The Good Samaritan

A restaurant that gave street kids a future · 善良的撒玛利亚人

Quoc Thyungen is a 40-year-old Vietnamese Canadian. His story really inspires me. He came to Canada as a refugee with his family when he was just a three-year-old boy. There was a war in his country, and his parents wanted to move to a place where they could raise their children in peace and safety.

Quoc grew up just like any normal Canadian boy. He went to school, played sports, and did well in university. When he graduated, he opened a restaurant. He was very successful. But something was missing in his life. He didn’t really feel happy, although he had all the money he could ever wish for.

One summer, he went on a trip to Vietnam. When he arrived in Hanoi, he saw many young boys living on the streets. They had no one to care for them. As he spoke with them, he realized how little they had and how much he had been given in his life.

He felt a strong need to do something big. He sat in his hotel room and thought about it. What could he do to help these forgotten and unloved street kids? He knew that giving them money was not enough. He knew that a hand-out would not really change their lives. He thought about his own life and all the people who had extended a helping hand to him so that he could help himself.

Now, he knew what to do.

He bought a small building in downtown Hanoi and converted it into a restaurant for tourists. It served Vietnamese and Western-style food. He hired only street kids to work there. He taught some of them to cook, others to work with the cash, and others to wait on tables. It became a very successful business.

So far, more than 75 boys who had been living without hope on the dangerous streets of Hanoi have learned a skill. Best of all, they earned their own money and no longer had to beg for it from strangers.

And you know what? Quoc says that helping these kids has helped him find what was missing in his life.

The Good Samaritan — A restaurant that gave street kids a future

Quoc Thyungen is a 40-year-old Vietnamese Canadian. His story really i(1)__________ me. He came to Canada as a r(2)__________ with his family when he was just a three-year-old boy. There was a war in his country, and his parents wanted to move to a place where they could raise their children in peace and safety.

Quoc grew up just like any normal Canadian boy. He went to school, played sports, and did well in university. When he g(3)__________, he opened a restaurant. He was very successful. But something was m(4)__________ in his life. He didn’t really feel happy, although he had all the money he could ever wish for.

One summer, he went on a trip to Vietnam. When he arrived in Hanoi, he saw many young boys living on the streets. They had no one to care for them. As he spoke with them, he r(5)__________ how little they had and how much he had been given in his life.

He felt a strong need to do something big. He sat in his hotel room and thought about it. What could he do to help these forgotten and u(6)__________ street kids? He knew that giving them money was not enough. He knew that a hand-out would not really change their lives. He thought about his own life and all the people who had e(7)__________ a helping hand to him so that he could help himself.

Now, he knew what to do.

He bought a small building in downtown Hanoi and c(8)__________ it into a restaurant for tourists. It served Vietnamese and Western-style food. He hired only street kids to work there. He taught some of them to cook, others to work with the cash, and others to wait on tables. It became a very successful business.

So far, more than 75 boys who had been living without hope on the dangerous streets of Hanoi have learned a skill. Best of all, they e(9)__________ their own money and no longer had to b(10)__________ for it from strangers.

And you know what? Quoc says that helping these kids has helped him find what was missing in his life.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

📖 文化拓展 · 谁是"善良的撒玛利亚人"？

标题 The Good Samaritan（善良的撒玛利亚人）出自《圣经·路加福音》的著名比喻：一个被强盗打伤的人躺在路边，祭司和利未人都绕道走开，只有被犹太人看不起的撒玛利亚人停下来救了他。从此"Good Samaritan"在英语中成为"见义勇为、无私助人者"的代名词，许多国家的"好人法"（保护施救者）就叫 Good Samaritan Law。

Quoc 的故事正是这个成语的现代版：他本可以继续做成功富有的餐厅老板，却选择回到战乱中自己曾逃离的国度，为街童开餐厅。他深刻地懂得——授人以鱼不如授人以渔（Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime），所以他不发钱、只教本事。

结尾的追问最动人：帮助街童，反而治好了自己"有钱却不快乐"的病。心理学称之为 helper’s high（助人快感）——给予带来的幸福感远胜索取。missing in his life 的那块拼图，原来一直握在自己手里，只是要伸向别人时才能找到。