环球英语 — 162：Hanoi Star

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight¹. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is 1991. A young girl walks up and down the busy streets of Hanoi City, Vietnam². Her name is Duong Than Binh. Binh is only twelve years old. She should be in school. But her family are too poor to pay for her education. So instead she makes money as a street seller³. She buys household goods. These are the small things that people use in the home - things like the soap and shampoo that people use when they wash. Then, she sells these things in the street. She makes a small profit. Binh works⁴ hard for many hours each day. It is difficult. But, Binh has dreams. She believes that one day things will change. Life will get better.
Voice 2
Ten years later, Binh stands in the middle of Hanoi Star Hotel. The young woman smiles happily. And she has reason to. She is the proud owner of Hanoi Star Hotel! She has come a long way from selling goods on the streets! So how did she do it? How did she overcome her difficult start in life - and become a successful business owner? Here is her story.
Voice 1
Binh was born in Hung Yen⁵ territory⁶ in Vietnam. When she was twelve years old, she left her family and her home. She moved to Hanoi City to try and earn money. Here, she bought goods to sell on the street. She made a profit on the things she sold. But, it was not easy in Hanoi City. She said,
Voice 3
‘Hanoi was new and strange to me at first. There were times when I felt worried, depressed⁷ and sad. I did not know what to do. I cried for myself. I cried for my mother. And I cried for my family. But I always believed that I should work hard to defeat all the difficulties⁸ in life. I told myself to work harder and learn more. Then, in the future I would feel proud of having done something useful. [It would be] for my family and community - although [at the time] it did not seem possible.’
Voice 1
Binh did not give up. And she did not show her inner⁹ feelings to her customers. She was always positive, happy and friendly. And so people liked her very much. Binh also worked as a guide for foreign visitors, tourists. She met many kinds of people in her work - Americans, British, Vietnamese and Japanese. She learned¹⁰ from them. They could see that she was a hard working, good person. Then one day some tourists learned about Binh’s situation. They wanted to help. They offered to buy school books for her. So, she was able to study and learn another language. She said,
Voice 3
‘I think these people must have seen how strong minded I was. They wanted to see if I could break free from the hard times - with their support. And I progressed from buying and selling household goods. I began selling postcards, pictures, maps and books.’
Voice 2
Binh worked hard at developing¹¹ her skills. She found creative ways to do this. One way was asking for work in a restaurant. The owner was Australian. So, this helped her improve her English skills even more. And, it also helped develop her understanding of tourists’ needs. She worked very hard. And in her mind, she believed that one day she would succeed.
Voice 1
When Mr Ohno Kenichi walked into her life, Binh was ready. Mr Ohno Kenichi is an economics¹² professor. He respected Binh’s strong will and energy. So he proposed¹³ a business idea. She could part-own a hotel with him! Mr Kenichi invested¹⁴ seventy five percent of the money. And Binh invested twenty five percent. Some people said he took a big risk. But he believed Binh could do it. And, in 2001, Binh opened her own hotel - Hanoi Star! She said,
Voice 3
“At first, it was hard. I was only twenty years old. There were so many different processes to complete. The building I rented for my hotel was empty. So I had to buy everything - blankets, bedding, air-conditioners, televisions - everything. And it was hard to find tourists. And how would I train workers so that they cared about the business as much as I did? It was not easy!”
“But I [still] felt strong. I had years of business experience from the streets.”
Voice 2
Binh cared greatly for the business. And so she worked extremely¹⁵ hard. Her past skills and experience had prepared her well. Mr Kenichi was not disappointed¹⁶! The hotel was a big success! In fact, in 2003 Binh opened a second ‘Hanoi Star Hotel.’
Voice 1
But success did not - and has not - stopped Binh working hard. She knows that she has to work to keep good quality services. Otherwise, the business will fail. She said,
Voice 3
‘The service industry is a good area for young people to start in business. Foreign visitors to Vietnam like the food, the people and the beauty of the country. But the service is not as good as they expect. Suppose my hotel gets nine out of ten things right. People will remember the tenth thing that goes wrong. Better services can help us make the most of what is already beautiful here. We have many poor young people. But our country can get out of poverty¹⁷ if we work hard and learn hard.
Voice 1
Today, Binh has three hotels. And she has people working for her! She has come a long way from the poor street seller in Hanoi City. The future is very bright for Duong Than Binh. But she always remembers her past:
Voice 3
‘I have never forgotten my past. Without my difficult past I do not think I would have been as successful in life.’
Voice 2
Some people say that Binh was just lucky. After all there are plenty of poor street sellers¹⁸ who work hard. Not many of them will become hotel owners! They say Binh just met the right people at the right time. This is true. But it was Binh who made it be the right time. She made sure she was prepared. It was her strong will that made people believe in her. Without this, Mr Kenichi probably would not have risked his money. Binh’s strong mind and hard work were nothing to do with luck. These qualities come from within a person.
Voice 1
Binh’s story is published in ‘Entrepreneur: The road to success.’ This book tells stories of thirty Vietnamese business people. They have beaten poverty through their hard work and creativity¹⁹. They show that a difficult start in life does not have to end the same way.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 Vietnam   

n.越南

参考例句：

• Vietnam is suffering from food shortage.越南正遭受食物短缺之苦。
• Laos is on the west of Vietnam.老挝在越南西面。

3 seller   

n.售货者，畅销品

参考例句：

• I hope for this book to become a best seller.我希望这本书会成为一本畅销书。
• She drove a hard bargain with the seller.她狠杀卖主的价。

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

6 territory   

n.领土，领地，版图，地区，活动范围

参考例句：

• Resources in plenty can be found in this territory.这一地区能找到大量自然资源。
• Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。

7 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

8 difficulties   

n.困难( difficulty的名词复数 )；难度；难事；麻烦

参考例句：

• I am acutely aware of the difficulties we face. 我十分清楚我们面临的困难。
• the difficulties of English syntax 英语句法的难点

9 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

10 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

11 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

12 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

13 proposed   

被提议的

参考例句：

• There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions. 员工对改变工资和工作环境的建议普遍不满。
• an outcry over the proposed change 对拟议的改革所发出的强烈抗议

14 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

16 disappointed   

adj.失望的，不满意的，不如意的

参考例句：

• He seemed disappointed when the man refused his request.当那个人拒绝了他的要求时他看起来很失望。
• He was disappointed so often that he became hopeless.他屡次失望，以致变为了绝望。

17 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

18 sellers   

n.卖者( seller的名词复数 )；卖方；销售者；销售商

参考例句：

• buyers and sellers transacting business 进行交易的买方和卖方
• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 creativity   

n.创造力，创造

参考例句：

• There is limited scope for creativity in my job.我的工作中发挥创造力的空间有限。
• She got an unusually low score for creativity.在创造力方面，她得了异乎寻常的低分。