The Sandwich King
Key Words:
Affluence: wealth
Disdain: scorn: contempt
Candid: frank
Intrepid: courageous
Alien: unfamiliar: foreigner
Gauche: ill-mannered
Aficionado: fan, supporter
Novice: beginner:
Astute: shrewd: smart
Hypocrisy: Insincerity
Stoic: tolerant
Capriciousness: changeability @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Adroit: skillful
Frivolous: flippant: childish
Cordiality: Friendliness: warmness
Fraternal: friendly
Dogmatic: inflexible
Altruistic: unselfish
Venerable: respected
Jimmy John’s high school years were spent largely in the discipline office, but through hard work and a sense of fun he became a business success.
Almost no one would have predicted a life of affluence for this guy. He graduated next to last in his high school class. He didn’t have an easy time socially, either. Awkward and overweight, he felt he was the object of disdain from his classmates, who were often from more affluent families.
To add to his problems, he often embarrassed himself by saying things that were too candid. He got in so much trouble for smoking, fighting, and skipping class that the school staff considered kicking him out. Yet today, more than twenty years later, Jimmy John Liautaud runs a chain of over 900 sandwich shops that proudly bears his name: Jimmy John’s.
How did he do it? The answer is lots of hard work, and some help from friends and family. His father was an intrepid business owner and inventor who was willing to risk going broke to test a good idea. His mother too had made it through difficult times. Originally from Lithuania, she had escaped from Communism, lived in camps, and finally immigrated to an alien land, the United States. The family expected children to be hardworking and self-supporting.
Jimmy John also received some important help in high school. Dean of Discipline Jim Lyons recognized that inside the gauche teenager there was a gentle giant. The dean asked Jimmy John what things interested him. There were two answers: a good-looking female classmate and food. Lyons told his student to concentrate on the food!
So Jimmy John decided to open up a sandwich shop, partially funded by a loan from his father. For research, he ate in all the sandwich places he could find within a five-state area. The sandwich aficionado soon became an expert judge. His family evaluated his proposed creations, voting down his favorite—liver sausage and mayonnaise.
The novice businessman had just completed high school when he opened a shop in a garage near Eastern Illinois University. Since he sold only two sandwiches the first day, he was astute enough to try a marketing plan: distributing free sandwiches. Giving away food proved to be a hit. People started streaming into the shop to buy lunch.
Soon Jimmy John hired two helpers—and assigned them all the difficult jobs. Sensing his hypocrisy, both employees quit. Jimmy John learned a valuable lesson: the boss must work hard. He is now affluent, but he stoically continues to put in long hours.
Starting in one store, Jimmy John developed a chain. He now has shops in large cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast.
There are many reasons for the success of the chain. The food and service are dependable and fast. There is no room for capriciousness in
Jimmy John’s stores. His motto is “Make a Deal, Keep a Deal.” All ingredients are fresh. In fact, the adroitly made sandwiches are often delivered within seconds. The menu also accommodates different needs. People who are concerned about their weight may order the “unwich,” ingredients wrapped in lettuce without the bread. The management of the shops is very systematic. Employees get a detailed “to do” list, which includes such tasks as turning out the lights at closing time.
Key Words:
Affluence: wealth
Disdain: scorn: contempt
Candid: frank
Intrepid: courageous
Alien: unfamiliar: foreigner
Gauche: ill-mannered
Aficionado: fan, supporter
Novice: beginner:
Astute: shrewd: smart
Hypocrisy: Insincerity
Stoic: tolerant
Capriciousness: changeability @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Adroit: skillful
Frivolous: flippant: childish
Cordiality: Friendliness: warmness
Fraternal: friendly
Dogmatic: inflexible
Altruistic: unselfish
Venerable: respected
Jimmy John’s high school years were spent largely in the discipline office, but through hard work and a sense of fun he became a business success.
Almost no one would have predicted a life of affluence for this guy. He graduated next to last in his high school class. He didn’t have an easy time socially, either. Awkward and overweight, he felt he was the object of disdain from his classmates, who were often from more affluent families.
To add to his problems, he often embarrassed himself by saying things that were too candid. He got in so much trouble for smoking, fighting, and skipping class that the school staff considered kicking him out. Yet today, more than twenty years later, Jimmy John Liautaud runs a chain of over 900 sandwich shops that proudly bears his name: Jimmy John’s.
How did he do it? The answer is lots of hard work, and some help from friends and family. His father was an intrepid business owner and inventor who was willing to risk going broke to test a good idea. His mother too had made it through difficult times. Originally from Lithuania, she had escaped from Communism, lived in camps, and finally immigrated to an alien land, the United States. The family expected children to be hardworking and self-supporting.
