VOA文化艺术2024--Greek Grandmother Makes Scarves for Children in Need

Greek Grandmother Makes Scarves for Children in Need

　　In her small home in the capital of Greece, Athens, 93-year-old Ioanna Matsouka has knit¹ thousands of brightly colored scarves for children in need from Greece to Bosnia to Ukraine. She has no plans to stop just yet.

　　"Until I die, I will be knitting²," Matsouka told Reuters. Her knitting tools called needles made noises through her expert fingers, her nails painted red. "It brings me joy to share them," she said.

　　Since she took up knitting in the 1990s, Matsouka has easily made over 3,000 scarves, her daughters estimate.

　　By the door to her home, bags filled with her latest creations³ await their new owners. A knitted⁴ blanket is thrown over a large chair where she spends her days.

　　In the beginning, the scarves were gifted to friends. As the number of scarves grew, they were donated to children's homes across Greece. Then, through people she knew, they reached children in Bosnia and Ukraine. The latest 70 scarves went to a refugee⁵ camp near Athens this winter, via the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

　　"The fact that we give them away gives her strength," said her daughter Angeliki.

　　She recounted simple artwork and mail her mother received over the years: "Thank you, be well, keep going. You gave joy to children; you gave joy to people... That's her only reward: a letter, a few words."

　　Matsouka knits⁶ one scarf a day now. Her eyesight suffers and she sometimes has severe facial pain, a condition known as trigeminal neuralgia.

　　Angeliki says her mother is an example of strength and hope.

　　Matsouka wakes up every morning, drinks a glass of milk, puts on her jewelry⁷ and gets to work. She takes a break for lunch and a short sleep, then knits into the night.

　　She may have even found the secret to a long life in it, she says. "It's the happiness I get from giving," she said, sitting beside a big blue bag filled with the knitting materials.

　　Words in This Story

　　knit – v. to make (a piece of clothing) from yarn⁸ or thread by using long needles or a special machine

　　scarf – n. a long piece of cloth that is worn on your shoulders, around your neck, or over your head

　　joy – n. a feeling of great happiness

　　blanket – n. a covering made of cloth that is used especially on a bed to keep you warm

　　reward – n. money or another kind of payment that is given or received for something that has been done or that is offered for something that might be done

1 knit   

vt.编织，密接，结合，皱眉；vi.编织，变得紧凑，愈合；n.编织

参考例句：

• She could knit up a baby's coat in an afternoon.她能在一个下午织好一件婴儿的衣服。
• Our letters enabled us to knit up our old friendship.通信使我们恢复了旧日的友谊。

2 knitting   

n.编结物；接合，联合；[外科]骨愈合v.（使）愈合( knit的现在分词)；编结，编织；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• Weaving and knitting are traditional cottage industries. 编织和针织是传统的家庭手工业。
• manipulative skills such as typing and knitting 诸如打字、编织这样的技能

3 creations   

创造( creation的名词复数 )； 创造物； （尤指所述由上帝）创造天地； 宇宙

参考例句：

• This artist's creations are worth collecting. 这个艺术家的作品值得收藏。
• The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. 各民族的精神产品成了公共的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

4 knitted   

v.（使）愈合( knit的过去式和过去分词 )；编结；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• I knitted this cardigan myself. 我自己织的这件开襟毛衣。
• Our two nations are knitted together by common concerns. 共同关心的问题使我们两国团结一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

6 knits   

v.（使）愈合( knit的第三人称单数 )；编结；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• A broken bone soon knits up. 骨折了能很快接上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This wool knits up well. 这种毛线很好织。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。