It is an exercise of discretion.

好文共賞
V26 Sharp Daily - Hong Kong Version
2012-08-30

It is not amnesty. It is an exercise of discretion.

1.It is not amnesty ① It is an exercise of ② discretion ③ .（Janet Napolitano）

背景：美國國土安全局局長Janet Napolitano解釋美國不再遞解16歲前入境的非法居民。

2.We came close ④ to the abyss ⑤ , and we have taken a step ⑥ away from it.（Marc Chandler）

背景：希臘一名銀行家Marc Chandler慶幸希臘沒有在歐元區危機中倒下。

3.I probably prayed ⑦ more the last three holes ⑧ than I ever did in my life ⑨. （Webb Simpson）

背景：韋伯森遜（Webb Simpson）在美國哥爾夫球公開賽中，以50倍賠率擊敗一眾好手包括老虎活士（Tiger Woods）。他賽後對記者說這番話。

馮強短評

好辭彙共賞:

①amnesty = 大赦，特赦

②an exercise of = 採取措施。Exercise a power = 行使權力。Exercise pressure = 施加壓力。Exercise judgment = 運用判斷力

③discretion = 判斷（力）。At the discretion of Victor = 隨Victor的意思。Use one's own discretion = 依靠自己去判斷。With discretion = 慎重，審慎

④came close = 接近、幾乎。That chapter is closed = 話已完結，問題已有結果。A close call = 千鈞一髮。A close shave = 僥倖的脫險。Close to = 接近於；在附近

⑤abyss = 深淵，無底洞。An abyss of despair = 絕望

⑥have taken a step = 採取步驟，手段，措施，辦法。Watch one's steps! = 小心走路，小心行動。Retrace one's steps =走回頭路，改變主意，變卦

⑦pray = 禱告，祈禱。Pray for pardon = 請求原諒。Pray for rain = 求雨

⑧the last three holes = 哥爾夫球比賽的最後三個洞（總共是18個洞）。A hole in one's coat = 缺點，瑕疵。A square peg in a round hole = 不適宜擔任某項工作的人。Pick holes [a hole] in Victor's writing = 對Victor吹毛求疵；批評，責備

⑨in my life = 在我的一生中

短評共賞:

美國容許16歲前入境的非法居留者合法居留。這是善用人才的一項措施。我希望香港也可以向外多些吸納人才。

馮強

浸會大學傳理學院財經新聞統籌主任

逢周四刊出

swindlers get away with murder

HK Opinion
H03 China Daily Hong Kong Edition Victor Fung Keung
2012-08-29

It is a shame investment swindlers get away with murder

Hong Kong and mainland compatriots: Beware of scammers!

On Aug 22, 2012, local newspapers reported that mainland and Hong Kong investors were swindled of HK$40 million in an alleged pyramid (or Ponzi) scheme. It bewilders me why people, after reading about so many scams in the past, still fall victim to such frauds.

In the latest case, more than 500 people were lured into joining the scheme over the past 12 months. Investors were told that the more money they invested, the bigger the return would be. The investors then were classified, depending on their amounts of their investments, as diamond, gold, silver or bronze members. They were also led to believe that if they recruited new investors, they would get hefty commissions. Their money was supposed to have been invested in mainland and Macao properties.

A few days ago, the Kowloon-based investment company closed its doors and the alleged scammers disappeared with HK$40 million. The Hong Kong police were called in to investigate.

This is just another sad saga. The trend seems to be one in which more and more trusting mainlanders take part in such investment plans and get fleeced.

Another major scam was exposed in May this year, when several investors from Hong Kong and the mainland complained to the police that a Kwun Tong-based company that took their investments had ceased to exist. These investors bought en primeur wines, or wine futures, through the company. (Wine futures give investors the chance to buy into a particular vintage before the wine is bottled. When the wine is delivered, usually in two years, the investors can sell it on the open market to make a profit).

