A LITTLE BRONZE BUDDHAS JOURNEY

Some may call the following story of the little bronze Buddha a coincidence. Many choose to believe that it is more like a miracle. It happened in Burma, and the story began about a week before the terrible Tsunami in 2004. It is a custom in Burma for people to set small statues of Buddhist sages* adrift* on the river, where they are carried by the natural tides of the river towards the delta. The belief is that as they float along, the little statues drive away evil from the places they pass by. The statues look like Buddha, but, in fact, are often statues of other people held holy by Burmese Buddhists. In mid-December, the people in a small village in Burma placed a bronze statue of Jalagupta, a Buddhist sage, on a crude raft tied together with clothesline. The little statue, about 12 centimetres long, was placed beside a tiny wooden hut, and near it were three vases, a candle, some coins and a monks robe with the word Burma sewn on a tag* inside it. After decorating the raft with flowers made of aluminum foil, the people released it on the great Irrawaddy River, and the little statue began its fateful journey. When the terrible tsunami struck* a week later, the people of the village were much too preoccupied to wonder what was happening to the statue. They had no idea that eight days later, their little bronze statue would reappear 1000 kilometres away, in Southern India. The statue was found by fishermen from a tiny Tamil fishing port called Meyurkuppam. Their curiosity was aroused* when sunlight made something shine on the little raft. Nine of them set off in their boat to investigate, and returned with the little statue still sitting on its raft. Amazingly, despite the long journey, nothing was damaged. Even more amazing was the fact that although 16,000 Indians died or were missing after the tsunami hit the Bay of Bengal, all 980 inhabitants of the village of Meyurkuppam survived the disaster. The villagers believe that it was the little floating statue that had protected them. Believers have got another reason to respect the powers of the statue. In a village not far along the coastline from Meyurkuppam there is a controversial nuclear reactor. The tsunami could very easily have caused it to leak,* and had it done so, many people would have died of cancer. Yet the reactor did not spring a single leak. The statue has got no commercial value, and many similar statues are released on the Irrawaddy River during the rainy season each year. But there is no record of a statue travelling such a distance. The people of Meyurkuppam regard it as a symbol of good luck. At first they placed it under the largest Banyan tree in the village, but later moved it to a temporary pagoda where they offer daily prayers. They are building a new temple especially for the statue, where it will finally end its journey. sages: savis / sabios adrift: a la deriva / a la deriva tag: etiqueta / etiqueta strike: colpejar / golpear

arouse: despertar, suscitar / despertar, suscitar leak (v): produir-se una fuita / producirse un escape PART ONE: READING COMPREHENSION
Choose the best answer according to the text. [0,5 points each correct answer] [wrong answers will be penalized (0,16)]

1. The people put the little statue on the river a) as part of a religious tradition. b) hoping it would prevent the tsunami. c) because they had read a story about it. d) to protect the sailors on the river. 2. The little statue was a) the figure of Buddha. b) supposed to have special powers. c) dressed in a monks clothes. d) tied onto a raft. 3. The Burmese villagers a) kept the Buddha in a tiny hut before they released it on the river. b) were very sorry to part with the little statue. c) were glad to get rid of the little statue. d) didnt know in which country the little statue would end its journey. 4. A week after the statue was sent off, a) it reached a fishing port in Southern India. b) it had already travelled 1000 kilometres. c) the Burmese villagers stopped thinking about it. d) it reached the delta of the Irrawaddy River. 5. The decorations on the raft a) were lost along the way. b) were partly destroyed on the journey. c) survived the long journey undamaged. d) helped to save the statue. 6. The people of Meyurkuppam a) had never seen a floating statue before. b) decided not to sell the statue for profit. c) give the statue credit for two miracles. d) sometimes put statues on the water. 7. The local people along the coastline a) became ill because of the nuclear reactor. b) live near a nuclear reactor. c) left the village when the reactor was built. d) miraculously recovered from cancer after the statue was found. 8. Which of these sentences is true? a) It is unlikely that other little Buddhas will reach Meyurkuppam.

b) The people probably will not continue praying to the statue. c) The people dont really believe in the powers of the statue. d) It is unlikely that the little statue will ever leave the pagoda.