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Taitung Fruit Vendor Honored for Philanthropic Deeds 台湾菜贩因慈善功德获奖

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Taitung Fruit Vendor Honored for Philanthropic Deeds  台湾菜贩因慈善功德获奖

They say charity begins at home, but for Chen Shu-chu, it begins with her vegetable stall at a traditional market in Taitung. For decades, the 59-year-old has been donating much of her modest income to good causes, and now she has been honored for her generosity on a grand stage. TIME magazine selected Chen for this year’s list of the 100 Most Influential People, bringing her small but consistent acts of kindness into the world’s spotlight. Donating almost NT$10 million to date to help orphans, set up children’s funds, and build libraries, the shy vendor has made a big difference in many lives. And in May, it was her life that was turned upside-down as she was whisked away to New York to collect her award and attend TIME’s dinner party – all in the glare of the international media. But Chen wasn’t swept up in the frenzy, and she immediately got back to work when she returned to Taiwan.

人们说善行始于家，但是对陈树菊而言，善行始于她在台东传统市场的菜摊。几十年来，这位59岁的太太已经将她大部分的微薄收入捐给慈善事业，而现在因为她的慷慨作为，她将在富丽堂皇的舞台上接受表扬。时代杂志将她选入今年最具影响力百大人物的名单中，让她微小但始终如一的善行成为世界注目的焦点。这位害羞的菜贩到目前为止已经捐赠了大约台币一千万元来帮助孤儿、建立学童基金以及建造图书馆，她已经对许多人的生命造成影响。在5月，换她的生活受到重大改变，因为她被迅速地送到纽约领奖并参加时代杂志的晚宴，而这一切都在令人不适的国际媒体镁光灯下展开。但是陈女士并没有被这次旋风冲昏了头，回到台湾后她便立刻又回去工作了。

Debt-Ridden Greece Borrows Billions from EU, IMF  希腊负债累累，向欧盟、IMF申请巨款

Greece was faced with no choice but to accept a three-year loan package totaling US$146 billion to help it climb out of financial ruin. The IMF is offering a third of the loan, while the European Union will fork out the rest. In return, the Greek government has promised to increase taxes and slash public spending – vows that have angered the nation’s citizens. With among US$400 billion of debt and a plummeting credit rating, Greece’s economy is facing disaster. Other countries in the area are afraid of suffering the domino effects of this, especially as the European currency continues to fall. It is hoped that the bailout package will persuade investors not to pull out of the EU. Greece’s economic situation is the result of overspending on benefit programs, the public sector, and arms. But some economists fear cutting spending could damage the economy further, increasing unemployment and deepening the recession.

在面临没有选择的情况下，希腊接受了为期3年、总数高达1,460亿美元的贷款配套方案，以帮助脱离经济窘境。国际货币基金组织IMF会提供三分之一的借贷，而欧盟虽然不情愿，也会付出其他剩余的部份。为响应IMF与欧盟的借款，希腊政府承诺将增税并大量删减公共支出，但这些承诺却激怒了该国人民。希腊有4,000亿美元的债务，以及急速下滑的信用评等，该国经济正面临巨大灾难。其他欧洲地区国家也担心会受到骨牌效应影响，尤其欧元正持续下滑。现在希望的是紧急援助方案可以说服投资者不要退出欧盟市场。希腊的经济现状是导因于福利计划、公共支出以及军备支出上的过度花费。但是一些经济学家担心，减少花费将更进一步损害经济，增加失业率并助长经济萧条。

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Vocabulary

单词发音

stall [stɔl] n. 货摊

donate [ˋdonet] v. 捐献，捐赠

modest [ˋmɑdɪst] adj. 不太大（或多）的

cause [kɔz] n. 目标，理想，事业

generosity [͵dʒɛnəˋrɑsətɪ] n. 慷慨; 大方

consistent [kənˋsɪstənt] adj. 始终如一的

to date 迄今; 至今; 到目前为止 until now

fund [fʌnd] n. 基金，专款

glare [glɛr] n. 刺眼的强光

loan [lon] n. 贷款

total [ˋtot!] v. 合计为

ruin [ˋrʊɪn] n. 破产; 垮台; 身败名裂

plummet [ˋplʌmɪt] v.〔价值或数量〕骤然跌落; 暴跌

persuade [pɚˋswed] v. 说服，劝服

recession [rɪˋsɛʃən] n.（经济的）衰退

More Information

片语发音

charity begins at home 施舍先及亲友 you should take care of family and people close to you before you worry about helping others

honor [ˋɑnɚ] v. 给……以荣誉

turn upside-down 颠倒的；混乱的  to change completely

whisk [hwɪsk] away 将〔某人〕急忙送离〔某地〕take away quickly and suddenly

be swept up in something 被强迫涉入其中 force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action

frenzy [ˋfrɛnzɪ] n.（暂时的）疯狂；狂怒；狂热

fork out 不情愿付出 Slang to pay (money, goods, etc.), esp with reluctance

in return 作为回报, 作为交换

slash [slæʃ] v. 大幅度削减，减低

vow [vaʊ] n. 誓言，誓约

domino [ˋdɑmə͵no] n. 骨牌

currency [ˋkɝənsɪ] n. 货币

bailout [ˋbel͵aʊt] n. 紧急（财政）援助；纾困

pull out  退出; 拔出

arms [ɑrmz] n. 武器；装备

[平民英雄][东森新闻][1001heroes]「台湾之光」台东菜贩陈树菊

Greek Debt Recession and Austerity (part 1)

Greek Financial Crisis (part 2)