Many local scammers seem to have taken a page out of Bernie Madoff’s book. Madoff was sentenced in 2009 to 150 years in a US jail after admitting that he used a Ponzi scheme to swindle $18 billion out of his investors’ pockets. In June this year, Allen Stanford, a Texas banker, was sentenced to 110 years in prison for bilking his investors out of $7 billion. The US government estimated that US citizens lose $40 billion a year in investment scandals.

In Hong Kong, many young women have been tricked by swindlers that they (or their bodies) look great and have the potential to become models. Once the gullible young women are persuaded to audition for modeling agencies, they invariably would be told that a photographer would take a few pictures of them but they needed to have a make-up done and perhaps a hair-do. The upshot would be that these women would part with their money, anywhere from HK$800 to HK$3,000 each. The more trusting ones would be lured (and often coerced) into signing “modeling contracts” requiring them to spend thousands of dollars to attend some facial or other “beauty” courses.

Sadly, despite repeated warnings from the police, scores of young people still fall victim to such scams every year as they dream of becoming supermodels and stepping into a career under the limelight. Some cases remain unreported because the victims are afraid of being labeled as “stupid and ignorant” once their stories hit the headlines.

As the middle classes of Hong Kong and the mainland are growing rapidly, more people are expected to pour their savings into all sorts of investment schemes since the interest rates offered by banks are at their historic lows (one-year fixed deposits in Hong Kong would yield a 0.15 percent return). Many eager investors have become willing victims of ruthless swindlers on both sides of the Shenzhen River.

These are the tips I offered in May to my graduating students:

Avoid one-man firms or those which do massive marketing through the Internet. Check them out first; stick with trusted and big investment firms that have been around for at least 5 years; be skeptical if the investment returns, eg 10 percent or higher per annum, are too good to be true; shun companies which ask you to refer new customers, in exchange for higher returns on investment; and when in doubt, leave it out (or check with regulatory authorities first before taking the plunge).

Folks in Hong Kong and the mainland: protect your hard-earned savings and keep vigilant of investment scams!

Greed is always bad.

The author is coordinator of the B.S.Sc in financial journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University.

General knowledge learning is key to college education

HK Opinion
H03 China Daily Hong Kong Edition Victor Fung Keung
2012-08-25
General knowledge learning is key to college education

Victor Fung Keung

As an educator, it is gut-wrenching to learn from a survey released on Aug 20 that 50 percent of the Generation Y (young people aged between 18 and 31) need constant mentoring, as they are incapable of working independently.

The Consultancy firm Tamty McGill Consultants interviewed 400 employers and 600 Generation Y members (those born between 1981 and 1994 and many are university graduates) and concluded that “members of Generation Y tend to be more spoiled than previous generations.”

It makes my heart bleed to learn from the report that many employers interviewed said their young employees lack basic skills at the office and often need to be told what to do. It simply means we, as teachers, have failed our students!

I know this is an excuse, but the system of 3-year university education, which is specialty-oriented, does have its shortcomings. If students major in information technology, IT is all they study. They don’t know how to deal with people; they have little idea what work ethics are, and they change jobs often.

Yes, they are spoiled as they don’t need to work for survival. Most of their parents are wealthy enough to support them should they become unemployed. In short, they are in want of the “fighting spirit” that has propelled Hong Kong into becoming a major world financial center.

Fortunately, the weaknesses of our Generation Y revealed in the consultancy report can largely be rectified with the 4-year university education that will start next month. I am sure four years later when the consultancy does another survey, the new cohort of college graduates will display a very different set of characteristics.

With an additional year of study, many universities can afford to provide general education courses which will equip students to become well-rounded (i.e. the concept of whole-person development) when they finish their four years of study in any discipline.

For example, the program that I am responsible for – B.S.Sc. in financial journalism at HK Baptist University – requires students to take only 39 units (about 13 courses) in financial journalism, compared with 68 units (about 23 courses) in general education (GE) and other electives that students are compelled to study. These general education and elective courses will help students develop knowledge, perception, attitudes, and the skills necessary to understand society’s traditions and past, its accomplishments and aspirations, and its problems and needs.

