Chinese millionaire street sweeper refuses to give up work

A Chinese millionaire has refused to give up her day job as a street sweeper for fear of losing her work ethic and worrying over her lazy children. After nearly four decades of hard labour as a farmer, cook, lorry driver and street sweeper, a sudden million pound windfall might tempt sweet thought of retirement. But 53-year-old Yu Youzhen has a rather more inflexible work ethic.

            Five years ago, her family land in Donghu village, near the city of Wuhan, was bought by the government for a property development that includes 17 apartments worth some 10 million yuan (£1 million). Nevertheless, six days a week Mrs. Yu dons an orange coat and goes to work as a street sweeper, earning a monthly wage of £142.

            "Work is not just about the salary, it makes one focused. Laziness gives rise to all sorts of bad habits," she said, to the Chinese newspaper.

            The head of her cleaning team noted that Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years in order to attend the funerals of her mother-in-law and father.

            Mrs. Yu's attachment to her orange jacket appears to stem partly from habit and partly from an annoying worry over her irresponsible children. Her 33-year-old son, Liang, has had an irregular career, selling lottery tickets for a while and spending long spells at home, lounging on the sofa. "I want to be a role model for my children," said Mrs. Yu. "I do not want to sit around idly and eat up my fortune. My son once stayed at home for two months, and I kept scolding him during that time. Now he is doing pretty well. He said to me later I was right. I was worried he would hang out with bad people and ruin our family."

            Her son is currently working as a driver in her home village for £120 a month while her daughter mans the kiosk at a cinema for £200 a month.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a)     Yu Youzhen started working when she was a teenager.

b)     She keeps on working because she doesn’t want to lose her salary.

c)     She belongs to a group of cleaners.

d)     Mrs. Yu has succeeded in being a model for her children.                                                                        

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a)     How has Mrs. Yu become a millionaire?

b)     Why is she still working as a street cleaner?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase that means the same as:

a)     Unexpected good fortune (par.1)

b)     To lie (par.5)

c)     To be in charge (par.6)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a)     She has refused to give up her job for fear of losing her work ethic.

She has refused to give up her job because ………………………………………….

b)     Her boss said Mrs. Yu had never been late for work and only asked for three days off in the last 14 years.

He said, “………………………………………………………………………………”

c)     Her children are very lazy so she hasn’t stopped working.

If her children …………………………………………………………………………………

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

            “Work is not just about the salary.” What do you think?