Jimmy John also received some important help in high school. Dean of Discipline Jim Lyons recognized that inside the gauche teenager there was a gentle giant. The dean asked Jimmy John what things interested him. There were two answers: a good-looking female classmate and food. Lyons told his student to concentrate on the food!
So Jimmy John decided to open up a sandwich shop, partially funded by a loan from his father. For research, he ate in all the sandwich places he could find within a five-state area. The sandwich aficionado soon became an expert judge. His family evaluated his proposed creations, voting down his favorite—liver sausage and mayonnaise.
The novice businessman had just completed high school when he opened a shop in a garage near Eastern Illinois University. Since he sold only two sandwiches the first day, he was astute enough to try a marketing plan: distributing free sandwiches. Giving away food proved to be a hit. People started streaming into the shop to buy lunch.
Soon Jimmy John hired two helpers—and assigned them all the difficult jobs. Sensing his hypocrisy, both employees quit. Jimmy John learned a valuable lesson: the boss must work hard. He is now affluent, but he stoically continues to put in long hours.
Starting in one store, Jimmy John developed a chain. He now has shops in large cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast.
There are many reasons for the success of the chain. The food and service are dependable and fast. There is no room for capriciousness in
Jimmy John’s stores. His motto is “Make a Deal, Keep a Deal.” All ingredients are fresh. In fact, the adroitly made sandwiches are often delivered within seconds. The menu also accommodates different needs. People who are concerned about their weight may order the “unwich,” ingredients wrapped in lettuce without the bread. The management of the shops is very systematic. Employees get a detailed “to do” list, which includes such tasks as turning out the lights at closing time.
But, like Jimmy John, the shops have their frivolous side. Signs posted on the wall give advice about life. One reads, “If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.” Guides to behavior are also posted. The DOs include “Say please and thank you,” “Disable dorky ring tones on your cell phone,” and “Remember to smile.” The DON’Ts contain:
“Don’t play with your food” and “Don’t take stuff too seriously.”
Jimmy John also believes in cordiality. Staff members tell customers to, “Come back soon.” All employees, including office executives, wear T-shirts saying “Your
mother wants you to eat at Jimmy John’s.”
This gives a fraternal feeling to all parts of the business.
Jimmy John also believes in listening to his employees. His early struggles taught him that a dogmatic boss is a bad boss. So he requires all managers to hold weekly sessions that discuss employee complaints and suggestions. Good pay helps to keep employees loyal, but so does
Jimmy John’s concern for them. He named a sandwich for a manager who was killed in an accident. Look for the “Billy Club” on the menu.
Success has enabled Jimmy John to be altruistic. In 2008, he donated a million dollars to his former school for a new building. He insisted that the building must bear the name of the venerable dean of discipline who helped him: Jim Lyons. Today the Liautaud-Lyons upper grade center stands on the campus of Elgin Academy, the high school where Jimmy John struggled. It was built by the sandwich king, John Liautaud, who combined hard work with fun to build a food empire.
@aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Source: The World of Words
Vocabulary for College Success by Margaret Ann Richek
“Don’t play with your food” and “Don’t take stuff too seriously.”
Jimmy John also believes in cordiality. Staff members tell customers to, “Come back soon.” All employees, including office executives, wear T-shirts saying “Your
mother wants you to eat at Jimmy John’s.”
This gives a fraternal feeling to all parts of the business.
Jimmy John also believes in listening to his employees. His early struggles taught him that a dogmatic boss is a bad boss. So he requires all managers to hold weekly sessions that discuss employee complaints and suggestions. Good pay helps to keep employees loyal, but so does
Jimmy John’s concern for them. He named a sandwich for a manager who was killed in an accident. Look for the “Billy Club” on the menu.
Success has enabled Jimmy John to be altruistic. In 2008, he donated a million dollars to his former school for a new building. He insisted that the building must bear the name of the venerable dean of discipline who helped him: Jim Lyons. Today the Liautaud-Lyons upper grade center stands on the campus of Elgin Academy, the high school where Jimmy John struggled. It was built by the sandwich king, John Liautaud, who combined hard work with fun to build a food empire.
@aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Source: The World of Words
Vocabulary for College Success by Margaret Ann Richek
Reading Passage with New Words
Make sure to look up the new words:
Sneakers: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Accord: harmony: agreement
Corroborate: verify: confirm
Entrepreneur: someone who starts a new business or arranges business deals in order to make money, often in a way that involves financial risks
Conservative: conformist: traditional
Renegade: traitor
Epitome: embodiment
Radical: extremist: fanatic
Thrive: flourish: prosper
Supplant: replace
Liberal: open-minded
Defer: delay @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Catastrophic: disastrous
Ominous: ill-omened: gloomy
Intervene: interfere: intrude
Once used only for sports, sneakers are now everywhere. Urban teenagers, sports figures, and rap stars have changed the lowly athletic shoe to a world cultural symbol and luxury item.
Back in 1964, Motown rocker Tommy Tucker’s hit song “Put on Your High-heeled Sneakers” for “going out tonight” seemed ridiculous. But today high-heeled sneakers are a well-accepted dress-up shoe. In fact, nearly everybody wears some form of sneakers, whether they are at the gym or at a party. Within the business community, there is general accord that sneaker sales are a powerful market force. People buy about $10 billion dollars worth every year, although sales reports can be difficult to corroborate.
Sneakers were invented in 1899, when Humphrey O’Sullivan got a
patent for a rubber heel that could be hardened through a new heating
process. These new heels were more durable than leather ones. The first rubber-soled shoes were produced by Keds, a company that is still in business.
They were called “sneakers” because the heels were so quiet that
wearerscould “sneak up” on other people.
After World War I, the German Dassler brothers started making the
sneakers in their backyard. When Jesse Owens, the African-American
runner, stunned the world by winning the 1936 Olympics, he was wearing Dasslers. The two Dassler brothers separated, and each became a successful entrepreneur. Rudolf started the Puma Company. Adolf became head of Adidas.
For years, sneakers were used only as sports shoes, but slowly, things
began to change. The 1950s were a conservative time with rigid fashions in clothes and shoes.
So people were thrilled when renegade James Dean appeared in the movie Rebel without a Cause wearing sneakers on the street. Suddenly, the shoe was in fashion, and by the 1970s,
People were commonly using sneakers as everyday shoes. Clever promotion turned sneakers into a multimillion-dollar business. In 1980 Philip H. Knight founded a company named Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and imported a shoe from Japan. He paid an Oregon artist $35 for the now-famous “swoosh” design. Then he hired Michael Jordan, the epitome of a great basketball player, to promote the shoe, and coined the phrase “Just do it.” Overnight, Air Jordan™ shoes became a sensation.
Local neighborhood traditions also helped to popularize sneakers.
Basketball was, and continues to be, an important sport in urban neighborhoods.
And the new music of rap and hip-hop emerged from these very
same neighborhoods.
Words and music were clever, radical, and at times violent. Neighborhood kids often imitated great basketball players by buying the shoes they wore. No longer just a shoe, sneakers became an
important status symbol. As rap and hip-hop thrived, their music and
fashion spread to the rest of America. What the artists wore was hot!
When a famous Paris fashion house started designing “Ghetto Fabulous” clothes, they became best-sellers. Soon everyone was listening to rap and hip-hop—and wearing sneakers.
Popular musicians celebrated sneakers in such songs as Nelly’s “Air
Force Ones.” Run DMC’s “My Adidas” thanked the company that introduced new sneakers named after their favorite Cadillacs: the Eldorado, Brougham, and Fleetwood. Gradually, sneakers supplanted leather shoes as the most popular footwear in the United States.
Make sure to look up the new words:
Sneakers: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Accord: harmony: agreement
Corroborate: verify: confirm
Entrepreneur: someone who starts a new business or arranges business deals in order to make money, often in a way that involves financial risks
Conservative: conformist: traditional
Renegade: traitor
Epitome: embodiment
Radical: extremist: fanatic
Thrive: flourish: prosper
Supplant: replace
Liberal: open-minded
Defer: delay @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Catastrophic: disastrous
Ominous: ill-omened: gloomy
Intervene: interfere: intrude
Once used only for sports, sneakers are now everywhere. Urban teenagers, sports figures, and rap stars have changed the lowly athletic shoe to a world cultural symbol and luxury item.
Back in 1964, Motown rocker Tommy Tucker’s hit song “Put on Your High-heeled Sneakers” for “going out tonight” seemed ridiculous. But today high-heeled sneakers are a well-accepted dress-up shoe. In fact, nearly everybody wears some form of sneakers, whether they are at the gym or at a party. Within the business community, there is general accord that sneaker sales are a powerful market force. People buy about $10 billion dollars worth every year, although sales reports can be difficult to corroborate.
