Part A      Pollution ThreatensHong Kong

 

Vocabulary Preparation:

 

allergy   n. a medical condition in which youbecome ill or in which your skin becomes red and painful because you have eatenor touched a particular substance 过敏；过敏症

itchy   adj. if part of your body is itchy, itfeels slightly unpleasant and you want to rub it with your nails 发痒的

sneeze   v. to expel air and nasal secretions from the nose involuntarily,especially as the result of irritation of the nasal mucous membrane 打喷嚏

purifier   n. a device or substance that freessomething of extraneous, contaminating, or debasing matter 净化器

initially   adv. at first 最初；开始

symptom   n. any sensation or change in bodily function experienced by apatient that is associated with a particular disease  症状；征兆

filter   n. any device containing such a porous substance for separatingsuspensions from fluids 过滤器

cargo   n. goods carried by a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle; freight 货物

ferry   n. a boat that carries people or goodsacross a river or a narrow area of water 渡轮

retain  v. tokeep in one's possession 保留；保持

diesel   n. a fuel obtained from petroleumdistillation that is used in diesel engines 柴油

freight   n.commercial transport that is slower and cheaper than express 货运

subsidy   n. a financial aid suppliedby a government, as to industry, for reasons of public welfare, the balance ofpayments, etc 补贴

 

 

Notes:

 

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimedland in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong KongDisneyland Resort and is owned andmanaged by the Hong KongInternational Theme Parks. The parkopened to visitors on September 12, 2005. 香港迪士尼乐园

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national body of 52accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK. Members range fromgrowth-oriented start-ups to local and regional subsidiaries of multinationalcompanies, in all commercial and industrial sectors, and from all over the UK. 英国总商会

 

Exercise1: Listen to the news report and get the main idea.

      

What is the mainpoint of the report?

A.    Pollutionthreatens the health of people in Hong Kong.

B.    Pollutionthreatens the natural environment in Hong Kong.

C.    Pollutionthreatens the competitiveness of Hong Kong.

D.    Pollutionthreatens the security of Hong Kong.

 

Exercise2: Listen to the news report again and fill in the blanks with the exact wordsor phrases.

 

Jennifer Pak: Friday afternoon, Hong Kong’sDisneyland is hidden behind the smog. That means no playing in the park forthree-year-old Alex Luciw. His parents believe the air is safer   1  . His mother Connie is   2   from asthma. His father John has allergies.They say it’s all related to pollution.

John Luciw (affected by air pollution): I’d wake up in the morning and -- itchyeyes, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing quite a bit. And that would last for atleast twenty to thirty minutes every morning. Then when we   3   air purifiers in the house, initially westarted with just one unit, and the effects were dramatic. All of thosesymptoms went away, almost immediately.

Jennifer Pak: A few months ago, this filter waswhite-colored. It’s now covered in dirt found floating in Hong Kong’s air. Hereis what causes much of the pollution: cargo ships and ferries running on dirtyfuel.

Jennifer Pak: Pollution levels in Hong Kongtoday are rated as high according to government statistics. It’s certainly notthe worst you would see in China, but it is making it increasingly difficultfor businesses to   4   and retain talent in Hong Kong.

Jennifer Pak: The British Chamber of Commerce isthe first to identify that pollution is bad for business, especially whenrecruiting   5   talent. Companies not tied to the Chinamarket, it says, may consider moving elsewhere.

ChristopherHammerbeck (BritishChamber of Commerce): It is a   6   issue. Because people obviously makecomparison with other cities around Asia, in particular, Singapore, which isthe big comparison that people make.

Jennifer Pak: The Chamber of Commerce says it’seasy to improve Hong Kong’s air. Take these diesel vehicles off the road. Twoout of five are considered high   7   by Hong Kong’s environmentalauthorities. The freight industry says it’s not   8   to blame them.

Stanley Chaing (Lok Ma Chao China-HK Freight Association):We don’t pollutethe air intentionally. Our industry transports clothing, food, goods to people.Everyone depends on our diesel vehicles.

Jennifer Pak: Today the government has offeredowners more subsidies to    9   these old vehicles. But similar incentiveshave failed in the past. There are calls for drastic action, otherwise HongKong’s air may    10   more businesses away. Jennifer Pak, BBC news,Hong Kong.