Large discounts (折扣) and HK$1 bargains will only be some of the sops (便宜貨) on offer as Sham Shui Po cyber shops (note 2) try to draw (吸引) buyers to their annual computer festival starting on Friday.
Sellers are doubly (雙重) keen as they will be vying (競爭) with a similar festival by the Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry kicking off (note 3) at the convention and exhibition center next week.
A co-organizer of the 11-day Sham Shui Po event, the Hong Kong Computer Association, said representatives went as far as Jinan University in Shenzhen to hand out 6,000 coupons to be exchanged for 8GB USB memory sticks (記憶片) worth HK$109 each, in order to draw students. This will be the first time for the Wan Chai Computer Centre to join the infotech festival - jointly organized (合辦) by the Computer Association and Golden Computer Arcade.
"The annual Computer and Communication Festival at the convention center seriously affects sales at Sham Shui Po and the Wan Chai Computer Centre," association chairman Ip King-ki said. "We hope the earlier opening of our festival will help draw more customers." The chamber-backed (note 4) festival will run from August 19 to 22.
The rival organizers may even extend the Sham Shui Po festival, depending on attendance and the tactics (策謀) adopted by the chamber.
About one million visitors are expected this year, against last year's 620,000. Likely hot sellers include 10-inch Acer tablets (平面電腦) for just HK$4,000, and internet routers (無線上網器) worth HK$39 to HK$1,299 up for grabs (note 5) at HK$1 daily.
Anyone donating (note 6) an old LCD monitor of 15 inches or above can buy a Dell laptop at the bargain price of HK$2,999.
From good to better English:
(note 1) Bargain-hunting=買便宜貨。Bargain=廉價品。Bargain (動詞)=談判。bargain a new wage increase =(藉由談判)達成增加工資的新協定。I did not bargain for that, Victor said=Victor說，我料不到是那樣的。
(note 2) cyber shops=電腦商店。cyber fans=電腦產品迷。cyber 源自cybernetics。
(note 3) kicking off= 開始 (Start, begin)。a kick in the butt (a kick in the pants)=給予一點壓力 (forceful encouragement to do something)。alive and kicking=滿懷熱誠地生活下去 (to continue to live or exist and be full of energy)。
(note 4) chamber-backed=商會支援的。well-backed=後臺硬的。Back=支援，資助。Back and forth=翻來覆去。I'll be back in a minute, Julian says=Julian說她馬上就回來。Keep back ! =不要過來!
(note 5) up for grabs=供人競購。Grab=攫取，抓取；抓住。grab a bus=搭公共汽車。grab hold of=抓緊。grab的同義詞有clasp, clench, clutch, grapple, grasp, grip, seize等。
(note 6) donate=捐贈，捐獻。donate blood to a blood bank=向血庫捐血。 Victor donates 1,000 dollars to an orphanage= Victor向孤兒院捐贈 1000 元。donate 的同義詞有bestow, contribute, give, chip in等。
Victor’s View: I love bargains. But two shows vying for business in the same week doesn’t make much sense to me. Can’t the organizers collaborate and do the shows one by one?
(Victor Fung Keung, director of HK Baptist University’s M.A. in international journalism program, has published 4 books on English-enhancement [the latest, titled <<學會演說、改變你的人生>>, was published on July 18] and plans to write 6 more by the end of 2012. Write to him: deanfungenglish@gmail.com)
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