Inside the pleasingly fragrant café, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver, the spirit of generosity is instantly noticeable: A donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.
A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant provides poor local people with healthy, delicious lunches six days a week. Those unable to pay for their meals can instead volunteer as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.
“It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right” , says co-owner Brad Birky , who started the café in 2006. With his wife Libby. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there.
“We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable ,regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers.
The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during the long winter said goodbye to the Birkys,” He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane cleanup,” says Birky.
小题1:What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys prcviously worked for?
A．They refused to have volunteers.
B．They offered low quality food.
C．They provided customers with a good environment.
D．They closed down because of poor management.小题2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．The customers who cannot pay can word as volunteers in stead.
B．More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup.
C．Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town.
D．The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started.小题3:The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______
A．unfavorable
B．approving
C．doubtful
D．cautious
