Talk of the town：The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway
【明報專訊】In Chief Executive Carrie Lam's new Policy Address, the building of a ''Northern Metropolis'' is proposed. It is said that this region, located in the Northern New Territories, will be the hub of Hong Kong's innovation and technology.
As part of this new initiative, the government is also proposing the building of five new railway lines. Three of them will straddle the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border. The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway will connect Hung Shui Bridge to Qianhai in Shenzhen, and the preliminary plan is that three stations, namely Hung Shui Bridge, Ha Tsuen (廈村) and Lau Fau Shan (流浮山), will be built and co-location arrangements will be in place at Qianhai.
The MTR welcomes the government's plan, but some politicians have expressed reservations. Michael Tien, a Legislative Council Member, said that while he agreed with the building of three stations for the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway, he believed that the co-location arrangements should not be carried out at Qianhai Station but in Shenzhen Bay to make it easier for Hong Kong people to go to work in Nanshan District(南山區 ). The Democratic Party is concerned about whether the new building plan will lead to overcrowding on the East Rail Line.
■ Game
Difficulty: (★★)
A new station has opened, but Eason has mixed up the labels of the facilities. Help correct them!
(See the picture)
A. turnstiles
B. ticket machine
C. network map
D. customer service
■ Grammar booster
Whether
The word ''whether'' is used to express a doubt or choice between two possibilities.
e.g. Dr Panda is undecided about whether he should stay at home on Saturday.
■ Gear up
1. The ''Northern Metropolis'' plan was mentioned in the Policy Address.(True/ False)
2. Three railway lines will be constructed to support the ''Northern Metropolis'' plan. (True/ False)
3. There are disagreements about where the ''co-location'' arrangements should take place. (True/ False)
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
propose (v) 建議
hub (n) 樞紐
initiative (n) 倡議
straddle (n) 跨越
[Smarties' Power English 第322期]
Comic：Ernest Hemingway and his wannabes
【明報專訊】Bill is asking Dr Panda something. “ Bill: Dr Panda, can we f... 詳情
