Tue, Apr 14, 2009 page14

• Worshipper leaves 9,000 euros in Swedish church collection 瑞典教會收到匿名教友九千歐元善捐

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  While the global economic crisis has forced many to tighten their belts, one elderly worshipper in Sweden left over 9,000 euros in cash at her local church collection, an official said last week.

  The unidentified woman, believed to be in her seventies, made the gift after pastors appealed for donations for international aid projects, Krister Klint, a verger at the Caroli Church in the southwestern Swedish town of Boraas, told AFP.

  “When the service was over, she came forward and said in broken Swedish that she wanted to make a donation. She had a homemade brown envelope in her hand. So she handed it over to church wardens, and they took it into the back room with the rest of the collection,” Krister said.

  

  A file photo taken on May 18, 2005 shows a church in Sweden’s most northerly town, Kiruna. 這張攝於二ＯＯ五年五月十八日的資料照片中是瑞典最北城鎮基魯納的一間教堂。照片：法新社

  PHOTO: AFP

  “They opened the envelope and were shocked to find a note on which was written ‘100,000 kronor’ (9,200 euros, US$12,200). There was a wad of money with 1,000- and 500-kronor bills,” he added.

  Klint told AFP the church usually collects around 70,000 to 80,000 kronor each year, but had no idea as to the identity or the whereabouts of the mystery donor.

  “I’ve never seen her before. I’m not sure she will like all this attention, seeing as she made an anonymous donation. But surely it can’t be wrong to express your joy over such a generous act?” he said.

  All of the collections made by the Caroli Church will go towards aid projects in developing countries.(AFP)

  一名教會人員上週表示，這波全球金融危機迫使�?H勒緊褲帶生活，但瑞典一位去做禮拜的老婦人卻捐了九千歐元現金，響應當地教會的募捐活動。

  瑞典西南部包瑞斯鎮上的卡洛里教會主事牧師克里斯特．科林特向法新社表示，在牧師們籲請大家捐款給國際救援計畫後，這位身份不詳、年約七十幾歲的婦人便捐出這筆善款。

  克里斯特說：「禮拜結束後，她上前用不流利的瑞典話說她要捐款。她手上拿著一個自製的褐色信封。於是她將信封交給教會執事，他們連同其餘捐款一起拿到後堂。」

  他補充說：「他們打開信封，看到一張寫著十萬克朗（約合九千兩百歐元，一萬兩千兩百美元）的紙條時大吃一驚。裡面有一大疊一千和五百克朗的鈔票。」

  科林特對法新社說，該教會每年通常會收到約七、八萬克朗的捐款，但他們對這名神秘捐贈者的身份或行蹤一無所知。

  他說：「我以前從未見過她。因為她是匿名捐款，所以我不確定她是否樂見這麼多關注。但收到這麼一大筆慷慨的捐款，高興想必是正常的吧？」

  卡洛里教會所募得的所有款項將用於開發中國家的援助計畫。

  （法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）

  For your information

  TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

  1. cash n. 現金 (xian4 jin1) 例:The clerk insisted we pay for the groceries in cash. (那位店員非要我們以現金支付購買的雜貨。) 2. donation n. 捐獻 (juan1 xian4) 例: Kelly made a large donation to a cancer charity. (凱莉捐了一大筆錢給某癌症慈善單位。) 3. identity n. 身份 (shen1 fen4) 例: Do you know the identity of the woman who was in the bank earlier? (你知道稍早在銀行裡的那名女子是誰嗎？) 4. generous adj. 慷慨的 (kang1 kai3 de5) 例: Some people say Thomas is too generous with his money. (有些人說湯馬士用錢太大方了。)

  For your information

  SAY WHAT? 說說看

  tighten your belt 勒緊褲帶，減少開支 When somebody tightens their belt, they cut back on unnecessary expenses. Examples: “When Lewis lost his job, he immediately tightened his belt by canceling his gym membership,” or “In light of the economic downturn, a lot of companies have tightened their belts.” 當某人「tighten their belt」，意思就是減少不必要的開支。 例如：「路易斯失業後，立刻取消健身房會員以減少開支」，或是「有鑒於經濟不景氣，許多公司都力行節流」。

  For your information

  OUT LOUD 對話練習

  Mick: I haven’t see you for a while, Paul. What have you been doing? Paul: I was part of an expedition that climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. I’ve just got back. Mick:Really? Why didn’t you tell me about it earlier? Paul: I told you about it weeks ago. You’ve got a memory like a sieve! Mick:That’s true. Anyway, how was the expedition? Paul: It was fantastic. It was a great experience, and we raised over $100,000 for charity. Why don’t you come next time? Mick: Perhaps I will — if I remember! 米克：我好一陣子沒見到你了，保羅。最近都在做些什麼啊？ 保羅：我參加了一個攀登吉力馬札羅山的慈善遠征隊。我才剛回來。 米克：真的嗎？你怎麼沒有早點告訴我？ 保羅：我幾週前就跟你說啦，你的記性糟透了！ 米克：那倒是真的。無論如何，這趟遠征之行如何？ 保羅：棒極了！這是一個很棒的經驗，我們募得了十萬元的善款。你下次何不一起來？ 米克：或許吧─如果我記得的話！ a memory like a sieve　記性很差 A sieve is a piece of kitchen equipment that lets liquid through, so a person with a memory like a sieve has a very poor memory. 「sieve」是可過濾液體的廚房用品，所以某人有「a memory like a sieve」，就表示他的記性很差。
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