Hong Kong announced yesterday it would slaughter some 4,700 chickens to prevent a repeat of the 1997 outbreak of the deadly “bird flu”.
Secretary for the Environment and Food, Lily Yam, told a news conference that the cull was prompted by reports that 797 chickens had died of avian flu at three markets in the last 24 hours.
The government took the drastic step of killing all of its 1.4 million live bird population in a bid to rid itself of the “bird flu” in 1997, which killed six people.
Yam was quick to allay fears yesterday saying chances were slim the present strain would be passed on to humans because gene tests had shown it was different from the 1997 virus.
Authorities have yet to trace the source of the virus but have promised to pay for the entire slaughtering exercise and compensate the affected owners of about 40 chicken stalls.
(Adapted from STAR)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. slaughter | menyembelih |
| 2. curb | membendung |
| 3. outbreak | wabak |
| 4. deadly | merbahaya |
| 5. news conference | sidang akhbar |
| 6. prompted | didesak |
| 7. killing | membunuh |
| 8. rid | menghapuskan |
| 9. quick | cepat |
| 10. fears | kebimbangan |
| 11. slim | tipis |
| 12. present | sekarang |
| 13. have yet | masih belum |
| 14. trace | mengesan |
| 15. entire | kesemua |
| 1. cull | perbuatan pilih bunuh |
| 2. drastic | drastik/keras |
| 3. bid | usaha |
| 4. allay | mengurangkan |
| 5. strain | jenis |
19b HELMET FEVER SPAWNS AN INDUSTRY IN VIETNAM
Rising road deaths have prompted Vietnam’s communists to crack down on wayward motorcyclists, leading to a get-rich-quickcraze.
In motorbike-mad Vietnam, the government has announced all riders and passengers must wear helmets from June 1. But the exorbitant cost, sometimes more than RM190 a helmet, has provoked a rush for cheap alternatives.
Vietnam’s average monthly wage is less than RM114, forcing riders to wear cheaper, unsafe and uglier versions dubbed‘rice cookers’, or plastic toy imitations, instead of the authentic articles.
Last year, there were 23,184 road accidents, killing 7,882 and injuring 25,678 people. More than half involved motorbikes, but less than 3% of the riders wore helmets.
The Vietnam Investment Review said, “The scene on June 1 is unlikely to be a pretty one, when all motorbike riders and passengers will be required by law to wear helmets.”
Of an estimated 400,000 helmets sold in recent weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, authorities estimated just 10% could be verified as safe.
(Adapted from STAR)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. helmet | topi keledar |
| 2. fever | demam |
| 3. spawns | melahirkan |
| 4. leading to | membawa kepada |
| 5. get-rich-quick | cepat kaya |
| 6. provoked | mencetuskan |
| 7. rush | permintaan besar |
| 8. average | purata |
| 9. wage | gaji |
| 10. unsafe | tidak selamat |
| 11. uglier | lebih buruk |
| 12. versions | versi-versi |
| 13. dubbed | dipanggil |
| 14. imitations | tiruan |
| 15. authentic | asli |
| 1. wayward | keras kepala |
| 2. craze | kegilaan |
| 3. exorbitant | terlalu mahal |
| 4. investment | pelaburan |
| 5. verified | disahkan |
19c NG FINDS JOY IN REARING CROCODILES
Hobbies come in many forms, but for 66 year-old Ng Chang Chiew, rearing crocodiles is his way to relax.
Having started with ten baby crocodiles given by a friend 20 years ago, Ng now has over a hundred of the reptiles on his farm in Teluk Sengat. With zinc sheets covering the perimeter of his farm, a visitor will be surprised to see crocodiles basking in the sun in pools surrounded by a two-metre high concrete wall.
Ng’s farm is believed to be the only one of its kind in Johor. He says that he spends his own money to maintain the farm.
The adult crocodiles, some measuring over six metres, are fed meat such as chicken. Ng says that female crocodiles are separated from the groups and placed on higher ground so that their eggs are safe. “ The females are usually quiet, pretending to sleep but they are fierce when their eggs begin to hatch. They look innocent but they can kill. ”
Having a crocodile farm in Teluk Sengat was a good idea to encourage tourism, adding that the centre could be used as a centre to do research on the reptiles.
