54-year- old Abdul has a special job. He has been working as a living statue (活雕像) for over three decades, standing perfectly still for six hours a day and resisting people’s attempts to make him move or smile, anything that proves he is a living person.

Abdul, known as “India’s Statue Man”, has been performing his daily routine ever since 1985, soon after getting a job as a security guard. His boss had ever traveled to the UK, where he was so impressed by the statue-like members of the Royal Guard outside Buckingham Palace that he wanted to do something similar back home. So he had his guards receive three months of training, where they would sit perfectly still for around four hours. They weren’t allowed to talk, smile, eat, drink, or even shoo away a fly if it sat on their faces. In the end, Abdul proved the best of the group, so he got the strange job.

Abdul isn’t the only person in the world acting as a living statue, but what makes him special is the fact that he can do it for as long as six hours without even blinking his eyes. Once, a $155 prize was put up for anyone who can make him move a muscle. But try as they might, no one had ever succeeded. Actually, Abdul tries to move about as much as he can in his spare time, and only eats healthy home-cooked food to keep his body in shape. But he claims yoga has been the biggest help. In the 12 years, Abdul has become a celebrity in India and other Asian countries. Many Bollywood celebrities have come to witness this living statue and try to make him move, but none have succeeded finally.

Abdul earns about 10,000 rupees ($156) a month, which is enough to support his family, but definitely not enough to encourage his children to follow in his footsteps. It’s just too stressful and taxing (费力的) on the body. “Despite all the hardship and health problems, I love my job and I am thankful to people for the love and respect they have showered on me,” he says. “When the time comes, I want to die playing a statue.”

【小题1】What is Abdul’s daily routine?

A．Performing as a living statue.	B．Proving to be a living person.
C．Smiling at his customers.	D．Keeping his body in shape.

【小题2】Why could Abdul get the strange job given by his boss?

A．He had his special ambition.	B．He was quite familiar with the job.
C．He stood out among the guards.	D．He knew the boss more than others.

【小题3】What does Abdul do in his spare time?

A．He eats a lot of snacks.	B．He gives some performances.
C．He cooks for his family.	D．He always moves a lot.

【小题4】How does Abdul feel about his job according to the passage?

A．It’s overpaid.	B．It’s satisfying.
C．It’s boring.	D．It’s instructive.

   Many years ago, when I was in high school and working weekends to pay for the extras that my family couldn’t really afford, I lost my wallet.

My old car needed gassing up in the back. I prepaid and then put my wallet on the bumper(保险杠), and drove off. I hadn’t even had time to miss it when my phone rang and a man asked me if I had lost my wallet. I checked my pocket and to my surprise, I didn’t find my wallet. He asked me to tell him how much money was in it. He then told me where to pick up my wallet.

As I pulled into his driveway, I noticed his handicapped van(残疾人车) and the ramp(斜坡) going up to the house. I was thinking that this man must have had difficulty in getting out of his van and getting my wallet off the street. He had to pull over, get in his wheelchair, lower the lift, and then pick it up. I was just surprised. I felt grateful.

I knocked on the door and he told me to come in. I thanked him about 10 times for finding my wallet. I was stuck, though. While I didn’t want to insult him by offering money, I really felt like offering something. So I asked him if there was anything I could do to repay his kindness, and he said, “Just pass it on.” I said I would be certain to do that. I was raised to be honest in any circumstance and I would have done so, without promising this fellow I would, but I wanted to repay his kindness, so I willingly promised I would.

【小题1】Where did the writer lose his wallet?

A．At the shop.	B．At the gas station.
C．At the school.	D．At the garage.

【小题2】What did the man ask the writer to do?

A．He asked the writer to be careful.

B．He asked the writer to pass his kindness on.

C．He asked the writer to repay his kindness.

D．He asked the writer to be honest.

【小题3】What can we learn from the man’s action?

A．Where there’s a will there’s a way.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Good is rewarded with good.

D．Help others, but don’t ask for anything.

【小题4】Which of the following can best describe the man who picked up the writer’s wallet?

A．Intelligent.	B．Serious.
C．Noble.	D．Patient.

