《中英對照讀新聞》Disagreements cloud Hong Kong's blue skies香港的藍天因歧見蒙上陰霾
◎俞智敏
As Hong Kong basks in one of its finest summers for nearly a decade, the government and environmentalists are at loggerheads over the reason for the clear blue skies residents of this usually smog-ridden city are enjoying.
正當香港沐浴在近十年來最舒適的夏季之際，香港政府與環保人士卻為了究竟什麼原因使得這座經常籠罩在煙霧中的城市，居民近來卻能享受到晴朗藍天，彼此各執一詞。
Air quality in Hong Kong has taken a dramatic turn for the better this year. Official figures show the number of low-pollution days between May and July is up more than 70 percent on 2006, with air quality better than at any time since 1999.
香港的空氣品質今年突然戲劇性地改善。官方數據顯示，今年5月至7月間的低空污日數較去年增加了70% ，空氣品質更為1999年以來的最佳狀態。
The Hong Kong government believes it should get the credit for the transformation. Diesel taxis and mini-buses are being replaced with vehicles that run on cleaner liquefied petroleum gas, and the government has tightened emissions caps on power plants.
香港政府認為，空氣品質的改善應是政府的功勞。柴油計程車與小型巴士現已被使用液化石油氣的更清淨車輛所取代，政府也對發電廠排放的廢氣量設定更嚴格的上限。
But environmentalists say emission reduction targets are too low, and air pollution figures are not telling the real story because the danger limits are set much higher than those of the World Health Organisation. They believe it was too early for the government to claim it has beaten the smog.
但環保人士卻說，溫室氣體排放量目標的降低幅度太少，且空污數據並無法說明事實全貌，因為香港政府設定的危險限制較世界衛生組織高出許多。他們認為，政府現在要自稱打敗煙霧，恐怕還為時過早。
新聞辭典
at loggerheads：loggerhead原指笨蛋、鐵頭棒或赤蠵龜，at loggerheads則指嚴重不睦、爭執，例句︰They were at loggerheads over the distribution of funds.（他們為了資金分配問題相爭不下。）
take a turn for the better╱worse：片語，指某事突然改善╱惡化，例句︰Their relationship took a turn for the worse when he lost his job.（在他失業後，他們的關係突然惡化。）
credit（for╱to）：名詞，指功勞、榮譽，例句︰He took no credit for his kindly act.（他不願為自己的善行居功。）
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