Question

I first came across the concept of pay-what-you-can cafes last summer in Boone, N.C., where I ate at F.A.R.M (Feed All Regardless of Means) Café. You can volunteer to earn your meal, pay the suggested price($10) or less, or you can overpay—paying it forward for a future customer’s meal. My only regret after eating there was not having a chance to give my time. So as soon as Healthy World Café opened in York in April, I signed up for a volunteer shift(轮班).

F.A.R.M and healthy World are part of a growing trend of community cafés. In 2003, Denise Cerreta opened the first in Salt Lake City. Cerreta now runs the One World Everybody Eats Foundation, helping others copy her pay-what-you can model.

“I think the community café is truly a hand up, not a handout,” Cerreta said. She acknowledged that soup kitchens(施粥所) have a place in society, but people typically don’t feel good about going there.

“One of the values of the community café is that we have another approach,” she said. “Everyone eats here, no one needs to know whether you volunteered, overpaid or underpaid.”

The successful cafés not only address hunger and food insecurity but also become necessary parts of their neighborhood — whether it’s a place to learn skills or hear live music. Some teach cooking to seniors; some offer free used books. Eating or working there is a reminder that we are all in this world together.

My 10 am-1pm shift at World-Healthy-Café began with the café manager — one of the two paid staff members. Our volunteer crew wasn’t the most orderly, but we managed to prepare and serve meals with a lot of laughs in between. At the end of my shift, I ordered my earned meal at the counter, together with other volunteers. After lunch, I walked out the door, with a handful of new friends, music in my head and a satisfied belly and heart.

1.What did the author do at F.A.R.M Café last summer?

A. She enjoyed a meal.

B. She ate free of charge.

C. She overpaid for the food.

D. She worked as a volunteer.

2.What is the advantage of community cafés compared with soup kitchens?

A. People can have free food.

B. People can maintain their dignity.

C. People can stay as long as they like.

D. People can find their places in society.

3.Why are community cafés becoming popular in the neighborhoods?

A. They bring people true friendships.

B. They help to bring people together.

C. They create a lot of job opportunities.

D. They support local economic development.

4.How did the author feel about working at Healthy World Café?

A. It paid well.

B. It changed her.

C. It was beneficial.

D. It was easy for her.

Answer 1