在非洲，馬拉威人以熱情、善良和樂於分享而聞名。曾經參加馬拉威醫療團的余廣亮醫師在馬拉威時，認識了醫院裡一位領養十三個孤兒的馬拉威同事，而村子裡也有一群寡婦用辛苦賺來的錢開辦育幼院照顧孤兒。
余院長當時也僱用一名園丁。有一天，園丁自告奮勇修理壞掉的屋頂，余醫師付了一些工資謝謝這位園丁。之後，園丁在街上遇到一名婦人，婦人向他乞討，說自己好幾天沒吃東西，他就把修屋頂賺到的錢全部給了這名婦人。
余醫師擔心園丁受騙，園丁反而說：「我也有過沒錢吃東西的日子，我可以體會那種感受，所以我把錢給了她。」這名園丁擁有的不多，但願意分享的心讓他變成了一位富足的人。
In Africa, Malawian people are famous for their warmth, kindness and willingness to share. When Dr. Guang-Liang Yu joined a medical team there, he met a Malawian hospital worker who had adopted 13 orphans. There was also a group of widows who used their hard-earned money to run an orphanage in their village.
Dr. Yu hired a gardener there. One day, the gardener volunteered to fix a broken roof. The doctor paid him some wages to thank him. The gardener later met a woman begging in the street because she had not eaten for several days. He gave all the money he had earned fixing the roof to the woman.
Dr. Yu worried that the gardener had been cheated, but the gardener said: “I have had days with no money for food. I understand how it feels, so I gave her the money.” The gardener did not have much, but his willingness to share made him a rich man.
精選單字與詞彙
- orphan (n.) 孤兒
- widow (n.) 寡婦
- hire (v.) 僱用
- volunteer (v.) 自願
- wage (n.) 薪水; 工資
實用句型
be famous for 以…聞名
要稱讚某個人或某事物「很出名、有好名聲」，就要這樣說。
A: Taiwan is famous for its friendly people.
台灣最令人稱道的就是人情味。
B: I can’t agree more.
我再同意也不過。
圖．文／畢嘉士基金會
英文翻譯／Sean O’Sullivan & TOEIC900工作團隊