Have you ever felt so upset that if someone had said anything nice, you would have immediately felt better? If so, a comment from Uncle Praise, a middle-aged man whose job is to compliment strangers on the streets of Japan, might be just what you need. Uncle Praise hasn’t had an easy life. He once had debts that he couldn’t pay back because of his addiction to gambling. In the end, he lost his job and fell out with his family. With only US$4 in savings, he was determined to turn his life around. Though he had always dreamed of becoming a street performer, he wasn’t good at singing, dancing, or doing magic tricks.
你是否曾沮喪到如果有人說了任何好話，你會立刻感覺好一點？如果是這樣，那麼讚美大叔 ── 一位在日本街頭讚美陌生人的中年男子 ── 他的評論可能正是你所需要的。讚美大叔的人生過得並不輕鬆。他曾經因為沉迷於賭博而欠下無法償還的債務。最終，他失去工作並與家人鬧翻了。身上僅存四美元的積蓄，他下定決心要改變自己的人生。雖然他一直夢想成為街頭藝人，但他不擅長唱歌、跳舞或表演魔術。
生活必備字詞：
immediately adv. 立刻
savings n. 存款，積蓄（恆用複數）
dream of... 夢想∕渴望……
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本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見九月號。
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