( Adapted from STAR )
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. joy | kegembiraan |
| 2. hobbies | hobi-hobi |
| 3. forms | bentuk / jenis |
| 4. relax | bersantai |
| 5. reptiles | reptilia |
| 6. zinc | zink |
| 7. sheets | kepingan-kepingan |
| 8. basking | berjemur |
| 9. pools | kolam-kolam |
| 10. surrounded | dikelilingi |
| 11. wall | dinding |
| 12. fed | diberi makan |
| 13. female | betina |
| 14. quiet | diam |
| 15. hatch | menetas |
| 1. perimeter | sempadan |
| 2. higher ground | kawasan yang lebih tinggi |
| 3. pretending | berpura-pura |
| 4. fierce | garang |
| 5. innocent | tidak berbahaya |
19d LOOK OUT FOR THE ROVING LIBRARIAN
Visitors to Singapore’s largest library, Woodland Regional Library, might feel a bit lost especially when trying to locate a book.
They do not have to worry though as help is at hand. All they need to do is ask for the ‘roving librarian.’ An assistant at this library will have a wireless pocket PC to help them locate that elusive book and, later, to check their account.
The library also has 54 multimedia stations, where users can go online or search for books, magazines, CD-ROMs and videos from the National Library’s entire database. In future, laptop users will also have internet access – they will be able to borrow LAN ( Local Area Network ) cards.
The library, with a floor space that is much bigger than a football field, will operate from noon to 9pm every day. It will provide a café, music lounge, a stage for performances, and rooms for people to do their projects.
As it is located near the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, the library has adopted the theme of nature. Workshops and talks on nature will take place once a month.
(Adapted
from STAR)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. roving | bergerak |
| 2. lost | sesat |
| 3. worry | bimbang |
| 4. wireless | tanpa wayar |
| 5. pocket PC | komputer kecil |
| 6. in future | di masa hadapan |
| 7. borrow | meminjam |
| 8. floor | lantai |
| 9. space | ruang |
| 10. field | padang |
| 11. operate | beroperasi |
| 12. stage | pentas |
| 13. rooms | bilik-bilik |
| 14. workshops | bengkel-bengkel |
| 15. talks | ceramah-ceramah |
ENRICHMENT LIST
| 1. at hand | senang didapati |
| 2. elusive | susah dicari |
| 3. database | pangkalan data |
| 4. lounge | bilik istirehat |
| 5. theme | tema |
.
19e
GRANNY’S LUCKY ESCAPE FROM PYTHON
Grandmother Ngah Hitam, 72, had a narrow escape when a python put its jaw around her foot through a hole in the bathroom floor of their slightly raised house at Kampung Seberang Tuan Chik here around midnight on Saturday.
Ngah had gone to the bathroom when suddenly the python placed its jaw tightly around a foot and tried to drag her down the hole. Fortunately for her, the hole was not big enough to accommodate Ngah.
Unable to pull her down and not able to enter the bathroom because of its own massive size the python gave up.
The granny who suffered a huge bite on her foot is now recuperating at the Terengganu hospital.
Her granddaughter, Wan Aishah Ibrahim, 31, said this was the second time that a python had attempted to enter their house in the last six months. In December it tried to crush a cat, but was forced to release it when residents approached it.
(
Adapted from STAR)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. python | ular sawa |
| 2. jaw | rahang |
| 3. foot | kaki |
| 4. bathroom | bilik mandi |
| 5. slightly | sedikit |
| 6. midnight | tengah malam |
| 7. tightly | dengan ketat |
| 8. drag | mengheret |
| 9. fortunately | nasib baik |
| 10. enter | masuk |
| 11. bite | gigitan |
| 12. granddaughter | cucu perempuan |
| 13. attempted | mencuba |
| 14. crush | menekan dengan kuat ( supaya patah) |
| 15. approached | menghampiri |
| 1. narrow escape | nyaris maut |
| 2. raised | tinggi |
| 3. gave up | menyerah kalah |
| 4. recuperating | sedang pulih |
| 5. release | melepaskan |