The offers (n.減價) may sound tempting (adj.吸引的), but buying food coupons (n.優惠券) in advance (adv.預先) can be a recipe (n.食譜、方法) for disaster (n.不幸).
This is the warning from the Consumer (n.消費者) Council (n.委員會) which said yesterday that complaints (n.投訴) about online (adj.網上的) shopping in the first six months soared (v.劇增) 38 times over the same period last year to 2,149.
The biggest rise in complaints concerned the group purchase (n.購物) of food and entertainment (n.娛樂), which skyrocketed (v.飆升) 188 times in the first half to 1,506 cases from only eight the previous (adj.上一個的) year.
According to the council, many complaints featured (v.主角是) JigoCity (n.“集購城”), an online shopping site (n.網站) that mainly sold restaurant coupons. In March, it announced it was undergoing (v.進行) business restructuring (n.重組) - rendering (v.使變成) the prepaid (adj.預先付款的) coupons sold essentially (adv.根本地) useless.
Online group purchases have been popular (adj.普遍的) because they offer (v.提供) relatively (adv.相對地) low prices when customers (n.顧客) gather to buy together.
Council vice chairman Ambrose Ho Pui-him (n.何沛謙) said customers should realize (v.明白) there are risks (n.風險) in buying anything online (adv.在網上).
(The Standard, July 10)
這些減價聽來也許很吸引，但預先付款購買食物優惠券，可能會招致損失。
這是消費者委員會昨天發出的警告。消委會透露，有關網上購物的投訴，本年首六個月較去年同期劇增了三十八倍，多達二千一百四十九宗。
投訴增加得最多的是食物和娛樂的團購，由去年只得八宗，飆升了一百八十八倍，到今年上半年多達一千五百零六宗。
消委會資料顯示，很多投訴都與“集購城”有關；這是一個網上購物站，主要售賣食肆優惠券。該公司三月宣布進行業務重組——因此預先付了款的優惠券根本不再有效。
網上團購近來十分普遍，原因是顧客集體購物，可享有頗低廉的價格。
消委會副主席何沛謙指出，顧客應明白，在網上購買任何東西都有風險。
（《英文虎報》，七月十日）
閱讀指引
1. watchdog (n) /'wtɒʃdg/，WATCH-
dog 監察者、監察機構
解讀：watchdog本指一個地方的看門狗，它因而引申指防止某個範疇中有人做出不道德或不合法事情的監察者、監察機構，例如消費者委員會（Consumer Council）便可叫consumer watchdog，而標題的watchdog便指消委會。
2. soar (v) /sɔ:/，SAW 劇增、急升
解讀：soar本解作升空、高飛，例如an eagle soared above the mountains（一隻鷹在高山上空飛翔）；soar因而引申指劇增、急升，近義詞有第三段的skyrocket(ed)（飆升）；留意soar只讀如SAW，而並非SAW-a。
3. recipe (n) /'resIpi/，RESS-sip-pee
食譜、方法
解讀：recipe本指食譜、烹飪方法，例如a recipe for roast chicken是烤雞的食譜；它因而引申指方法、秘訣，常見的短語有文中的recipe for disaster（引致不幸、招致損失），意思相反的則是recipe for success（成功之道、成功的訣竅）。
文︰范斌
