There is a little pastry shop, called Bread of Life Bakery, located in a Beijing suburb. At Bread of Life Bakery, Grace Yang and her associates rush to bake more than 300 Western-style pies to be delivered to homes across Beijing. The 29-year-old pastry specialist was born in China’s Shaanxi area to a family she barely recalls. She cannot walk due to her polio and at age four, she was neglected by her parents and grew up in an orphanage. Yang’s tragic story is not unusual in China. All of China’s orphaned kids have impairments.
According to welfare specialists, China does not have a satisfactory social security system. Many guardians essentially can’t bear the cost of health care over their impaired offspring. Most orphaned kids with impairment have slim chance of getting employed. This harsh reality in China persuaded American couple Keith and Cheryl Wyse to begin the charity pastry kitchen Bread of Life in 2008. The bread shop employs incapacitated grown-ups who were abandoned as youngsters. Through them, Yang has become a full-time staff in their bakery in 2011 and has learned how to bake with no outside help.
Vocabulary:
pastry shop – an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, pastries, and pies.
suburb – a residential district located on the outskirts of a city.
neglected – no one gives you the care or attention you need
impairment – body abnormality that prevents someone from doing something
offspring – child
charity – voluntary promotion of human welfare
True or False:
- Thanksgiving was celebrated in China.
- The pastry shop is intended for kids with special needs.
- Grace Yang can still remember her family.
- Most abandoned children with disabilities have higher chances of getting employed.
- The American couple’s philanthropy is to give hope for persons with disabilities.
Defend your argument:
- What do you feel when you see a handicapped person?
- Do you think it’s reasonable for parents to abandon their offspring with disabilities?
- Does your country have special training facilities for handicapped people? Discuss.
- What do you think persons with disabilities can do to compensate for their weakness?
Express your opinion:
- How do you think handicapped people should be treated?
- As an individual, how can you help contribute to the welfare handicapped people?
- In what ways do you think society can aid assistance to persons with disabilities?