Photos courtesy of EPA and AFP
Animal lovers recently expressed fury at Hong Kong’s subway operator after rail workers failed to stop a dog from being run over by a train.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about this incident.
Mourners offered flowers and incense at Hong Kong’s Fanling station, where the dog was hit on August 21. Numerous Internet users also condemned the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) for failing to save the stray.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
MTR officials were forced to issue a statement after an online petition demanding an explanation for the dog’s death garnered nearly 65,000 signatures.
Workers had noticed the animal on the tracks at a neighbouring station 20 minutes before the accident and had immediately stopped trains from entering the station while staff tried to coax the dog to safety, the subway operator said. But these efforts were unsuccessful and the dog was then spotted again at Fanling station. Staff signalled an incoming train to stop, but the dog could not be located.
PUBLIC ANGER
An MTR spokesperson said that after the train was subsequently allowed to depart, the dog was found dead on the tracks.
Outraged animal lovers flooded the Internet with criticism over the death, saying that it could have been prevented. Banners were also placed at Fanling station calling for justice for the dead dog.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as noun, verb, conjunction or preposition.
1. before ………………
2. depart ………………
3. over ………………
4. tracks ………………
Vocabulary
- condemn (v): to express very strong disapproval of something or somebody
stray (n): an animal that has got separated from its owner or that has no owner
petition (n): a written document signed by a large number of people that asks somebody in a position of authority to change something
coax (v): to persuade somebody to do something, especially by talking to them in a kind and gentle way
