【明報專訊】In recent years, the scalping of tickets for performances staged in Hong Kong has became rampant. Tickets are sold out quickly when they are made available for public sale. They are subsequently traded under the counter and at times sold at higher prices.

The government has proposed measures to combat (打擊) ticket scalping, such as increasing the supply of tickets during public sale and piloting "personalised ticketing" (「實名制」). The government has also set aside HK$20 billion for the improvement and development of cultural facilities in the coming ten years, so as to increase performance venues.

However, the government's proposal has not mentioned tougher penalties for scalping. The existing law carries only a maximum fine of HK$2,000 which has been criticised for being out of date.

sources: Ming Pao, www.legco.gov.hk

■English highway﹕Stage

"Stage" used as a verb means "to organise a public event".

e.g. The school is going to stage a football match next month.

■Quiz

1. There is one mistake in each sentence. Correct them.

a) The scalpers sell the tickets at a lower price than the original price.

b) The government has proposed to increase the demand of tickets during public sale.

2. In paragraph 3, "tougher penalties" possibly refers to a maximum fine of (more than / less than) HK$2,000.

■Game

Bill has reserved 80% of the tickets for his fan club and 15% for the sponsors. The remainder are for public sale. If there are 2000 tickets in total, how many tickets can each party get?

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

scalp (v) 炒賣

rampant (adj) 猖獗的

subsequently (adv) 其後

fine (n) 罰款

[Smarties' Power English 第232期]