Sneakers were invented in 1899, when Humphrey O’Sullivan got a
patent for a rubber heel that could be hardened through a new heating
process. These new heels were more durable than leather ones. The first rubber-soled shoes were produced by Keds, a company that is still in business.
They were called “sneakers” because the heels were so quiet that
wearerscould “sneak up” on other people.
After World War I, the German Dassler brothers started making the
sneakers in their backyard. When Jesse Owens, the African-American
runner, stunned the world by winning the 1936 Olympics, he was wearing Dasslers. The two Dassler brothers separated, and each became a successful entrepreneur. Rudolf started the Puma Company. Adolf became head of Adidas.
For years, sneakers were used only as sports shoes, but slowly, things
began to change. The 1950s were a conservative time with rigid fashions in clothes and shoes.
So people were thrilled when renegade James Dean appeared in the movie Rebel without a Cause wearing sneakers on the street. Suddenly, the shoe was in fashion, and by the 1970s,
People were commonly using sneakers as everyday shoes. Clever promotion turned sneakers into a multimillion-dollar business. In 1980 Philip H. Knight founded a company named Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and imported a shoe from Japan. He paid an Oregon artist $35 for the now-famous “swoosh” design. Then he hired Michael Jordan, the epitome of a great basketball player, to promote the shoe, and coined the phrase “Just do it.” Overnight, Air Jordan™ shoes became a sensation.
Local neighborhood traditions also helped to popularize sneakers.
Basketball was, and continues to be, an important sport in urban neighborhoods.
And the new music of rap and hip-hop emerged from these very
same neighborhoods.
Words and music were clever, radical, and at times violent. Neighborhood kids often imitated great basketball players by buying the shoes they wore. No longer just a shoe, sneakers became an
important status symbol. As rap and hip-hop thrived, their music and
fashion spread to the rest of America. What the artists wore was hot!
When a famous Paris fashion house started designing “Ghetto Fabulous” clothes, they became best-sellers. Soon everyone was listening to rap and hip-hop—and wearing sneakers.
Popular musicians celebrated sneakers in such songs as Nelly’s “Air
Force Ones.” Run DMC’s “My Adidas” thanked the company that introduced new sneakers named after their favorite Cadillacs: the Eldorado, Brougham, and Fleetwood. Gradually, sneakers supplanted leather shoes as the most popular footwear in the United States.
Today, companies produce sneakers in every imaginable color, shape, and finish. Rappers have become designers. Figures like Kanye
West and 50 Cent sell their ideas to such companies as Louis Vuitton and Reebok. Prices have skyrocketed as designers have issued “limited editions.” The diamond-encrusted Solitare Kicks, for example, go for $50,000. Used sneakers that have been worn by famous athletes have become collector’s items. One pair that belonged to basketball great Wilt Chamberlain sold for $55,000.
Teenaged “sneakerheads” collect pairs by the hundreds, spending countless hours in specialty stores. They beg their parents for ever more liberal allowances so they can buy the most desirable pairs. (8)
Some defer wearing their new shoes, storing them in closets until they become rare and valuable.
But is all of this a good thing? Some of the effects of sneaker
popularity have been. When “fly” sneakers became desirable,
teens started stealing them from each other.
There have even been incidents of people who were killed for their shoes. School administrators have intervened by requiring dress codes limiting what studentscan wear. But in a truly ominous sign, the hit song “My Adidas” was sung by pallbearers, wearing matching white Adidas sneakers, for the funeral of Run DMC’s murdered Jam Master Jay.
It has also been reported that several big sneaker companies employ
workers in poor nations at low wages and under harsh working conditions. The Christian Aid society has worked to reach accords
between producers and factories to ensure that workers are treated fairly.
Despite these problems, new sneakers continue to set fashion trends—and record-breaking prices. A style largely popularized by urban teenagers has become a multibillion-dollar business. Thanks to them, conservative middle-aged people throughout the United States wear sneakers to business lunches, to the opera, and to formal dinners. Some of us even “put on our high-heeled sneakers” when “we’re going out tonight.”
Source: The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success
EIGHTH EDITION
Margaret Ann Richek
Northeastern Illinois University
West and 50 Cent sell their ideas to such companies as Louis Vuitton and Reebok. Prices have skyrocketed as designers have issued “limited editions.” The diamond-encrusted Solitare Kicks, for example, go for $50,000. Used sneakers that have been worn by famous athletes have become collector’s items. One pair that belonged to basketball great Wilt Chamberlain sold for $55,000.