The goal is for the students to attain the ability to learn and work with others. GE courses are designed to develop intellectual and practical skills, including proficiency in written, oral, and visual communication; inquiry techniques; critical and creative thinking; quantitative applications; teamwork; and problem-solving.

It will be compulsory for students to take a wide range of courses in GE, including mathematics, sciences and technologies, histories, humanities, arts, and social sciences. Courses in GE give students an opportunity to exercise individual and social responsibilities through the study of ethical principles and reasoning, application of civic knowledge, interaction with diverse cultures.

The new students who join HKBU next month will graduate in 2016 with these attributes: 1. They will possess up-to-date, in-depth knowledge of an academic specialty, as well as a broad range of cultural and general knowledge; 2. Be able to think critically and creatively; 3. Be independent, life-long learners with open minds and inquiring spirits; 4. Have bilingual competency in English and Chinese, and the ability to articulate ideas clearly and coherently; 5. Have the necessary IT skills, as well as numerical and problem-solving skills, to function effectively at work and in everyday life; 6. Be responsible citizens with an international outlook and a sense of ethics and civility; and 7. Be ready to serve, lead and work in a team (teamwork).

Hong Kong employers, I am sure, will be happy to work with university students who have received four years of college education. The graduates of 2016 will have the motivation, skills and team spirit to get the job done. They don’t need to be told what to do.

The author is coordinator of the financial journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University.

On Woman's Right to Vote

好文共賞
V24 Sharp Daily - Hong Kong Version
2012-08-23
On Woman's Right to Vote 女性應有選舉和參政權
美國女權運動家Susan B. Anthony在1873年號召國民支持女性有權參加選舉投票演說節錄

　 　I stand before you tonight under indictment ① for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election. It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's rights ② , beyond the power of any State to deny.

　　The preamble ③ of the Federal Constitution says: "We, the people of the United States establish justice ④ , insure domestic tranquility ⑤ , provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."

　　It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And it is a downright mockery ⑥ to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means ⑦ of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government─the ballot.

　　For any State to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people is to pass a bill of attainder ⑧ , and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. It is an oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured.

　　Webster, Worcester and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office. The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe ⑨ any of our opponents will have the hardihood ⑩ to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no State has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities.

馮強短評

好辭彙共賞:

① indictment =對Susan Anthony起訴。Indict Jo Jo for theft = 控告Jo Jo犯盜竊罪

② exercised my citizen's rights = 行使公民權

③ preamble =序。Without preamble = 開門見山地，直截了當地

④ establish justice = 制定公義

⑤ insure domestic tranquility = 保障國內穩定

⑥ a downright mockery =露骨的笑柄。Downright =徹底，完全，乾脆。Victor is downright angry = Victor憤怒已極。A downright no = 明確的否定

⑦ the only means = 唯一的方法，手段，工具。Means of production = 生產資料。A means to an end = 達到目的的手段。Victor is by no means a pleasant man to deal with = Victor絕不是一個好打交道的爽快人

⑧ a bill of attainder = 褫奪公民權的法律

⑨ I hardly believe=不能相信。Hardly =幾乎不，簡直不。It's hardly true =這不像是真的。I gain hardly anything = 我幾乎沒得到甚麼

⑩ hardihood = 狂妄，傲慢

短評共賞:

