Talk of the town：New Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport is Open!
【明報專訊】The airport's three-runway system, which took eight years to build and cost $141.5 billion, started operating on November 28th. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said that the Hong Kong International Airport, under the three-runway system, will be able to handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of freight annually. He also pointed out that the airport currently connects Hong Kong with nearly 200 global destinations and expects airlines to utilize the new runway to introduce new routes.
Under the new three-runway system, all three runways will handle take-offs and landings, but each will be assigned to function as follows in order to optimise the efficiency of the system: the northern runway will be for landings, the central one will be for take-offs, and the southern runway will handle both take-offs and landings.
What is an ''airport city''?
An airport city, also known as an aerotropolis, is when the airport becomes the main economic centre of a city instead of just being on the outskirts. The idea behind an aerotropolis is to use the airport as a hub for business activities, making it easier for companies to reach global markets and for people to travel for leisure more efficiently. One of the goals of constructing the three-runway system is to transform Hong Kong International Airport from merely a city airport into an Airport City.
■Game
Where do airplanes land and depart at Hong Kong International Airport?
A. Pat departs from Hong Kong to Shanghai
[Northern / Southern / Central]
B. MoMo arrives in Hong Kong from Osaka
[Northern / Southern / Central]
C. A plane arrives from Japan in Hong Kong that carries a lot of Japanese snacks
[Northern / Southern / Central]
(Answers on next text)
◆Grammar booster
Merely
''Merely'' used to emphasize that something is not large, important, or effective when compared to something else.
E.g. The medicine won't cure her - it merely stops the pain.
■Gear up
1. Hong Kong International Airport could handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of freight annually before building the third runway. (True/False)
Fill in the blanks with the glossary below.
2. We need to ________ our use of existing technology to make Hong Kong a better place.
3. Most people only have a limited amount of _______ time.
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
currently (adv) 目前
optimise (v) 使完善／充分利用
outskirt (n) 郊區
leisure (n) 休閒
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[Smarties' Power English 第424期]
