Plain cigarette packaging is not on the cards (note 2) anytime soon for Hong Kong, but there is to be a program for kids to help parents quit smoking (戒菸).
That was the word from Director of Health Lam Ping-yan as he explained that a watch (監察) will be kept on how Australia does with its world- first (全球第一) effort to see all brands of cigarettes in the same drab but alarming (note 3) packets.
The priority for Hong Kong just now, Lam said, is to introduce more quit-smoking clinics (戒菸.診所) and increase efforts at the ones already in operation.
The Department of Health currently runs six clinics on its own or through joint efforts, and funding will be increased for more services in clinics at Tung Wah and Pok Oi hospitals. "We'll also involve the Po Leung Kuk for a school-based (以學校為基地) program so that children can go home and ask their parents to quit," Lam said.
In addition, "there is a program for ethnic minorities (少數民族), and we will finance a hotline (熱線) service run by University of Hong Kong professors."
On Australia's packaging program, the head of the country's Department of Health and Ageing, Jane Halton, noted that legislation on packaging has yet to clear (note 4) the Senate.
"Obviously, the tobacco companies are not happy with this, but the legislation has passed the House of Representatives," she said.
"It's our belief that we have the numbers for it to pass the Senate. So this will be implemented (實施) in 2012."
The packaging plan, she added, is a major step (note 5) "in making sure that smoking is in no way glamorized (美化) or promoted in Australia - and particularly for young people."
From good to better English:
(note 1) kick habit=戒掉嗜好〔尤指毒癮〕。Habit=習慣，癖好。Habit is second nature=習慣成自然。the habit of getting up late=晚起的習慣。break off a bad habit of=改掉壞習慣。
(note 2) on the cards=在時間表上 (on schedule)。例句: Bo Bo’s first baby arrived right on schedule= Bo Bo的第一個嬰兒準時出生。 a train schedule=火車時刻表。on schedule (time)=準時。
(note 3) drab but alarming= drab (單調，乏味); alarming=使人驚慌的；引起驚慌的。the drab of country life=蟄居鄉間的單調生活。Alarm=警報, 鬧鐘, 警報器, 驚慌, 恐懼, 擔憂。alarm bell =警鈴, 警鐘。alarm clock= 鬧鐘。
(note 4) has yet to clear=還沒有批准。has yet to=還沒有。Julian is not home yet=Julian is not yet home=Julian還沒有回家。Clear=通暢的；開闊的，豁然的, 無疑的，的確的，確實的。Do I make myself clear？=你明白我的意思嗎？。A clear head=清晰的頭腦。A clear sky=晴空。
(note 5) a major step=重要的一步。Step=跨入，踏進。Step back=後退，後退一步。Step in=走進。
Victor’s View: It is great and useful to involve children to help their parents quit smoking. We should try all methods to turn Hong Kong into a ‘smoke-free’ society.
(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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