香港很民主。男女都可以投票選舉議員。但我們還沒有權去選出香港的特首。不過，這一天快到了。

馮強

浸會大學傳理學院財經新聞統籌主任

決定入行的一課

決定入行的一課 沙膽虹 21.8 Apple and Sharp Daily chief editor

翻閱香港電台《傳媒透視》八月號，見到香港浸會大學國際新聞與財經新聞碩士課程主任馮強的文章，有關談香港財經新聞記者的訓練。馮強是沙膽虹在中大的師兄，亦是老師，沙膽虹曾修讀馮強教授的財經新聞課。已經是三十年前的事了，課程內容已有點模糊，印象深刻的反而是傍晚上堂後三五同學跟他一起去范克廉樓飲啤酒，邊聽他分享一下當財經記者的生涯片段，邊實踐摸住酒杯底料的記者生涯。這一小時反而是課程的真正享受。馮強除了自己授課外，亦會邀請業內資深財經記者來現身說法，分享經歷，讓同學提問。猶記得被他邀請過的有黃揚烈（當時《財經日報》督印人，其後參與創刊《經濟日報》）、趙國安（當時《財經日報》採主，現職新城電台）及郭艷明（曾任職無電視、新城電台、現職《頭條日報》）。沙膽虹畢業後，第一份工就是在《財經日報》當記者。

沙膽虹同意馮強文內說希望見到大學管理層在聘用實踐派與學術派方向要取得平衡，不要只聘有博士學位的老師，漠視有財經新聞編採經驗的教育。須知道學生對新聞工作的熱誠，除了來自本身對社會的關心外，亦要從新聞工作者身上得到啟發和感染。沙膽虹副修經濟，對財經新聞早有興趣，但若沒有馮強這一課，或許未必會入行！

when the house is on fire

好文共賞
V25 Sharp Daily - Hong Kong Version 馮強
2012-08-16

"There is no sense in conducting theoretical debates when the house is on fire."

1."In some places, you cannot tell the blood from the vegetables ①."（Ahmed Nouri）

背景：伊拉克警員Ahmed Nouri在巴格達炸彈爆炸炸死13人後對記者描繪他所見。

2."There is no sense ② in conducting ③ theoretical debates ④ when the house is on fire⑤." （Martin Schulz）

背景：歐洲議會（European Parliament）議長舒爾茨（Martin Schulz）告訴歐洲領袖要把精力放在解決財政危機上，不是放在債券的利息上。

3."For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker ⑥, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball ⑦ over the finish line ⑧." （Ann Curry）

背景：亞裔主持人Ann Curry在美國NBC電視台新聞部工作不夠一年被公司解僱。在解僱後她向觀眾發表談話。

馮強短評

好辭彙共賞:

①cannot tell the blood from the vegetables = 血和蔬菜混在一起。Victor cannot tell right from wrong = Victor無法辨別是非

②no sense = 沒有意義。The five senses = 五官感覺。A sense of duty = 責任感。Common sense = 常識。Lose one's senses = 發瘋

③conducting = 處理、進行。Conduct a business = 經營生意。Conduct an orchestra = 指揮管弦樂隊。Conduct a campaign = 指揮作戰

④theoretical debates = 理論性討論，假設（性）的。Debating society = 討論會、辯論會

⑤the house is on fire = 大難臨頭。Fire questions at Victor = 向Victor提出（許多）質問。Set the Thames [river] on fire = 作驚人之舉

⑥a groundbreaker = 一個擁有獨創革新精神的人（One that is original or innovative）。Groundbreaker = pioneer（拓荒者、先鋒、先驅）

⑦carry the ball = 身負重任

⑧over the finish line = 完成任務。Carry the ball over the finish line = 把任務完成

短評共賞:

在 英文用法上，球類運動常常被用上。Carry the ball是身負重任。Drop the ball是犯錯誤，錯失機會。Drop the gloves是打架的意思。Victor should get the ball rolling = Victor要開始動工。

馮強

浸會大學傳理學院國際新聞和財經新聞碩士課程主任

Time for more effective treatment of high-risk mental patients

HK Opinion
H03 China Daily Hong Kong Edition Victor Fung Keung
2012-08-15


Time for more effective treatment of high-risk mental patients


On Aug 11, 2012, a 29-year old woman suffering from schizophrenia, who had failed to attend an appointment for a medical check-up, threw her baby from a high-rise building to death and then attempted to kill herself.

It is time we legislated the “Community treatment order”, which would empower police and physicians to require that high-risk mental patients be placed under treatment. The law, if passed, would protect seriously-sick mental patients and other people in society. Why the procrastination?

