A university lecturer in Linyi, Shandong province, has shone a light on the difficulties of food delivery drivers by taking on the role himself for a month and sharing his trials and sufferings online.
Last December, Xing Bin, a lecturer at the College of Literature at Linyi University, was so eager to know about what life and work must be like for a delivery driver, so he decided to sign up and be one from December to January this year. The gig economy (临时工), for better or worse, has exploded in China in recent years, and though many members of the workforce choose to work in the gig economy because of its flexibility (灵活性), others prefer full-time employment.
During the month, Xing worked more than 10 hours and took 30,000 steps a day. He lost 6 kilograms and earned a total of 7,000 yuan. On average, he earned 10 yuan each hour, and 20 yuan at most. “ I was delivering food from early morning till late at night for around 13 hours a day. When I had classes, I delivered food for two hours early in the morning, and after dinner I continued delivering until one or two in the morning,” Xing said.
“Before, if I got a call from a delivery worker, I might delay answering it. But now I will always answer it immediately because I know they might be riding an electric bike while making the call, which is very dangerous,” said Xing, adding that he now understands the difficulties of delivery workers better and realizes how hard they work to make a living.
“During that month, I tasted the bitterness and the happiness of this job with my heart. I delivered over 2,000 orders, and three of the people who ordered impressed me a lot.” he said.
4. Why did Xing try the job of a delivery driver?
A.Out of curiosity. | B.Owing to its high pay. |
C.Because of its flexibility. | D.For its low career requirements. |
5. What is the purpose of using numbers in paragraph 3?
A.To introduce Xing’s experiences. | B.To praise delivery workers’ spirits. |
C.To describe delivery workers’ hardships. | D.To show delivery workers’ achievements. |
6. What may the passage talk about next?
A.Requirements for the job. | B.Memories of Xing’s experiences. |
C.Xing’s calling for more respect. | D.The online reaction to his posts. |
7. What can we learn from Xing’s story?
A.No pains, no gains. | B.Save for a rainy day. |
C.Easier said than done. | D.Knowledge starts with practice. |