INCLUDEPICTURE "外刊撷英LLL.TIF" INCLUDEPICTURE "../../外刊撷英LLL.TIF" \* MERGEFORMAT Community Restores the Robbed Bakery Adapted from The Christian Science Monitor Weekly 20240122 Ruben Ramirez Jr. hoped 2024 would start with a bang① for his struggling, family owned bakery in Los Angeles. But he wasn't thinking of a bang like this—or the unexpected generosity② it would spark. Through decades of ups and downs③， the bakery is a in the community, 48 years ago by Ruben Ramirez Sr. Three Kings Day, a traditional celebration, was coming up on Saturday. It's a big business opportunity for the bakery, and the Ramirez family was looking forward to a boost④ from orders of roscas, the circular shaped sweet bread for the occasion. However, in the early morning of Jan. 2, a man Ruben's bakery, and left with cash, equipment, and food—an estimated⑤ loss of more than $70，000. Whether the bakery could survive this time Against all expectations, the bakery reopened for business on Jan. 5, just three days later, as of the power of community and a testament⑥ to rebirth and recovery after tragedy⑦. The bakery has deep roots in the neighborhood. So, the desire to help was . A friend from high school, Luis Arandia, texted Mr. Ramirez Jr. and offered to set up a fund raising page. Before long, the media had been contacted. Then, 1，700 people had contributed⑧ more than $85，000—which was $10，000 over the original goal. Several customers drove from a distance to support the bakery on its first day back in business. Juanita Cervantes has been a customer for decades, and even though she moved a couple of towns away seven years ago, she still comes two to three times a week for the bread and authentic⑨ food. It took Jimmy Torres, who came with his mother and two daughters, 45 minutes to drive from his home in Long Beach. Like other customers that morning, he had learned about the tragedy on the news. The family left the bakery clutching⑩ their bags of bolillos (面包棒) and sugary churros (甜油条). “Totally worth it，” says Mr. Torres. His mother adds that they are “trying to help each other.” At 10 a．m., business looked brisk . Workers shaped rosca dough in the back room, handed breakfast burritos (墨西哥卷饼) to eager customers for takeout, and rolled out stacked trays of bolillos. Family, friends, and employees had pitched in to clean up and repair the mess, as Mr. Ramirez describes it. The local council member's office donated paint. Now regulars and strangers were lining up at the counter ， and TV news crews that showed up to chronicle the unfolding story of community unity were reporting from the store. “I'm overwhelmed by the response，” Mr. Ramirez says. The more that people call, the bigger the smile on his face. As he recalled, when arriving at the scene of broken glass and destruction in the early hours of Jan. 2, he felt deeply angry. Then sad. But now he was overcome by the tremendous outpouring of goodwill . ①with a bang 很成功 ... ...
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