There was a famous temple on a high hill in Assam. The priest (神父) of this temple was

There was a famous temple on a high hill in Assam. The priest (神父) of this temple was widely respected. When he grew old, he started searching for a younger priest to replace him after his death. However, much to his disappointment, he could not find any suitable person. As the priest lay on his deathbed, he called his assistant and told him, “After my death, make sure that only a ‘human being’ replaces me as the priest of this temple.” As soon as he said these words, he died.

Information soon travelled far and wide. A day was set for the selection of the successor (继任者).That day, many people started coming to the temple.  The route to the temple was full of thorns (荆棘) and stones. By the time most people reached the temple, they had had cuts on their feet and hands.

By afternoon, as the selection process was about to end, one young man walked slowly into the temple. The assistant noticed him and said, “Young man, you are very late.” The man replied, “I know I am late, so I will not participate in the competition.” But the assistant was curious to know about this man. He asked again, “But how did you hurt yourself so badly? Didn't you follow the same route as the others?” “I did,” replied the man, “but I thought I must remove the thorns and sharp stones from the path so that when people come to pray in this temple they won't get hurt.”

Hearing this, the assistant smiled and said, "Congratulations, you have been chosen.” This greatly annoyed the other participants. “How can you choose him as he has not gone through any of the tests?’, they demanded.

The assistant replied, “Our old priest used to say that only a ‘human being’ knows how to watch for other people's interests. All of you climbed the same path. But only this man thought about the others and cleared the path so that no one would get hurt. By this definition(定义), only he qualifies as a ‘human being’ and therefore only he should be the successor to the great old priest. ”

41. What happened immediately after the old priest died?

A. The assistant took the old priest's position.

B. Many people climbed to the temple to say goodbye to him.

C. The assistant shut the temple and started mourning for the old priest.

D. Word spread that there was an urgent need for the old priest's successor.

42. Why was the young man late for the competition?

A. He had forgotten his way and thus had taken a longer route to the temple.

B. He removed all the sharp stones and thorns from the path leading to the temple.

C. He offered water to the other participants on their way to the temple.

D. He had forgotten all about the competition in the morning.

43. Who got hurt when the participants came to the temple?

A. None of the participants.                B. All of the participants.

C. The man who was late.                D. The other participants.

44. How did the other participants react to the assistant's decision?

A. The took it easy and learnt a lesson from the incident.

B. They praised the assistant for being so wise and fair.

C. They got angry and opposed the assistant's decision.

D. They felt ashamed of themselves and left immediately.

45. What was the old priest's definition of a "human being”?

A. Someone who cares about other people's interests.

B. Someone who succeeds in life and earns a lot of money.

C. Someone who removes sharp stones that block the path.

D. Someone who knows how to make other people enjoy life.

DBBCA