I think it's time for the government to get off its butt and clean up the harbor （harbour in British English）. We need a clean harbor to replenish the fish population. Our harbor needs a fish population because of a splendid idea by the government. Officials said recently they will consider building a pedestrian tunnel with shopping malls under the harbor from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central. People will be able to walk from one side of the harbor to the other. They can go shopping, eat dim sum, and maybe even see a movie.
I
think it is a zany but splendid idea. The slang word zany means crazy or funny. Splendid means very impressive or excellent. Building an underwater pedestrian tunnel is a crazy but excellent idea. But it won't be a splendid idea if the government builds a windowless （without windows） underwater pedestrian tunnel. Hong Kong already has an excess of （more than enough） shopping malls. The one in the tunnel must, therefore, be totally different from all the other shopping malls. The only way it can be different is for the tunnel to have windows so that people can see fish swimming.
But the government must get off its butt and clean up the harbor because fish cannot live in dirty water. The slang word butt means backside or buttocks. To get off your butt means to get up and do work. Lazy people are often told to get off their butts. To replenish means to fill up again. For example, if you have finished your glass of wine, you can replenish it （fill it up again）. Many years ago, our harbor used to have a lot of fish but most died from the polluted water. We need to replenish the harbor with more fish. Government officials must also think of other zany ideas to make the tunnel a success. How about legislative councillors wearing oxygen masks to hold their meetings underwater？ It will be impossible for Longhair Leung Kwok-hung to throw bananas underwater but he can still put on a show for pedestrians looking through the tunnel windows by releasing a shark when the financial secretary reads his budget speech.
我想，政府是時候動身（get off its butt）去清理一下海港（harbor，英式串法為harbour）了。我們需要一個清潔的海港，好讓那兒再裝滿（replenish）魚類，這源於政府一個極好（splendid）的提議。官員近日說，他們會考慮興建一條由尖沙咀到中環的海底行人 隧道。人們可以由海港的一邊步行到另一邊，他們更可以購物、吃點心甚至看齣電影。
我認為這是一個很滑稽（zany）但又很不錯（splendid）的想法。俚語zany解作瘋狂或可笑的。Splendid解作壯麗或優秀的。興建海底行人隧道是個很瘋狂但又很出類拔萃的想法。但如果政府要起一條密封無窗（windowless）的海底行人隧道，那麼這個想法就不夠好（splendid）了。香港已經有過多（an excess of）的商場。因此，隧道內的商場必須跟其他購物商場截然不同。唯一令它別樹一格的方法，是給隧道裝上窗戶，好讓遊人能觀賞魚兒游弋。
可是，政府必須動起身來（get off its butt）清理海港，因為魚兒不會在污水裏居住。俚語butt解作臀部或屁股。To get off your butt即是起來做事，懶惰的人就常常有人着他們get off their butts。To replenish即是重新填滿，例如，你喝完一杯酒了，你便可以再次裝滿（replenish）它。許多年前，我們的海港有許多魚，但因為海水污染，大部份都死光光了。我們得令海港再次裝滿（replenish）魚。政府官員得想想其他瘋狂（zany）的點子，令隧道得以成功。不如叫立法會議員戴着氧氣罩在水底開會吧﹖這樣長毛就不能再擲蕉了，不過他還是可以在財政司司長宣讀財政預算案時，放一條鯊魚出來，給那些透過隧道窗口觀看的行人上演一場好戲。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=284797§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
