New york, once the largest city in the world, is now only the ninth or tenth largest. of its over seven million people, 52 per cent are white, 24 per cent black, 20 per cent hispanic, and 4 per cent «other». as a korean immigrant, lee chang-soon is one of the «others».
together with his wife and his mother-in-law, mr lee runs a fruit and vegetable store on manhattan's upper east side. his workday starts at midnight when he drives his truck to the fruit and vegetable market in the bronx. it ends at 10 p.m. when he locks the door of his store and goes home with his wife.
here's part of our reporter's conversation with lee chang-soon.
reporter: mr lee, you're at work when the rest of us are sleeping, and you're still working when we're watching tv in the evening.
mr lee: yes, in our kind of business you have to work long hours. i spend five hours at the market every night, and the store's open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. people here want a wide choice of fruit and vegetables; everything must be fresh and clean - and cheap!
reporter: your wife's cleaning lettuce right now and you're sorting green peas
mr lee: yes. we have to be very quick. there are 15 boxes of strawberries and a lot of asparagus and cauliflower waiting. there's always work to do.
reporter: when do you sleep?
mr lee: well, when i get back from the market - at about six o’clock in the morning - my wife and i first unload and store everything. that takes us about two hours. after that i sleep for an hour or so. and i get a bit of sleep in the evening after work
reporter: before you leave for the market again at midnight. life's pretty hard for you and your family, mr lee.
mr lee: yes - but that's the way it is. we want to get on. we're not complaining.
2. дайте ответы.
a) is new york the largest city in the world? b) where’s the fruit and vegetable market? c) where’s mr lee’s store? d) who runs the store? e) how long is mr lee’s workday? f) what hours is the store open? g) when can mr lee sleep? h) can mr lee watch tv in the evening?
3. вставьте в предложения наречия или обстоятельства, представленные в следующем списке.
always, at midnight, every day, hardly ever, in the evening, on sundays, on the upper east side, still
a) mr lee’s store is open, b) mr lee spends 14 hours in the store, c) mr lee leaves for the market, d) mr lee has time to sleep, e) mr lee can’t watch tv. f) when other people are watching tv, mr lee is working, g) the lees have got a lot of work to do. h) there are many stores like mr lee's
