Saja Pahad, a small village in Chhattisgarh, India, has been dealing with severe water shortages for as long as anyone can remember. With only two wells available, locals were barely able to secure enough water to feed their cattle, let alone irrigate their crops. Villagers didn’t know what to do and the government ignored their difficult situation, but one “crazy” teenager took matters into his own hands.
Shyam Lal was only 15 when he took it upon himself to solve his village’s water problem. He identified a spot in a nearby forest and decided to dig a pond to collect rainfall that could then be used by the entire village. Lal shared his idea with the rest of Saja Pahad, but instead of volunteering to help, they just laughed at his crazy plan and called him a lunatic (疯子). But the young man didn’t let the people’s reaction get him down. Instead, he grabbed a spade (铁锹) and started digging the pond himself. He kept on digging for the next 27 years.
Now 43, Shyam Lal is considered a hero by his community. That small hole he started digging nearly three decades ago is now a one-acre, 15-feet-deep pond filled with precious water that serves the entire village.
“No one helped me in my work, neither the government nor the villagers,” Lal told the Hindustan Times. “It was my dream to secure enough water for the whole village and their cattle.”
The story of Shyam Lal’s determination recently went viral in the whole of India, and prompted authorities in Mahendragarh district to finally acknowledge his achievement. A member of the government recently visited Saja Pahad and offered Lal a $ 156 prize for his contribution to the village.
【小题1】Where is the pond Shyam Lal chose to dig?
| A．Near his home. | B．In his field. |
| C．Near a river. | D．In a forest. |
【小题2】How does Shyam Lal feel about his work?
| A．Joyful. | B．Envious. |
| C．Ambitious. | D．Helpless. |
【小题3】What does the underlined word “viral” in the last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Widely. | B．Seriously. |
| C．Secretly. | D．Occasionally. |
【小题4】What made the government admit Shyam Lal’s achievement?
| A．He had been living badly. |
| B．His influence was great. |
| C．The appeal of the villagers was high. |
| D．The government wished people to follow the example of him. |
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