The proposed legislation, which has been in consultation since 2010, is similar to laws in force in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, among other countries. Do we need more shocking deaths before this legislation is tabled, passed and put into law?

At present, only the courts can order a mental patient to be hospitalized for treatment. In recent months several cases involving mental patients killing innocent people share a common denominator: the mentally-sick killers all had failed to attend scheduled medical consultations.

In May 2012, a man with a mental condition killed his wife and seriously injured three family members before jumping to his death from a Kwun Tong apartment. The man had skipped medical consultations. In February 2012, a mentally-ill man hacked to death a security guard in Sheung Shui in the New Territories; and a few months earlier, a 15-year-old teenager chopped his mother and sister to death. The list grows longer and longer every day.

The proposed “Community treatment order” would have forced the patients involved in these killings to receive treatment and might have prevented these human tragedies. The authorities’ concern, incredible as it may seem, is that the proposed “Community treatment order” could violate the patients’ privacy. Such a concern is only a small price to pay. If one suffers from mental illness, I’ll bet 99 percent of his neighbors would know; and all of them, I am sure, would vote “yes” to enactment of the proposed “Community treatment order.

Mental sickness in Hong Kong is growing, as study and work pressures keep on mounting. The Regeneration Society released a survey in July, that reveals nearly 60 percent of students from six to 16 are depressed. Depression can develop into more serious forms of mental illness such as bipolar disorder. The main culprit behind the high number of depressed young people in Hong Kong is stress arising from examinations.

Around the same time, the Chinese Rhenish Church in Hong Kong made public a research report, which shows that retirees in their 70s are four times more likely to suffer from anxiety disorder (a form of mental illness) than people under 50. This stems from worries concerning finance, daily living and personal well-being.

Hong Kong’s population is aging. The mental sickness issue can only worsen as people grow older. Currently, we have about 170,000 people suffering from mental illness, among whom about 40,000 are seriously affected. About 55,000 patients over 60 received treatments in 2011, government figures indicate.

The government, to its credit, has done a lot to try to deal with this chronic problem. The budget for mental health services has jumped 30 percent to HK$4.58 billion this financial year from the 2007-2008 financial year.

The government promotes mental health among the young and their parents through the “child and adolescent mental health community support project”. It plans to open 24 “integrated community centers” in Hong Kong’s 18 districts to provide educational activities for grown-ups.

These are initiatives that deserve kudos. But education is too slow and ineffective to prevent killings. York Chow, former secretary for food and health, said on June 27 that the government had set up a focus group on the “community treatment order” in 2010 to study the experience and relevant legislation of overseas jurisdictions in detail and the applicability in Hong Kong. Chow added that “as the study is still in progress, we are unable to set out an exact timetable for the legislation.” Dr Ko Wing-man, current secretary for food and health, is well advised to table the proposed “community treatment order” as soon as possible and turn the proposal into law.

The author is coordinator of Hong Kong Baptist University’s financial journalism program.

Govt should take immediate actions to improve air quality

HK Opinion
H03 China Daily Hong Kong Edition Victor Fung Keung
2012-08-10

Govt should take immediate actions to improve air quality

‘Mr Leung, help!! I can’t breathe!” Hong Kong people are shouting loudly in their hearts.

The new government of Leung Chun-ying should be hailed for providing more allowances to the aged and funding new social enterprises to employ the underprivileged, such as the mentally or physically challenged. But making Hong Kong’s air “breathable” is imperative, as people are dying because of air pollution.

On Aug 1, Hong Kong’s Central district recorded an air pollution level (a government-monitored index) of 193, and at Yuen Long the reading was 202. Any reading above 100 is considered hazardous to health. Then on the morning of Aug 2, the air pollution index in Central hit a historic high of 212 (except for one period during a sandstorm in 2010).

