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 1 Wowed = to make someone feel great excitement/admiration 使印象深刻；使叫絕   朗朗令 tourists 喜愛 Lang Lang wowed tourists in the ‘City of Love’ on Valentine’s Day 2019 as he gave a unique album launch concert in Paris on a boat cruising along the Seine 塞納河 , performing pieces from his new album, Piano Book, such as the French classic ‘Clair de lune’ by Claude Debussy.

The  heart  and  lungs  will be  transplanted   in tandem . 將 同時 移植心臟和雙肺。 Traditionally, stocks and bonds move in tandem = at the same time and in the opposite direction. When stocks go up, the value of bonds comes down. However, as bonds become less valuable, their yields normally rise to partly compensate for the loss in valuation. By the same token, the opposite applies when stocks come down. It is common to see stocks and bonds in a portfolio like that of the exchange fund, but what has surprised Yue is that this golden rule has broken. Although stocks and bonds still moved in tandem, they headed in the same direction to create a stock-and-bond double whammy. Together with what is unfolding in the currency markets, the crisis expands to become a triple one. HKMA has never disclosed the exchange fund portfolio in detail. Apart from US dollar-denominated assets, how many assets denominated in other currencies such as the yuan, euro or yen does it hold un...

Extreme lockdown measures may have prevented Omicron outbreaks from exploding exponentially 越來越快的  in Shanghai - but it is also apparent  清晰可見的 t hat these measures have only been able to flatten the number of new cases at a relatively high level. This economic powerhouse of the mainland has still recorded around 20,000 cases - symptomatic and asymptomatic - every day despite the extraordinary measures. In Hong Kong - where social distancing was tightened but the city was not frozen - the number of new cases has fallen steeply after reaching the peak, allowing social distancing to ease and economic activities to resume steadily but slowly. Although I was critical of the SAR's government experts over their advice not to prioritize the elderly for vaccination when the Covid pandemic started, I could not agree more this time with government expert Ivan Hung Fan-ngai. Hung said the administration may act more quickly to relax social distancing after more than four million people h...

Ben Leung Lap-yan, charter president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association of Hong Kong,  slammed = criticized the government’s decision not to allow the reopening of bars and pubs in the latest easing of social distancing measures as “discrimination”.   Leung accused the government of being unfair to his industry as bars in Hong Kong have always been the first to close and the last to reopen under different social-distancing phases. He said he did not see much of a difference in the business operation between the city’s bars and restaurants, with many restaurants with a liquor license also serving alcohol to customers.   He also criticized the government for neglecting citizens’ and industries’ opinions in policymaking.

1. account for = to  form  the  total  of something （在數量上）佔 Students  account for the  vast   majority  of  our   customers . 我們的顧客絕大多數是學生。 2. account for = to   explain   the   reason   for something or the   cause   of something （對某人）就…作出解釋；（對某人）就…作出說明 Can you  account for   your   absence  last  Friday ? 你能解釋一下上週五你為甚麼缺勤嗎？ He has to  account  to his  manager   for  all his  movements . 他不得不向經理交代清楚他的一切行動。 Citizens question cost of Covid rules on mental health, livelihoods  To fight Covid, Hong Kong shut schools and businesses, nearly sealed its borders for two years, banned more than two people from gathering and quarantined whole buildings.  Still the draconian =    extremely   severe   restrictions were unable to contain the coronavirus, and with more than 8,600 deaths of mostly elderly, unvaccinated people, ma...

SAR knocked off aviation pedestal (基地) 使（某人）威信掃地 IATA轟港防控過嚴 國際航空樞紐不再 knock  sb  off = to murder sb The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says Hong Kong has ceased  = to stop to function as an international aviation hub as it curbs = to control inbound flights and quarantines arrivals, sending Cathay Pacific's shares down 2.6 percent. "It's effectively off the map now  已從航班地圖上消失 and I think it's going to be difficult for Hong Kong to recover," said Willie Walsh, director-general of IATA. "It's going to lag significantly behind the recovery that we're seeing elsewhere and has led to a tough time for all airlines operating there. 香港的復甦步伐嚴重落後其他國家或地區，導致在港營運的航空企業遭逢艱苦時刻 " 20220408 Clipped wings ground high-flying = extremely successful image Could Hong Kong - once one of the world's busiest aviation hubs - really lose its prestigious position due to its extreme Covid quarantine actions that have decimated = to kill inbound passenger fli...

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/17/240537/Strong-reasons-for-Beijing's-choice Strong reasons for Beijing's choice The situation surrounding the chief executive election has become clear even before nomination closes. Following John Lee Ka-chiu's resignation yesterday as chief secretary and his declaration of candidacy before the media, it is now all but certain he will take over from Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in July to become the SAR's fifth chief executive. Beijing's pick of a former police officer instead of a civilian may be indicative  表明   of the central government's policy towards Hong Kong for the foreseeable 可預見的  future. Having said that, any analysis of the arrangement in the absence of official accounts can only be presumptive  推測 . It may be presumed that national security continues to be the top concern for the leadership in spite of repeated statements of the successful implementation of the national security law in restoring ...

 https://www.thestandard.com.hk/column-news/1520/Writing's-on-the-wall-for-lam-on-Covid-mess Writing's on the wall for lam on Covid mess Streetwise | Susan Liang  | 18 Mar 2022 10:27 am We now have a second open letter to SAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the latest being from eminent = famous barrister Cheng Huan in The Standard. Lam still doesn't seem to realize the failings of her administration, which is the failure to listen to stakeholders in our society. I must say that having read an earlier letter by prominent businessman Allen Zeman to Lam, followed by that of Cheng, I fully agree with its contents. It is quite amazing that she has not taken concrete steps to allay = relief our fears or dispel =    remove   fears  the inconsistency in the differing statements emanating = express  from her and her cabinet. For one thing, notwithstanding = despite  the recent big budget for Hong Kong for the coming year, Lam still...

Simple present tense 簡單現在式 (1)For habits or regular actions 表示習慣或恆常活動我們習慣會做的 E.g.: Dad always(總是) works until midnight. The twins often(時常) come to school late. Steven plays basketball well. (2)talking about a truth 形容一個道理或真理 E.g.: Water boils at 100℃. (3) For questions 表示問句： Do you read newspaper every day? Does he live in Shatin? Is he John? (4) For negative sentences 表示否定句： I do not drink milk. My brother does not help with the housework. Polly and Jimmy are not my friends. Present continuous tense 動詞(現在進行式) (1) The action is going on now活動正在進行 E.g.:  I am watching television now. Anna is studying in her bedroom at present. Examples of questions and negative sentences: 問句和否定句的例子： Is Uncle Poon working in the laboratory now? No, he is not working there now. Are you learning to play the piano? No, I am not learning to play the piano. (2) Future arrangements 講未來活動 E.g.:  He is attending an important conference next Saturday. Lucas isn't coming to the meeting tomorrow. Some ver...