Teenaged “sneakerheads” collect pairs by the hundreds, spending countless hours in specialty stores. They beg their parents for ever more liberal allowances so they can buy the most desirable pairs. (8)
Some defer wearing their new shoes, storing them in closets until they become rare and valuable.
But is all of this a good thing? Some of the effects of sneaker
popularity have been. When “fly” sneakers became desirable,
teens started stealing them from each other.
There have even been incidents of people who were killed for their shoes. School administrators have intervened by requiring dress codes limiting what studentscan wear. But in a truly ominous sign, the hit song “My Adidas” was sung by pallbearers, wearing matching white Adidas sneakers, for the funeral of Run DMC’s murdered Jam Master Jay.
It has also been reported that several big sneaker companies employ
workers in poor nations at low wages and under harsh working conditions. The Christian Aid society has worked to reach accords
between producers and factories to ensure that workers are treated fairly.
Despite these problems, new sneakers continue to set fashion trends—and record-breaking prices. A style largely popularized by urban teenagers has become a multibillion-dollar business. Thanks to them, conservative middle-aged people throughout the United States wear sneakers to business lunches, to the opera, and to formal dinners. Some of us even “put on our high-heeled sneakers” when “we’re going out tonight.”
Source: The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success
EIGHTH EDITION
Margaret Ann Richek
Northeastern Illinois University
Topic: People think that old buildings should be knocked down and give way to the new buildings. Do you agree or disagree? How important are old buildings to us?
Along with the rapid pace of urbanization, city authorities are now faced with a heated debate: whether an old building should be deconstructed or maintained. As far as I am concerned, it depends upon whether aged buildings can provide various kinds of values, such as cultural values, economic values as well as social values, by weighing the cost of maintaining the targeted buildings against the benefits they will bring.
There is no denying the fact that a long history, coupled with architectural values, has made these buildings very popular. Some old buildings are not only the cultural resources, but are also regarded as a symbol and emblem of a city or country. Demolition of such buildings will lead to damage of cultural heritage, while to protect these old architectural works is in fact to preserve cultural values. Moreover, if protected well, many archeological sites, especially those that have played important historical roles, are very likely to accelerate the development of tourism, which will become a source of income to the city. That is to say, old buildings of this kind may play a much more important role in the city than any new buildings do.
Other old buildings, however, may possess no specific value, becoming entirely dilapidated. Low in quality and poor in condition, some old buildings are actually dangerous both for the residents who live in them and for pedestrians who happen to walk by them and renewing them will cost a great deal of money. Therefore, replacing these aged buildings with new ones will meet the needs of city planning.
From the points listed above, it seems obvious that old buildings must not be demolished, extended or altered without a careful evaluation of their values and conditions. Only by carefully weighing up all their values can we reach a right decision concerning their fate. @ibtil
Along with the rapid pace of urbanization, city authorities are now faced with a heated debate: whether an old building should be deconstructed or maintained. As far as I am concerned, it depends upon whether aged buildings can provide various kinds of values, such as cultural values, economic values as well as social values, by weighing the cost of maintaining the targeted buildings against the benefits they will bring.
There is no denying the fact that a long history, coupled with architectural values, has made these buildings very popular. Some old buildings are not only the cultural resources, but are also regarded as a symbol and emblem of a city or country. Demolition of such buildings will lead to damage of cultural heritage, while to protect these old architectural works is in fact to preserve cultural values. Moreover, if protected well, many archeological sites, especially those that have played important historical roles, are very likely to accelerate the development of tourism, which will become a source of income to the city. That is to say, old buildings of this kind may play a much more important role in the city than any new buildings do.
Other old buildings, however, may possess no specific value, becoming entirely dilapidated. Low in quality and poor in condition, some old buildings are actually dangerous both for the residents who live in them and for pedestrians who happen to walk by them and renewing them will cost a great deal of money. Therefore, replacing these aged buildings with new ones will meet the needs of city planning.
From the points listed above, it seems obvious that old buildings must not be demolished, extended or altered without a careful evaluation of their values and conditions. Only by carefully weighing up all their values can we reach a right decision concerning their fate. @ibtil
Forwarded from ibtil_ IELTS
Some speaking expressions:
1. we chatted =talked
2. to get together with =meet
3. to catch up with =talk to someone you haven't seen for a while
4. what my friends had been up to -had been doing
5. to wind down =relax after something tiring
1. we chatted =talked
2. to get together with =meet
3. to catch up with =talk to someone you haven't seen for a while
4. what my friends had been up to -had been doing
5. to wind down =relax after something tiring