英語時間｜Hong Kong gets new guide dogs【607期】
發佈時間：00:00 2022-01-13
Although Hong Kong is slowly becoming more convenient for disabled people, it did not have locally trained guide dogs, or Seeing Eye dogs, until recently, when a training school for them opened. Eleven dogs have finally finished their training and a graduation ceremony was held on International Guide Dog Day.
Also at the ceremony were the dogs’new owners, who are all visually impaired. Guide dogs can help these people in many ways; for example, by leading them across roads and around many obstacles. The simplest comparison is that the dogs are supposed to become the blind people's eyes.
One of the dogs, Ginny, was imported into Hong Kong in 2015. Ginny was paired up with Joanne, who became blind later in her life. Joanne said one good point about guide dogs is that they can avoid bumping into things even when the ground does not have guide tiles.
But no matter how docile and cute the guide dogs are, they should not be petted while working. This can make the dogs become distracted and the blind person would get lost. Working guide dogs usually have a special harness and a vest, so they are easy to see.
G Tips
‘Visually impaired’ is a polite way of saying not able to see.
e.g … who are all visually impaired.
‘Visually’ means having to do with seeing.
e.g The police officer visually checked the empty street every night.
‘Impaired’ means weakened or damaged.
e.g Her ability to run was impaired by her broken leg.
The more common word for not being able to see is ‘blind’.
e.g Helen has been blind since birth.
Vocabulary
convenient (adj) 方便的
ceremony (n) 儀式
obstacle (n) 障礙
import (v) 引入
docile (adj) 溫馴
distracted (adj) 分了心的
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