The Hedley Environmental Index, a monitoring group, said a reading of 212 would lead to more than 17 premature deaths (triggered by complications stemming from poor air quality) and over 800 hospital admissions. Medical experts predicted that there would be a surge in the number of people seeking treatment for respiratory diseases in the coming days at public and private hospitals. A pediatrician in Central said he treated more patients on Aug 2 than usual, noticing that some of his patients’ allergies and asthma were getting worse. Anyone can see that this pediatrician’s case wasn’t an isolated one.

The real situation could be worse than what we discern, since Hong Kong’s air quality standards, which might have left some poisonous chemicals unaccounted for in calculating the pollution index, have not been revised since 1987. How a set of standards could go without being updated for 25 years is beyond belief.

Citizens in Hong Kong may notice that the pollution indexes in Central and Yuen Long are on average higher than many other districts’. It should surprise nobody. A lot of the pollution sources (pollutants) come from the Pearl River Delta, as industrialization continues in cities and towns in the delta area. Despite an agreement between Hong Kong and Guangdong governments on the control of emission levels, no noticeable results have been discerned. Yuen Long is right on the forefront as it is situated just south of the Shenzhen River.

Central district’s case sounds cliched to many people who work there. All day long, people can see the trunk roads there packed with buses, private cars and minibuses. The poisonous nitrogen dioxide level in the business district can head only one way up.

Mr Leung’s advisors should tell him that he would win people’s hearts if the hapless people could breathe a bit easier. People don’t have a choice. We have to breathe no matter how dirty the air is.

There are two immediate tasks that Mr Leung can take on to boost his popularity. Firstly, he should play tough with Guangdong authorities on the reduction of remissions. Yes, Guangdong’s economic progress and industrialization are important. So are Hong Kong people’s lives. Experts from both sides of the Shenzhen River should be able to strike a balance and come up with a win-win formula.

Secondly, laws must be enacted immediately to ban private cars entering certain districts if the pollution reading in that district is 50 percent above the acceptable level of 100. People who own cars or ride chauffeured cars are the middle class, the rich and famous, foreign executives and government officials. Mr Leung should have the political will to ask these privileged people to take the MTR or other modes of public transportation, should the index surge to 150 or above.

Mr Leung, give us not money but clean air.

The author is coordinator of Hong Kong Baptist University’s financial journalism program.

Develop HK into a maritime hub

Develop HK into a maritime hub, create jobs and spur growth

Updated: 2012-08-03 06:46

By Victor Fung Keung (HK Edition)


Hong Kong means "fragrant harbor" in Chinese. We should take advantage of the harbor we have and build Hong Kong into a maritime hub, not just a financial center. Such a push will create more jobs and spur economic growth.

While attention is focused on constructing a cruise terminal at the old Kai Tak airport, a more strategic move to develop this city into a maritime hub is needed. Mr CY Leung's team is well-advised to start thinking and planning to achieve this reality.

The government will spend HK$1.8 billion to HK$2.4 billion to build the Kai Tak cruise terminal, which will be completed in mid-2013. The terminal, which can berth alongside two vessels of up to 50,000 tonnes each, will be managed by Worldwide Cruise Terminals Consortium. The government will receive rent and a percentage of the gross income from the operator. The progress has created a lot of excitement.

It's time, however, we looked beyond the cruise terminal. It will be wonderful if Hong Kong can become a world-class financial center as well as a maritime hub.

Hong Kong's main rivals, which surprise nobody, include Singapore and Shanghai. Singapore has been very aggressive about building the city state into a maritime hub. In many aspects, our new government should provide strategic thinking and financial assistance to raise Hong Kong's playing field as high as Singapore's, if not higher.

Currently, about 2,100 ships are flying the Hong Kong flag. To attract shipping firms to register in Hong Kong, we must provide double-taxation protection for them. Disappointingly, we have only signed 20 double-taxation protection agreements with foreign governments, much lower than Singapore's 50. The exposure to a heavy tax burden has forced some shipping firms to uproot their bases here and move to Singapore. These stories are barely reported by the local press because shipping is viewed as a boring beat for journalists.