短文改错

Yesterday, I saw the old lady fall down when I went to school. I was going to help him up. At that moment, a passer-by stop me, saying I might be misunderstood. Hearing from his words, I began to slow down my steps. However, another student, that saw everything, went quick up to help. The old lady said nothing but lots of thank to the boy. I felt badly and ashamed. Help others is forever a virtue of China. We can’t let it disappear. I will try my best reach out my hand next time.

   Yesterday I was a bit early for a date so I stopped in at McDonald’s for a coffee. I think they make the best coffee. Two very pleasant young girls were working at the counter and the customer ahead was hard to please!

The young girl was sweaty and near tears. I only wanted coffee but I liked lots of milk in it. I really didn’t want to be difficult so I said, “You go ahead and add lots of milk and if it’s not enough, I’ll ask for more.” She smiled. She made a perfect coffee. I left her two pink candies as a tip (小费).

I went to her supervisor and let the leader know how well she dealt with such a difficult customer ahead of me. More of that needs to be done for young people starting out — probably the first job.

I remember how hard it was. I would have run away crying and quit, if it had been me yesterday serving those customers. I’d still be crying too.

Comments posted by molliecat on July 29, 2018

READERS’ COMMENTS

FayBaby wrote: Customer service can be one of the most difficult and thankless jobs at times. Your expression of appreciation (感激) probably made her day.

Mish wrote: How dear you were to lend support there, dear molliecat. Love you!

Kiwicat wrote: My sons both have very unpleasant first job stories of how rude and demanding customers can be. I now always encourage a new cashier or someone to do job training. Thanks for the reminder (提醒物) that we can be more thankful to those who offer front-line customer service.

Mindyjourney wrote: Thank you for helping calm the young worker with your appreciation and thoughtfulness. So many good lessons you have earned are shared. Blessings, dear molliecat.

【小题1】Why did the writer have a coffee at McDonald’s?

A．Because she arrived for the date ahead of time.

B．Because her date was delayed.

C．Because she wanted some coffee to calm down for the date.

D．Because the coffee at McDonald’s was very cheap.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “supervisor” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A person in charge.	B．A person in need.
C．An elderly customer.	D．A reader of a website.

【小题3】The readers think that the writer’s attitude toward the young girl is __________.

A．negative	B．optimistic
C．helpful	D．moving

【小题4】The passage is most likely to be taken from __________ .

A．a website	B．a practical guide
C．a newspaper	D．a textbook

   When she was just 17 years old，Liz crashed into the back of a truck that was waiting to turn in a left-turn lane（车道）. The crash is a life-changing one for her. Because of the crash，she's blind in one eye，loses her sense of smell，loses some of her hearing，loses the ability to create tears，and she cannot fall asleep naturally.

“Initially，I thought I would not be defeated but clearly I was completely wrong. Apart from the medical problems，the hardest part about my life after the car accident was the fact that I was alone，”Liz said.“Everyone was away at college，but I wasn't. I couldn't drive or go to college. My friends who used to hang around with me were there for me at first，but after a while they stopped coming by.”

“I viewed her Facebook page，and she said on there: Can anybody please hang out with me today？I don't have any friends，”recalled Liz's mother，Betty.

In time, Liz and her mother teamed up with the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make a video. They wanted to get the point across that texting and driving can have life-transforming consequences.

In the video Liz appealed to drivers not to text when driving. She admitted she was checking and sending messages via her phone when she crashed her car into the back of the truck.

“Don't text your loved ones when you know they' re driving,”said Liz's mother.“It can change their lives forever.”

“If you get a text, don't look at it,”Liz said.“It's not worth it.”

【小题1】What made Liz feel most painful after the car accident?
A．Guilt.    B. Blindness.
B．Loneliness.     D. Discouragement.【小题2】Why the car accident happened?
A．Betty was driving carelessly.
B．Liz was texting while driving.
C．The truck in front stopped suddenly.
D．The truck turned left without warning.【小题3】The video was made to__________.
A．call on people to be kind to accident victims
B．expose the truth of the car crash to the public
C．warn people against using phones while driving
D．ask people to be careful while crossing the road【小题4】Which is closest to the underlined words in Paragraph 4in the meaning？
A．Charged with.
B．Complained of.
C．Worked together with.
D．Got involved in.