C
Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and Brussels, the Manneken
Piss.
Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing (撒尿) boy ____ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.
Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them.
“I’m proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him,” says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.
As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.
The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed.
Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree.
Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the “peeing boy” has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy.
Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer.
A few of the ways he’s been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes.
There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met.
“The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message,” said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure.
But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from ___ by selling all kinds of souvenirs.
72. Which of the following is NOT true about Maneken Piss?
A. It has a history of more than 600 years. B. It stands in Brussels.
C. It is best known for the clothes he wears. D. It is 60 meters high.
73. The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because .
A. it’s good-looking with water running constantly
B. it brings joys to people who see it
C. it helps people make beer
D. it’s a symbol of the city.
74. We can learn from the passage that .
A. for most of the year, the boy is naked
B. Stroobants is probably in charge of taking care of the statue
C. people can provide any clothes for Manneken Piss
D. people make money by advertising Manneken Piss
75．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Tourists cannot provide clothes for the peeing boy.
B. The Manneken Piss has attracted many visitors.
C. The peeing boy is the national treasure of Belgium.
D. Local people make money by selling souvenirs.