Mr Leung's government should start planning to offer subsidies and incentives for shipping operators to set up shop in Hong Kong, lest "Asia's world city" sees its status as a global maritime center gradually eroded.

One suggestion is to ask former Chief Executive Mr CH Tung to head a task force to build and strengthen Hong Kong's status as a world-wide maritime hub.

Mr Tung is no stranger to people in the shipping industry. His family owns the Orient Overseas (International) Limited, one of the world's largest integrated operators of container transportation, logistics and terminals. He can work with Mr Helmut Sohmen, son-in-law of the late shipping magnate Sir YK Pao and owner of BW Group Limited, the amalgamated company of World-wide Shipping Co and Oslo-based BW Maritime Group.

It is somewhat disappointing to learn that the BW Group now is headquartered in Singapore, which is Hong Kong' main competitor. Perhaps Mr Tung, if he agrees to head the task force, can convince Mr Sohmen to move BW Group's headquarters back to Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Maritime Forum, an umbrella group for the city's 24 maritime organizations, has planned to meet with Leung after the Legislative Council Election. It is hoped that Mr Leung (together with Mr Tung perhaps) will provide policies and assistance to our maritime sector to solidify Hong Kong's role as a global maritime center.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

They haven't stopped trying

好文共賞
V22 Sharp Daily - Hong Kong Version
2012-08-02



“They haven't stopped trying, but we have got better at stopping them.”



1."We are sorry (1) for the losses (2) suffered (3) by the Pakistani military." （Hillary Clinton）

背景：美國在一次空襲中炸死了24名巴基斯坦士兵，時隔很久美國國務卿希拉莉（Hillary Clinton）才表示遺憾 （不是道歉）。

2."They haven't stopped trying (4), but we have got better (5) at stopping them."

（Jonathan Evans）

背景：英國軍情六處主管Jonathan Evans在評論英國的反恐活動。

3."We have been waiting for it (6) for 7000 years. For the first time (7) in history, we have our own president, elected (8) by us."

（Abdul Mawgoud Dardery）

背景：回教領袖Mohamed Morsy在最近的埃及選舉中獲勝。黨員Abdul Mawgoud Dardery在Morsy勝出後發表這番話。

馮強短評

好辭彙共賞:

(1)sorry = 遺憾的；惋惜的。Victor will be sorry for this one day = Victor有一天要懊悔這件事的。Daisy,say you are sorry and I will forgive you = Daisy,你說你錯了我便饒你。

(2)the losses = 損失，傷亡，輸掉。Loss of sight = 失明。Deng Xiaoping's death is a great loss to the country = 他的死是國家的大損失。Loss of opportunity = 錯過機會

(3)suffered = 遭受，蒙受；經受；體驗到。Suffer a loss = 遭受損失。Julian could not suffer criticism = Julian受不了批評。Victor will suffer for his folly = Victor會因自己的蠢行而受到懲罰

(4)haven't stopped trying = 沒有停止嘗試。Try = 試，嘗試，試行；努力。It's hard, but I will try = 這不容易辦，但我要試試看。Try one's best = 盡全力

(5)have got better = 更加，更好地。All the better = 更好，更合適。Better late than never = 遲幹勝於不幹，亡羊補牢不算晚。For better（or）for worse = 有福同享，有禍同當

(6)waiting for it = 等待。Wait a moment！= 等一等！Victor was kept waiting = Victor一直等着

(7)For the first time = 第一次。Judge not of men and things at first sight = 對人對事作評論，初次印象未必真。The first snow of the season = 初雪。The first impression = 最初印象

(8)elected = 當選，選出。Elect to be a doctor = 決定當醫生。The Mayor-elect = 當選市長

短評共賞:

我 希望有一天可以說這句話："We have been waiting for it for 170 years（1842 to 2012）.For the first time in Hong Kong's history, we have our own Chief Executive, elected by us.'

馮強

浸會大學傳理學院國際新聞和財經新聞碩士課程主任