Задания 12-18
Прочитайте рассказ и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании обведите букву A, B, C или D, соответствующую выбранному вами варианту ответа.
Time to get off the phone
Last week, while I was trying to enjoy my manicure, I watched in horror as the two women across from me talked on their phones the entire time they were getting their nails done. They employed their head nods, eyebrow raises, and finger-pointing to instruct the manicurists on things like nail length and polish choices.
I really couldn’t believe it. I’ve had my nails done by the same two women for ten years. I know their names, their children’s names, and many of their stories. They know my name, my children’s names, and many of my stories. When I finally made a comment about the women on their cell phones, they both quickly averted their eyes. Finally, in a whisper, the manicurist said, “They don’t know. Most of them don’t think of us as people.”
On my way home, I stopped at Barnes & Noble to pick up a magazine. The woman ahead of me in line bought two books, applied for a new “reader card”, and asked to get one book gift-wrapped without getting off her cell phone. She plowed through the entire exchange without making eye contact or directly speaking to the young woman working at the counter. She never acknowledged the presence of the human being across from her.
After leaving Barnes & Noble, I went to a drive-through fast food restaurant to buy a Diet Coke. Right as I pulled up to the window, my cell phone rang. I wasn’t quite sure, but I thought it might be my son’s school calling, so I answered it. It wasn’t the school – it was someone calling to confirm an appointment.
In the short time it took me to say, “Yes, I’ll be at my appointment,” the woman and I had finished our soda-for-money transaction. I apologized to her the second I got off the phone.
I must have surprised her because she got huge tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you so much. You have no idea how humiliating it is sometimes. They don’t even see us.”
I don’t know how it feels for her, but I do know how it feels to be an invisible member of the service industry. I worked my way through undergrad and some of graduate school by waiting tables and bartending. I worked in a very nice restaurant that was close to campus and a hot spot for wealthy college kids and their parents. When the customers were kind and respectful, it was OK, but one ‘waiter as object’ moment could tear me apart. Unfortunately, I now see those moments happening all the time.
I see adults who don’t even look at their waiters when they speak to them. I see parents who let their young children talk down to store clerks. I see people rage and scream at receptionists, then treat the bosses/doctors/bankers with the utmost respect.
When we treat people as objects, we dehumanize them. We do something really terrible to their souls and to our own. Martin Buber, an Austrian-born philosopher, wrote about the differences between an I-it relationship and an I-you relationship. We create an I-it relationship when we treat people like objects – people who are simply there to serve us or complete a task. I-you relationships are characterized by human connection and empathy.
I’m not suggesting that we engage in a deep, meaningful relationship with the man who works at the cleaners or the woman who works at the drive-through, but I’m suggesting that we stop dehumanizing people and start looking them in the eye when we speak to them. If we don’t have the energy or time to do that, we should stay at home.
12. The author watched the two women on their cell phones in horror because they …
A) ignored their manicurists.
B) talked on their phones too loudly.
C) talked to their manicurists rudely.
D) didn’t know their manicurists’ names.
13. The word exchange in paragraph 3 means the …
A) interaction between the woman and the cashier.
B) money that the cashier gave back to the woman.
C) conversation the woman had on her cell phone.
D) process of choosing purchases at the shop.
14. The phrase human being in paragraph 3 refers to the …
A) author.
B) woman working at the counter.
C) woman talking on her cell phone.
D) next person in the queue.
15. The author answered her cell phone while she was at the fast-food restaurant because she …
A) always answers her cell phone.
B) thought it was an important phone call.
C) knew it would be a short phone call.
D) didn’t think it could be impolite.
16. The woman at the fast-food restaurant got tears in her eyes because she was …
A) insulted.
B) worried.
C) grateful to the author.
D) unhappy about her job.
17. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Martin Buber’s teaching?
A) There are two ways people communicate with each other.
B) We choose between two types of relationships depending on who we think we are.
C) There can only be I-it relationships between customers and service staff.
D) I-you relationships are more difficult than I-it relationships.
18. The main message of the article is that …
A) talking on the cell phone in public is always impolite and irresponsible.
B) we should treat people with respect regardless of their social status.
C) it’s important to stand up for shop assistants who are mistreated by customers.
D) all people are equal regardless of their jobs and how well they do them.