Shoji Morimoto, a 38-year-old Japanese man known as “Rental-Do-Nothing-Man” has found a dream job by getting paid for “doing nothing”. He offers an unusual service to others in Tokyo. He charges 10,000 yen or $71 per booking to simply work as a companion(同伴). He also charges for transportation(交通), and if the “work” falls between mealtimes, people will also pay for his food. Really, he rents himself out to lonely people just so they won’t be alone.

“I rent myself out. My job is to be wherever people want me to be and to do nothing,” he said. He had handled(处理) some 4,000 orders in the past four years since starting his “firm(公司)” on a Twitter page to give his service.

He used to work for a big firm and he found himself doing “nothing” at the job. So he started this firm. “I started wondering what would happen if I provided my ability to ‘do nothing’ as a service to others. People tend to think that my ‘doing nothing’ is valuable because it is useful to other people,” he said. “But it’s fine to really not do anything. People do not have to be useful in any specific way.”

This service is now Morimoto’s only way to get money. In a day, he sees about one or two people. Before COVID-19, it was three or four a day.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：18980471698） 

1.People pay Shoji Morimoto for the following EXCEPT ___________.

A the traffic

B having meals

C being with them

D staying in the house

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段的“He charges 10,000 yen or $71 per booking to simply work as a companion. He also charges for transportation, and if the “work” falls between mealtimes, people will also pay for his food.”可知，他陪伴客户要收取10,000日元，除了陪伴费用，他还收取交通费，如果任务在用餐时间之间，客户也将负责他的餐食。故选D。

2.When did Morimoto start his “firm”?

A In 2016.

B In 2018.

C In 2020.

D In 2022.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段的“in the past four years since starting his ‘firm’”可知，自他的“公司”提供服务以来，他在过去四年中处理了约4000个订单，因此可推知他的公司是(2022-4=)2018年创立的。故选B。

3.What does the underlined word “valuable” mean?

A Helpful.

B Creative.

C Educational.

D Meaningless.

解析：选A。A词义猜测题。根据划线部分后面的“because it is useful to other people”可知，人们认为他的“什么也不做”是有用的(帮助这些人缓解孤独)，结合选项可知，划线部分意思最接近“有帮助的”。故选A。

4.What affected Morimoto’s orders?

A His health condition.

B The hot weather.

C The COVID-19.

D The old boss.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据最后一段的“In a day, he sees about one or two people. Before COVID-19, it was three or four a day.”可知，他现在一天处理一两个订单。疫情之前，他每天有三到四个订单。因此，是疫情使得他的订单量减少。故选C。

5.What is the passage mainly about?

A Man finds dream job doing “nothing”.

B Man offers services to disabled people.

C Man starts a firm at a young age.

D Man likes to stay with people.

解析：选A。A主旨大意题。本文主要讲了日本38岁男子，凭借无所事事4年赚200万元，工作内容让人羡慕。故选A。