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    Karate master finally found 終於尋獲空手道高人



    Sunday, Apr 30, 2006,Page 14

    A Japanese karate master breaks blocks of ice. 日本一名空手道高手踢破冰磚。
    PHOTO: AFP

    A young man from Singapore has finally found the elusive karate master who he was searching for in Japan.

    Koh Tian Lin, a 25-year-old computer-industry worker, went to a remote village in northern Japan trying to fulfill the last wish of his dying father, who asked him to find a secret karate book held by the Japanese master.

    His father, a karate teacher, gave his son only a little bit of information about his former master, including that his name sounded like "Soma" and he had two daughters.

    Koh's search initially flopped when he had to be rescued from a car in the woods in near-freezing temperatures after he and two of his friends got lost during their search. But the karate master read news of his problems in a newspaper and arranged a meeting with him through the local tourism center.

    The master turned out to be Shoen Fukuda, 61, a teacher in a small town who remembered teaching Koh's father 30 years before.

    "I was moved that he visited Japan only because of his late father's wish," Fukuda said.

    Fukuda, impressed by the respect that Koh had for his father, gave him an honorary title as karate master.

    But he would not give him the secret book on karate skills.

    "It is my treasure which my Chinese master gave me when I was training there," Fukuda said. (afp)

    新加坡一名年輕男子終於在日本找到遍尋不得的空手道高人。

    現年二十五歲、在電腦業服務的許天林(譯音)為了完成父親遺願,遂動身前往日本北部一處偏遠村落,尋找日本這位高手手中的空手道祕笈。

    許天林的父親也是位空手道教練,他給許天林有關這位前師父的線索,只有他的姓名發音類似「Soma」以及他育有兩女。

    一開始,許天林尋找高人的行動徹底失敗,他與兩名友人在尋人途中迷路,之後搜救人員在接近零度的低溫中,從樹林裡一輛車上救出三人。不過這位空手道高人在報紙上看到許天林的消息後,便主動透過當地旅遊中心安排兩人見面。

    原來這名高手是現年六十一歲、目前在北部某小鎮授課的福田松園(譯音),他記得自己三十年前曾教過許天林的父親。

    福田說:「他來日本只為一圓亡父遺願,這令我很感動。」

    許天林對父親的那份尊敬深深打動了福田,福田因此決定授予許天林空手道高手的榮譽頭銜。

    但他不會把寫有各項空手道絕技的祕笈交給許天林。

    福田說:「那可是我在那兒受訓時,中國籍師父送給我的寶物。」

    (法新社/翻譯:林倩如)
    TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字
    1. elusive adj.
    難以捉摸的 (nan2 yi3 zhuo1 mo1 de5);躲避的 (duo3 bi4 de5)
    例:Some of the world's most elusive animals have only been seen a few times in the wild.
    (某些世上最罕見的動物,人們只在野外看過幾次。)

    2. remote adj.
    偏遠的 (pian1 yuan3 de5)
    例:Some towns in very remote areas don't have electricity. (某些極偏遠地區的小鎮根本沒電。)

    3. move v.t.
    感動 (gang3 dong4)
    例:That movie really moved me because it was so sad and it reminded me of something that actually happened to me. (那部電影讓我深受感動,除了因為它太悲哀以外,它也讓我想起某些親身經驗。)

    4. late adj.
    已故的 (yi3 gu4 de5)
    例:On Tomb Sweeping Day, I visit the grave of my late mother. (每逢清明,我都會到亡母墳前祭拜。)

    Reading Comprehension 閱讀測驗
    1. Why did Koh's father want him to find Fukuda?
    a. To tell him his dying wishes.
    b. To find his secret karate book.
    c. So that Koh could learn karate from him.

    2. How did Fukuda hear about Koh?
    a. He read about him in a newspaper.
    b. He rescued him from a freezing car.
    c. He found him at the tourism center.

    3. Why did Fukuda give Koh an honorary title?
    a. Koh is really good at karate.
    b. Fukuda had taught Koh 30 years before.
    c. Fukuda was impressed by how much Koh respected his father.

    4. Fukuda would not give Koh the book because ...
    a. it did not actually exist.
    b. he wanted to keep it for himself.
    c. it had been lost a long time ago.

    Ans: 1.b 2.a 3.c 4.b

    This story has been viewed 4224 times.

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