又中又英
又中又英
又中又英

to a fault

2016/10/13 16:06:45 網誌分類: 生活
13 Oct
         Many Hong Kong people mock Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying for being patriotic to a fault. To mock means to ridicule, tease, or make fun of someone in an insulting way. The expression “to a fault” means more than necessary, excessively, or far too much. If your friend gives far more than he can afford to charity, you can say he is generous to a fault. Leung Chun-ying was?mocked?again two weeks ago for being patriotic to a fault during the National Day ceremony. It was raining heavily but Zhang Xiaoming, the head of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, closed his umbrella when the national anthem began to play. When Leung Chun-ying saw this, he asked his wife, who was holding up an umbrella for both of them, to close it too.

         But last week Hong Kong people mocked Leung Chun-ying for not being patriotic enough after pictures on social media showed him lining up at the IFC mall Apple store to buy an iPhone. He was mocked for buying an American rather than a Chinese product. It is clear he lined up for show because he could have bought the phone online, but the mocking of him made me wonder about globalization. The word “globe” means the world. Globalization is the process in which products and ideas spread around the world in a way that makes it easier for countries to do trade with each other. Globalization has enabled large companies to produce goods and increase trade in many different countries.

         I have never used an iPhone but the?mocking?of Leung Chun-ying made me curious about Apple products. My internet research showed the iPhone is a perfect example of?globalization. It was invented in the US and the new iPhones that come out every year are designed in the US, but the different parts, such as the battery and camera, are made in many countries and?assembled?(put together) in mainland China. The factories in mainland China that assemble?iPhones provide jobs for tens of thousands of Chinese workers. Was Leung Chun-ying being patriotic or unpatriotic by buying an iPhone? It is an interesting question.

        * * *

         許多香港人嘲笑(mock)特首梁振英過份地(to a fault)愛國。To mock 即是嘲弄、取笑某人。習語 to a fault即是過度、過份。若你朋友捐給慈善的錢是過於他所能承擔的,你便可以說他過份慷慨(generous to a fault)。梁振英兩星期前又被嘲笑(mocked),因為他在國慶日升旗禮上過份(to a fault)愛國。那天下很大的雨,但當國歌響起時,中聯辦主任張曉明卻收起了雨傘。梁振英見此,便叫為他和自己撐傘的太太收起雨傘。

         但上星期,社交媒體上有照片顯示,梁振英在國金的蘋果專賣店排隊買iPhone手機,香港人又嘲笑(mocked)他不夠愛國。他被嘲諷(mocked)買美國產品而非國貨。他明明可以上網買電話,卻要排隊買,明顯在做騷,但網民對他的嘲弄(mocking)卻令我思忖globalization。Globe 就是地球,globalization 即是世界各地的產品和意念都能輕易傳播,以至各國貿易變得更為容易。全球化(globalization)令大公司得以在各國生產貨品和促進貿易。

         我從未用過iPhone,但對梁振英的嘲弄(mocking)令我對蘋果產品產生好奇。網上搜尋結果顯示,iPhone正正就是全球化(globalization)的完美實例。它在美國發明,每年新推出的iPhones也在美國設計,但它的不同部份,例如電池和相機鏡頭,就在許多不同的國家製造,並在中國內地組裝(assembled)。在內地負責組裝(assemble)iPhones的工廠,為內地工人提供了成千上萬的職位。梁振英買iPhone,到底是愛國還是不愛國?這是個有趣的問題。

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

        
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