Source: http://news.hkheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=234047§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
A s I came out of the building I saw no less than four government cars with "AM" licence plates waiting for the bureau secretary and other government officials. The expression "no less than" is used to express surprise at a large number. For example, you can say: "No less than ten women had the same fake (not real) LV bag at the party." I thought to myself what a waste of taxpayers' money it was to have four cars waiting so late in the evening since the drivers would have to be given overtime pay.
Why should officials in Hong Kong be allowed to use government cars even after office hours? In the US, where I worked for many years, only the most senior officials have government cars and even they drive their own cars after work. In Hong Kong, bureau secretaries, under-secretaries, department directors and even deputy directors have government cars to take them home or to dinner after work. I can grudgingly (reluctantly) accept that a bureau secretary should have a car at all times but why should less senior officials have government cars too? The other officials I saw that evening were not senior at all. Yet they all had government cars waiting to take them home. They could easily have arranged a carpool instead. This means everyone sharing one car. But our officials are too proud to do that. They prefer to waste taxpayers' money.
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一位老朋友邀約我和另外幾個人，一起到中環某商人會所的私人廂房晚膳。幾個來自同一個政黨的立法會議員，正與一位政府局長在對面的私人廂房共進晚餐。恰巧（It just so happened）兩幫人同時吃完飯，搭乘那兩部升降機（elevators，英式英語是lifts）到地面。習語it just so happened解作「碰巧」或「意外地」。例如你可以說：「一陣猛風吹來，兩個男人剛巧（it just so happened）同一時間被吹跌了假髮。」
當我走出大廈，我見到不少於（no less than）四輛掛着 "AM" 車牌的政府車，在等着局長和其他政府官員。習語no less than是用來表達對大數目的驚訝。例如你可以說：「派對上居然有不下（no less than）十個女人都在挽着冒牌（fake）LV袋。」我暗忖還不算是浪費公帑嗎，因為那四輛車要等到這麼晚，就得付司機的超時人工。
為甚麼香港官員可以在辦公時間以外，仍獲許用政府車？我在美國工作多年，那兒只有最高層的官員才能用政府車，他們放工後還得自己駕車。在香港，局長、副局長、處長，甚至連副處長都有政府車，接送他們放工後回家或晚膳。我很不情願地（grudgingly）接受，一個局長可以整天都有車，但為何較低級的官員都有政府車？那個晚上我遇見的都不是高級官員，但人人都有輛政府車送他們回家。他們要安排趟順風車（carpool）亦很容易嘛，Carpool即是共乘汽車，但我們的官員們太驕傲了，只情願浪費納稅人的錢。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