The Honest Homeless Man

A homeless man in New York has repaid the trust paid in him by a woman who gave him her credit card. Jay Valentine, 32, was standing on a Manhattan street asking for small change when Merrie Harris, 45, lent him her Platinum AmEx card. Onlookers were shocked to see the woman hand it over and walk off. 

Valentine said he bought deodorant, body wash, a pack of cigarettes and bottled water, all costing about $25. A short time later, he went back to the restaurant where Ms Harris was eating to return the card to her. For his efforts, he was awarded the title of Most Honest Homeless Man in the City. Valentine also received an offer from a New York-based airline to apply to be a flight attendant and $5,000 from an anonymous Texan.

Ms Harris, an advertising executive, was also applauded for her act of generosity and trust. She told reporters she never doubted Mr Valentine would do anything dishonest with her card, saying: "What he did was no surprise to me.” She asked: “Are we only supposed to trust people we know?” Valentine said he never thought about abusing Harris’ trust in him: "I wasn't tempted at all. 

She trusted me, and I didn't want to violate that trust," he said. He added: "It sets a good example that people in need – like me - can and should be trusted." What is now in question is the security procedures of the store Valentine shopped in. Staff obviously did not check his signature or look at the photo id on the AmEx card.

EXERCISE 1. PRONUNCIATION/WORD VOCABULARY

1. Onlookers [on-loo-kurs]
Meaning (noun)--people  who observe without taking part; They are only watching some happenings without joining.
Example Sentence:A crowd of onlookers gathered after an accident happened outside the building.


2. applauded [ap-low-ded]
Meaning (verb)--receiving praises or good words from others. The root word is "Applaud" which means to show approval or praise, usually with hand clapping.
Example Sentence: Giving a standing ovation for a performer makes that person feel applauded.

3. generosity [ge-ne-ros-si-ti]
Meaning (noun)--This is the quality of being willing to share something to others.
Example Sentence: An example of generosity is always donating extra food and supplies to shelters.

4. doubted [daw-ted]
Meaning (verb)-- not so sure about something; not to believe someone or something
Example Sentence: I doubted him after he said that he saw a jar of golds.


EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. What is the article all about?
2. What do you know about HONESTY?
3. Do you easily trust someone? Why or why not?


Article Source: Breakingnewsenglish