英语阅读提升：79岁老人隐居森林30年一夜走红，原因却令人心酸
文本导读
The man who lived in a Singapore forest for 30 years
他在新加坡森林里生活了30年
Singapore is known for being one of the world's most highly urbanised countries, with no lack of gleaming skyscrapers and luxury apartments. But for one man, that couldn't be further from the place he called home - a makeshift shelter in one of the country's forests.
新加坡以世界上城市化程度最高的国家之一而闻名，这里到处是熠熠生辉的摩天大楼和豪华公寓。但对有一个人来说，这离他称之为家的地方——位于新加坡森林中的一个简易棚屋——已十分遥远。
Earlier this month, the story of Mr Oh living in a forest went viral in Singapore — with many across the country reacting with shock. It all began on Christmas Day when Mr Oh was stopped by officials and found to be trading without a licence.
本月早些时候，吴先生住在森林里的故事在新加坡传开——全国各地的人都对此表示震惊。这一切都始于那个圣诞节，当时吴先生被官员拦下，他被发现无照经营。
He was selling leafy vegetables and chillies he had grown - after the pandemic caused him to lose his job selling flowers at markets. At that moment, a charity worker was passing, and noticed he was being spoken to by officials who had confiscated his vegetables.
他当时正在卖他种的绿叶蔬菜和辣椒——此前疫情导致他失去了在市场卖花的工作。就在这时，一名慈善工作者路过，注意到没收了他的蔬菜的官员正在和他说话。
Vivian Pan said she felt "angry" on his behalf, adding "I didn't want him to go home empty-handed that day". "But I understand that, in terms of the law, they can't sell on the street," she added.
薇薇安·潘说，她为他感到“恼火”，并补充说，“我不想让他那天空着手回家”。“但我理解，从法律上讲，他们不能在街上卖东西，”她补充道。
She filmed the incident and posted it on Facebook, where it quickly went viral — and Mr Oh's plight was eventually brought to the attention of a local member of the parliament.
她拍下了这一事件并将其发布在脸书上，之后在脸书上迅速传播开来——吴先生的困境最终引起了当地一名国会议员的注意。
重点词汇
1. urbanised /ˈɜː.bən.aɪzd/ having a lot of houses, offices, factories, etc., or having a lot of people who live and work in cities or towns 城市化的
- The UK is a highly urbanized country.
2. gleaming /ˈɡliː.mɪŋ/ bright and shiny from being cleaned 闪闪发光的
- The house was gleaming with fresh white paint.
3. skyscraper /ˈskaɪˌskreɪ.pər/ a very tall modern building, usually in a city 摩天大楼
- The restaurant is at the top of one of the big downtown skyscrapers.
4. makeshift /ˈmeɪk.ʃɪft/ temporary and of low quality, but used because of a sudden need 临时替代的
- Thousands of refugees are living in makeshift camps.
5. confiscate /ˈkɒn.fɪ.skeɪt/ to officially take private property away from someone, usually by legal authority没收
- His passport was confiscated by the police to prevent him from leaving the country.
6. plight /plaɪt/ an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one 困境
- The nation saw the plight of the farmers, whose crops had died.
延伸阅读
Mr Oh grew up together with his family in Sungei Tengah — a local kampong — or village.
吴先生和他的家人一起在双溪登雅长大——这是当地的一个部落，或者叫村庄。
In the 1980s however, these kampongs were knocked down, to make way for new high-rise buildings. Most kampong residents were offered new homes by the government, but Mr Oh was unable to secure a place of his own.
然而，在20世纪80年代，为了给新的高层建筑让路，这些部落被拆除了。大多数部落居民都得到了政府提供的新居，但吴先生没能获得一个属于自己的住处。
His brother however, did get a government flat and Mr Oh was invited to live there — but he eventually moved out as he said he did not want to impose on the family.
不过，他的兄弟确实得到了一间政府公寓，吴先生被邀请住在那里——但他最终搬了出去，因为他说他不想给家里人添麻烦。
So, he headed back to a forest close to where his old home once stood and started to spend nights in a makeshift shelter built from pieces of wood, bamboo and tarpaulin.
于是，他回到了离他的老家不远的一片森林，开始在一个用木头、竹子和防水油布搭建起的简易棚屋里过夜。
Upon approaching the shelter, you see ashes in the doorway from the open fire that Mr Oh would cook on. Piles of his belongings sit in the middle of the shelter, with the back of the tent used as his sleeping area.
当你走近这间棚屋，你可以看到门口有吴先生用来做饭的明火留下的灰烬。他的随身物品堆放在屋子的中间，帐篷后面的区域用来睡觉。
The garden near his tent is where he would grow his own food. Clothes lines zig-zag between the trees and a fence protects the vegetable plot from intruders.
他在帐篷附近的菜园种自己的口粮。晾衣绳弯弯曲曲地绑在大树中间，一圈栅栏立在菜地周围保护它不被不速之客破坏。
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