又中又英 | A bolt from the blue | 褚簡寧
It is impossible to predict tragedies with mass casualties caused by nature or human error. They strike suddenly, like a bolt from the blue. We only experience the horror of such tragedies when they happen. We then put in blood, sweat, and tears to find future solutions that prevent similar tragedies or at least lower the casualty rate. A bolt from the blue means a sudden and shocking event. The expression "blood, sweat, and tears" is used when people work extremely hard to achieve something.
The December 2004 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia which triggered a massive Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 280,000 people in 14 countries was a bolt from the blue caused by nature. Scientists cannot predict earthquakes or the tsunamis they cause, but they can warn people of a tsunami after an earthquake. The US invented the first tsunami warning system in 1949 for Hawaii. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, scientists put blood, sweat, and tears into creating a global tsunami warning system.
Nature did not cause last week's massive fire at Wang Fuk Court estate, which was being renovated. The fire has killed over 150 people so far. Numerous others are still unaccounted for. An investigation is underway into what ignited the fire, which spread across bamboo scaffoldings, netting covering the scaffoldings, and Styrofoam covering windows. It could have been workers smoking cigarettes. The government must put blood, sweat, and tears into finding the cause to prevent future tragedies. Residents of all buildings now undergoing renovation will be relieved that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has ordered safety checks. It's the right thing to do. A re-think into future construction methods is imperative.
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不論天災或人禍，重大傷亡慘劇都是不可能預測的。慘劇總會像晴天霹靂（a bolt from the blue）般突然襲來。只有在它們發生的時候，我們才經歷到這些慘劇的恐怖。然後我們會揮盡血汗與淚水（blood, sweat, and tears），尋求日後的解決方案，以避免類似的悲劇再發生，或至少減低傷亡數字。A bolt from the blue 是指在晴朗的藍天突然出現一道閃電，比喻突然而令人震驚的事情。習語blood, sweat, and tears是用來形容人們極盡辛勞地工作，付出血汗淚水去達成某事。
2004年12月印尼蘇門答臘對出海底地震，引發印度洋巨大海嘯，導致14個國家有約28萬人身亡，這也是來自大自然的晴天霹靂（a bolt from the blue）。科學家未能預計到地震或其引發的海嘯，但他們能在地震發生後警示人們會有海嘯。美國在1949年為夏威夷發明了首個海嘯警報系統。而在2004年印度洋海嘯後，科學家拼盡全力（blood, sweat, and tears），創立全球海嘯警報系統。
大自然卻並非上星期維修中的宏福苑巨大火災的元兇。火災已導致超過150人死亡，另有無數人下落不明。現在正有調查審視是甚麼造成大火於竹棚、棚網及掩蓋窗戶的發泡膠板間延燒。也許是工人吸煙引致。政府必須竭盡全力（blood, sweat, and tears），找出事件因由，避免將來慘劇再度發生。特首李家超已下令即時巡查所有正進行維修工程大廈的安全，住在其中的居民能鬆一口氣。這是做得正確的事。我們逼切需要再思未來建築維修的方式。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
