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Hong Kong City University roof collapse

 

睽違半年，English in News 回歸，繼續跟大家講時事、學英文！

 

城市大學胡法光體育館天台綠化工程竣工不久，驚聞天台整片塌下，多間大學表示會盡快檢查綠化設施，以保安全。由 greening 到 give somebody the green light，英文中的「綠」變化多端，聽聽香港大學英語中心助理講師容煒灝（Kevin） 和前新聞主播魏綺珊（Jo）怎麼說！

 

A roof has collapsed at a sports centre on the campus of the City University of Hong Kong in Kowloon Tong. At least three have been injured and taken to the hospital.    [Hong Kong Free Press, 20 May, 2016]

 

roof  vs.  ceiling

 

Roof is the top most part of the structure of a part while ceiling is what you look at when inside a room.

 

collapse

(noun / verb 名詞／動詞)

 

1. 倒塌 (verb 動詞)

 

例子：The chair collapsed under the fat woman’s weight.   椅子被他坐塌了。

 

2. 暈倒；支撐不住 (verb 動詞)

 

例子：She collapsed from loss of blood.   她因失血而虛脫。

例子：She collapsed with laughter.   她笑得直不起腰。

例子：collapse into chaos  亂成一團

 

3. 倒塌；崩潰 (noun 名詞)

 

例子：the collapse of the roof   屋頂的坍塌

例子：She suffered a complete collapse.   她徹底崩潰了。

例子：in a state of emotional collapse   處於情緒失控狀態

 

= a cave-in (noun 名詞)

 

The suspicion is that the added soil and vegetation exceeded the loading capacity of the roof and triggered its eventual cave-in... The incident sent shock waves, not just across the university community, but throughout a city that has the highest number of skyscrapers in the world and takes much pride in its exacting safety standards.   [SCMP]

 

exact 確切的；準確的

(adjective 形容詞) 

例子：exact words 原話 / to be exact  確切地說

 

exacting 嚴格要求的

(adjective 形容詞)

例子：There are exacting requirements of approval / exacting approval standards.

 

exact 索取

(verb 動詞)

 

  • to exact sth from sbd   向某人索取
  • to exact obedience from sbd   要求某人順從
  • to exact revenge on sbd   報復某人

 

Most of the focus in the wake of the collapse at CityU has been on the greening elements that were retrofitted onto the sports centre roof only months ago.

 

retrofit 加裝；為…加裝新設施

(verb動詞 /noun名詞)

 

例子：A retrofit may involve putting in new window jambs (門窗邊框).

 

 

Kevin’s classroom

green

  • 綠色的 　例子：green grass
  • 未熏製的 例子：green meat 生肉
  • 未熟的 　例子：green tomatoes
  • 未乾透的 例子：green wood does not burn well 生柴不好燒
  • 不成熟的 例子：He was a young guy, very green, very immature.
  • 十分妒忌的 green with envy   
  • 清晰的 　例子：to keep his memory green 對他永記不忘
  • a green (noun 名詞) = an area of land covered with grass
  • 給予… 許可 give someone the green light 

   
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