欧美人文风情第4篇:菜贩阿嬷陈树菊

 Not all philanthropists are rich. A few coins at a time is how Chen Shu-chu earns a living. 并非所有慈善家都是富有的。每次几个硬币就是陈树菊如何赚钱为生的方式。

She works¹ up to 18 hours a day, 6 days a week. But no matter how much she earns, she spends no more than three dollars a day on herself. 她一天工作长达十八小时，一週工作六天。但无论她赚多少，她一天不花超过三美金(约台币 90 元)在自己身上。

With the rest, she helps other people. 拿剩下来的钱，她帮助他人。

I feel very happy after donating money. Money is only useful if you give it to people who need it. 我捐完钱后感到很高兴。钱只有在你给有需要的人时才有用。

Poverty is something Ms. Chen has struggled with almost all her life.  贫困是一件陈女士几乎一生都在对抗的事情。

She quit school to help support her family after her mother died during a difficult childbirth. 她在她的母亲于难产身亡后，退学帮忙扶养她的家庭。

Her brother died a few years later, also because her family couldn't afford proper medical care. 她的弟弟几年后去世，同样是因为她的家人无法负担适当的医疗照护。

But instead of getting angry, the tragedies inspired her to help the less fortunate. 然而非但没有变得愤恨不平，这些悲剧反而激发她去帮助那些更不幸的人们。

With her modest earnings² and simple way of living, Ms. Chen has managed to donate more than 350,000 dollars to a local school, hospital, 靠着她不多的收入及简朴的生活方式，陈女士已经设法捐出超过三十五万美金(约台币一千万)给地方学校、医院、

and children's homes like this one, which look after youngsters³ whose parents can't care for them. 及像这间一样的儿童之家，他们照顾那些父母无能照料的孩子们。

Many children have grown up on the money and vegetables she donates, and the charity has built a second home in another city. 许多孩子靠她捐赠的金钱及蔬菜长大，而这间慈善机构已经在另一个城市打造第二个儿童之家。

Her generosity⁴ is frequently met with shock. 她的慷慨大方经常受到惊叹。

And I'm surprised and then I say, "Wow, you give me one million?" I say,  "I thought it's five thousand or ten thousand.  That's a big money already." 我很讶异，然后我说：“哇，你要给我一百万？”我说：“我以为是五千或一万块。那就已经是一笔大数目了。”

And I say, "Wow, what can I do?" I say, "What can I do?" I ask her. She says, "Well...what do you want, what do you plan, you do it, and just help the kids." 然后我说：“哇，我可以做什么？”我说：“我可以做什么？”，我问她。她说：“嗯...你想要做的、你计划要做的，你就去做吧，就去帮助那些孩子。”

Her charity donations⁵ have made Ms. Chen famous around the world. 她的慈善捐献已经使陈女士在世界各地变得知名。

She's received multiple⁶ honors⁷ and awards, including this one from the Filipino president, where she was awarded 50,000 dollars. 她已获颁许多殊荣及奖项，包括这个授自菲律宾总统的奖，她在那受颁五万美金(约台币一百五十万)。

She promptly⁸ gave the money away to this local hospital. That inspired an outpouring of donations, and a new medical wing. 她马上将这笔钱送给这间地方医院。那举动产生一波捐款潮，以及一栋新的医疗分部。

Despite the hard work and back and knee problems, Ms. Chen has no plans to retire. 尽管工作辛苦还有背部和膝盖的毛病，陈女士还是没打算要退休。

I hope I can do this forever. Everyone can do it. It's not just me. If you want to do it, you must do it right away. 我希望我可以永远作这件事。每个人都能做这件事。不仅仅是我。如果你想要去做，你就得立刻行动。

After all, you can't take the money with you when you leave this world. 毕竟，你不能在你离开这世界时把钱财一起带着。

Cindy Sui, BBC News, Taitung City. BBC 新闻 Cindy Sui 在台东市为您报导。

 

1 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

2 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

3 youngsters   

n.孩子( youngster的名词复数 )；少年；青年；年轻人

参考例句：

• We followed the youngsters at a more sedate pace. 我们跟在年轻人后面，步子稍慢一点。
• The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14. 这次夏令营是为8至14岁的少年儿童安排的。

4 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

5 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 multiple   

adj.多个(或多项、多种)的；n.（数）倍数

参考例句：

• The number 8 is a multiple of 4.八是四的倍数。
• The most common multiple births are twins,two babies born at the same time.最常见的多胎是双胞胎，两个婴儿同时出生。

7 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。