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Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore
without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard,
who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from
her demanding job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry."We knew it had to be a specialty
store because we couldn't match the big chains dollar for dollar," says Mary. One figure caught her attention:
She'd read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries (推理小说), and many buyers
spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three
children in college, the couple could not spend all the family's money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000
cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up
with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and
served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the
six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
"The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income," says Richard."This has always
been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money."
1. When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
A. they had to put their plan into practice
B. health was more important than wealth
C. heart trouble was a serious illness
D. they both needed to stop working
2. After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
A. to study industrial management
B. to buy and read more mystery books
C. to do market research on book business
D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore
3. How did their bookstore do in the first year?
A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.
B. They made just enough to cover all the costs.
C. They succeeded in earning a lot of money.
D. They failed though they worked hard.
4. According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.
A. to pay for their children's education
B. to get to know more writers
C. to set up more bookstores
D. to do what they like to do
