美國佛州男子艾斯蒙德慷慨解囊，幫助手頭拮据的家庭繳水電瓦斯費。（取自網路）
◎張沛元
A Florida business owner who was once down on his luck is giving back by covering the utility bills of 114 families who were facing disconnection.
（美國）佛羅里達州1名曾經時運不濟的老闆，以幫助114個有斷水斷電斷瓦斯之虞的家庭支付水電費，做為回報。
Michael Esmond’s generosity started in 2019 when he paid the utility bills of 36 households in his community of Gulf Breeze. Last year, with both Hurricane Sally and Covid-induced economic turmoil hitting the city, he thought he needed to up the ante.
邁可．艾斯蒙德的慷慨之舉始於2019年，他當時為微風灣社區的36個家戶繳納水電瓦斯費。去年，該市受到「莎莉」颶風與武漢肺炎所導致的經濟動盪之雙重夾擊，他覺得他必須加碼助人。
Esmond donated $7,615.40 to pay for the past-due bills of 114 households, according to Joanne Oliver, the city’s utility billing supervisor.
該市水電瓦斯帳單稽查員瓊安．奧利佛說，艾斯蒙德捐款7615.40美元，為114個家戶繳納逾期帳單。
While Esmond’s donation increased from the $4,600 he paid in 2019, he says he was able to help about three times as many households.
艾斯蒙德的捐款額高於2019年時的4600美元，他說，他能幫助到的家戶數量是（是2019年時）的3倍。
新聞辭典
be down on one’s luck：慣用語，運氣不濟，不走運。例句：The old hotel was described by the local tour guide as a place where people who were really down on their luck were going.（這家老飯店被當地導遊形容為衰人才去的地方。）
turmoil：名詞，動盪。
up the ante：慣用語，增加賭注；提高要求；提高風險。例句：The new law ups the ante on people who bully others on the internet.（這條新法律加碼懲罰網路霸凌者。）
華客新聞 | 時事與歷史：中英對照讀新聞》A Florida man paid off the past dues for 114 families at risk of having their utilities shut off 佛州男子為有斷水斷電斷瓦斯之虞的114個家庭繳逾期帳單