| 任务型阅读。 Dear Rolf, The movie Slumdog. Millionaire seems to suggest that the child beggars (乞丐) of India are organized by others and I've heard about this in other countries as well. As a traveler, what should l do when a kid asks me for money? Randy Dear Randy, I think you'd better not give money to child beggars. Child beggars are often controlled by some organizations. These poor children might be tools for making money, but they're still children,no matter what they have been forced to do. Even if the kid isn't the tool of some organizations, he or she is probably doing the same work for some adults-maybe some family members who don't care the child. Sadiy, children are exploited (利用) as beggars for simple reasons which could be called"marketing": After all, kids have more earning potential (潜力) than adults. It's nice to sit down and chat with them for a while, even buy them a drink or a snack or play games with them. They're often very interesting people that have a story to tell if you can get them to open up. Beggarsa of all ages are common sight for travelers and in general, it's best to spend some time on a given community before you give out your money. At last, don't be afraid to say no. This isn't. always easy, but child beggars know that what they're doing can't improve their lives, but only enrich those people who force them to beg. Rolf | |||||||
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