阅读理解。
It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca
about his plan for the future. "I'm going to college, but I need a way to pay for it," Deluca recalls saying.
"Buck said, 'you should open a sandwich shop.'"
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After
doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut,
and when they couldn't cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn't go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, "After six months, we were doing
poorly, but we didn't know how badly, because we didn't have any financial controls." All he and Buck
knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working
at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They'd meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas
for keeping the business running. "We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could
tell the public. We are so successful, we are opening a second store.'" And they did-in the spring of 1966.
Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners' learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca
would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. "It probably took me two and a half
hours and it wasn't necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal
relationships established really helped out," Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. "There are so many problems that can get you down. You just
have to keep working toward your goal," Deluca adds. Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the
multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.
1. Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to _____.
A. support his family
B. pay for his college education
C. help his partner expand business
D. do some research
2. Which of the following is true of Buck?
A. He put money into the sandwich business.
B. He was a professor of business administration.
C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.
D. He rented a storefront for Deluca.
3. What can we learn about their first shop?
A. It stood at an unfavorable place.
B. It lowered the prices to poor management.
C. It made no profits due to poor management.
D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.
4. They decided to open a second store because they _____.
A. had enough money to do it
B. had succeeded in their business
C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers
D. wanted to make believe that they were successful
5. What contributes most do their success according to the author?
A. Learning by trial and error.
B. Making friends with supplies.
C. Finding a good partner.
D. Opening chain stores.
