A
More than 40 years after buying Eng’s, a Chinese-American restaurant in New York state, Tom Sit is unwillingly considering retirement. For much of his life, he worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day. He parks in the same lot where he would take breaks and read his wife’s letters sent from Canada in the late 1970s. He seats his regulars at the same tables where his three daughters did homework.
Three years ago, at the insistence of his wife, Sit started taking off one day a week. He is 76, and they are going to be grandparents soon. Working over 70 hours a week is just too hard. However, his grown daughters have no intention of taking it over.
Across the country, owners of Chinese-American restaurants like Eng’s are ready to retire but have no one to pass the business on to. Their children, raised and educated in the United States, are pursuing professional careers that do not demand the same tiring labor as food service.
Rising rents, delivery apps, and tightening regulations on immigration have made the already tough restaurant business an even more difficult one in recent years. However, those are not factors specific to Chinese-American restaurants, and do not explain the wave of closing. Instead, a big reason seems to be the economic mobility(流动性) of the second generation. “It’s a success that these restaurants are closing,” said Jennifer Lee, a former New York Times journalist. “These people came to cook so their children wouldn’t have to.”
Sit has not yet found the right person to run the restaurant. If he ever does hand Eng’s to someone else, he will miss his customers. However, he is proud of what he has built. He is also proud that his daughters are working in jobs they have chosen, jobs that they love.
21. According to the article, which of the following statements about Tom Sit is true?
A. He and his wife lived together in the late 1970s.
B. He decided to retire because of his poor health.
C. He worked more than 90 hours a week before 2017.
D. He bought Eng’s shortly after moving to the United States.
22. Paragraph 4 explains the real reason why ______.
A. the number of Chinese-American restaurants is declining
B. fewer Chinese people now immigrate to the United States
C. Chinese food has become less popular in the United States
D. rents of Chinese food restaurants are rising in the United States
23. We can know that Sit’s daughters refused to take over Eng’s ______.
A. was a difficult decision
B. made him disappointed
C. came as no surprise to him
D. was what their mother desired to see
