加盟
handout
n. information given out in the form of a printed sheet, leaflet 印刷品，宣传品
deserve
vt. be worthy of 应受，值得
Proper Names
Art Harris
阿特·哈里斯
Rolls-Royce
罗尔斯-罗伊斯汽车
Bentonville
本顿维尔（美国地名）
Arkansas
（美国）阿肯色州
Sam Moore Walton
萨姆·穆尔·沃尔顿
Wal-Mart
沃尔玛公司
Jamie Beaulieu
杰米·鲍尤
Ford
福特汽车
Johnny Baker
乔尼·贝克
Richard Hoback
理查德·霍巴克
Gordon Garlington III
戈登·加林顿第三
Mayhall
梅霍
Benton County
本顿县（美国地名）
Forbes
福布斯（杂志名）
Jim Von Gremp
吉姆·冯·格雷姆普
Ferold F·Arend
费罗尔德·F·阿伦德
Jim Hendren
吉姆·亨德伦
Language Sense Enhancement
1. Read aloud paragraphs 19-22 and learn them by heart.
2. Read aloud the following poem:
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Emily Dickinson
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!
They'd advertise — you Know!
How dreary to be somebody!
How public like a frog
To tell one's name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
3. Read the following quotations. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.
One should eat to live, not live to eat.
—— Benjamin Franklin
That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.
—— Henry David Thoreau
If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.
—— Henry Ford
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor.
—— Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Read the following humorous story for fun. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.
The elderly gamekeeper of a Scottish estate suffered from fading eyesight, and the lord of the manor offered to send him to London to see an eye specialist. Before he left, however, he was given strict instructions to spend his money thriftily and to live as he would at home.
When the keeper returned a week later, he presented the lord with a bill for more than ￡1000. Shocked, the lord asked what he had been living on in London.
"Oh, the usual, sir," came the reply. "Pheasant, salmon, grouse and venison."
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