Passage 21 Life Is Like a CafeteriaA friend’s grandfather came to America from Eastern Europe. After settling down at Ellis Island, he went into a cafeteria in lower Manhattan to get something to eat. He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone to take his order. Of course nobody did. Finally, a woman with a tray full of food sat down opposite him and informed him how a cafeteria worked. “Start out at that end, ” she said. “Just go along the line and pick out what you want. At the other end they’ll tell you how much you have to pay. ”“I soon learned that’s how everything works in America, ”the grandfather told a friend. “Life’s like a cafeteria here. You can get anything you want as long as you are willing to pay the price. You can even get success, but you’ll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself. ”生活就像自助餐 一个朋友的祖父从东欧来到美国。 在埃利斯岛安顿下来后， 他去曼哈顿下城的一家自助餐厅吃饭。 他在一张空桌子边坐下，等待侍者拿来菜单。 当然没有人来招呼他。 最后，一位女士拿着满满一托盘食物走过来坐在他对面。并告诉他自助餐厅 是怎样进餐的。 她说：“从那头开始，依次去要你想要的东西，在餐厅的另外一端会有人告诉你该付多少钱。” 他对一个朋友说：“接着我很快了解到这就是美国人的生活方式。” “生活就像自助餐， 你可以去要你想要的任何东西，只要你能付得起他们的价格。 你也可以想要成功，但是如果你什么都不做就等着别人把它送到你身边的话是永远都不可能得到的。 你必须勤劳，必须自己去追求它。”
