讀社論學 英文 US President Donald Trump sacked Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing mortgage fraud as the reason, but the latter said she would continue performing her duties. They will soon face each other in court. The legal process may last for months, possibly even reaching the Supreme Court. Trump is clearly planning to install more loyalists in the Fed and push for interest rate cuts - something he has openly admitted. If the "maverick" succeeds, effectively turning the Fed into a White House extension, the entire Federal Reserve system will be fundamentally reshaped, with far-reaching consequences. Free from electoral & partisan bias For over a century, the Fed has earned a unique position. Its governors are nominated by the president, but they possess independent decision-making authori ty over interest policies. This independence should not be underestimated as it avoids the influence of electoral cycles and partisan bias to create relatively stable market expectations and confidence. Politicians often chase shortterm economic booms, which can easily trigger inflation. The Fed, however, can make decisions free from such pressure, relying on economic data rather than pol i t ical agendas and focusing on long-term goals. History shows that independent central banks are generally more effective in controlling inflation, thereby strengthening the country's creditworthiness. Although the Fed has made mistakes such as ignoring the housing bubble before the 2008 financial crisis, its independence is still considered a net positive. For a long time, markets and even his predecessors have respected this arrangement, but Trump refuses to do so. To support his political agendas of reducing debt burden, boosting US stocks, fuelling midterm election prospects, etc., he is putting US credit at risk. After signing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to raise the debt ceiling, his next goal is to spur US Treasury bond demand, reduce interest expenses and debt, etc. These require the Fed to "play along" by cutting rates. Any governors clinging to the "independent" doctrine inevitably become a thorn in his side. This year, many Fed governors have faced Trump' s interference - Cook was "accused" of mortgage fraud, while Powell was "accused" of letting renovation costs at Fed headquarters spiral out of control. Trump's sudden concern for "character issues" clearly isn't about upholding integrity. It is because the law prohibits firing Fed governors over policy disagreements, so he resorts to legally permissible "ethical misconduct" claims to remove them. Such a despicable tactic is obvious. The Fed is already in turmoil due to Trump. If he succeeds, the institution will take on a more dovish tilt and effectively become a tool of the White House. The economic philosophy long trusted by US and global investors could be upended. Once the Fed loses independence, the consequences will be severe. When investors believe decisions are guided by short-term political interference rather than objective data, "expectat ions" become uns tabl e . "Decisions" made by politicians rather than independent technocrats will cause the quality of policymaking to decline, leading to volatile prices as well as interest and exchange rates. Global economy may also be affected Trump's relentless attacks on the Fed aim to seize control over economic affairs and consolidate absolute power. Whether the Fed will be transformed and how the TrumpCook legal batt le wi l l conclude remain uncertain. But governments and investors are closely watching. With the Supreme Court currently holding a 6 to 3 conservativeliberal split, a ruling in favour of Trump will not be surprising. Should that happen, the impact will extend far beyond the US. The global economy, reliant on the US dollar as a reserve currency, will not be spared. 翻譯自8月28日《星島日報》社論 （http://std.stheadline.com/） Fed grip not endgame, Trump wants economic control 翻譯︰George loyalist (n) ——支持政府者 maverick (n) ——狂人 reshape (v) ——重塑 creditworthiness (n) ——信用度 spur (v) ——加速 cling (v) ——依附 despicable (adj) ——卑劣的 volatile (adj) ——不穩定的 Vocabulary political agenda ——黨派立場 debt ceiling ——債務上限 a thorn in one's side ——眼中釘 reserve currency ——儲備貨幣 Useful Terms Lisa Cook said on August 20: "I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet." She said she did intend to take any questions about her financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve, and so she was gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts. Did you know? 1. The word _____ in the first paragraph is the opposite of "betrayers". 2. Politicians may not focus on _____ economic goals. 3. In the passage, the word _____ means "upper limit". 4. Trump is attacking the Fed to seize control over _____ affairs. 5. According to the last paragraph, the result of the TrumpCook _____ battle may affect global economy. Answers 1. loyalists 2. long-term 3. ceiling 4. economic 5. legal & Q A 海南省：南海明珠璀璨歷史 地理與氣候 海南省面臨廣闊的南海，地理位置優 越。全島地形以山地和丘陵為主，中央地 區為五指山脈，周邊則為平坦的沿海地 區，形成了多樣化的地貌結構。 海南屬熱帶季風海洋性氣候，四季不 分明，夏無酷熱，冬無嚴寒，年平均氣溫 介乎22.5℃至25.6℃之間。冬春季節乾旱， 夏秋季節多雨，年降水量約為1500至2500 毫米，其中雨季集中於每年5月至10月， 佔全年降水量的80%。此外，海南的年日 照時數普遍偏高，西南部地區可達2400至 2600小時，在同緯度地區中名列前茅。這 種極為有利於農作物生長的氣候條件，使 海南成為熱帶農業的重要基地。 歷史沿革 海南的歷史源遠流長，可追溯至舊石 器時代早期。三亞市的落筆洞古人類文化 遺址、石貢遺址、東方市的付龍園遺址， 以及文昌市的鳳鳴村遺址等地，均出土了 大量石器與陶器殘片，展現了早期人類在 此活動的痕跡。進入新石器時代，黎族、 苗族等原住民族群開始在海南定居，形 成了獨特的民族文化和生活方式。秦漢時 期，海南島正式納入中國版圖，設立珠崖 郡與儋耳郡，隨着行政區劃的完善和經濟 開發，海南逐漸成為中國南方的重要行政 區域。至唐宋時期，憑藉得天獨厚的地理 位置，海南成為海上貿易的重要樞紐，促 進了經濟繁榮和文化交流。「唐宋八大家」 之一的蘇軾，曾因政治原因被貶至海南儋 州，他曾留下「九死南荒吾不恨，茲游奇 絕冠平生」的詩句，表達了即使身處荒遠 之地，他依然心懷豁達，珍視此行的獨特 體驗。 步入近代，海南經歷多次政治與行 政變革。清朝時期，海南被正式設立為 省份，納入中央官方治理體系。1978年， 海南被確定為經濟特區，成為中國首批實 施特殊經濟政策的地區之一，吸引了大量 外資。1988年4月13日，第七屆全國人民 代表大會第一次會議通過《關於設立海南 省的決定》和《關於建立海南經濟特區的決 議》，正式批准海南島設立海南省及經濟 特區，實施更加靈活和開放的經濟政策。 同年4月26日，中國共產黨海南省委員會 及海南省人民政府正式掛牌成立，海口被 定為省會。隨着這些政策的實施，海南逐 步成為中國改革開放的重要窗口和經濟增 長的新動力。 經濟與文化飲食 海南成為經濟特區，當地經濟結構迎 來根本性轉變。政府積極引進外資，推動 旅遊、農業及高科技產業發展。根據2023 年數據，海南GDP持續增長，旅遊業與 新興產業已成為經濟的主要支柱。海南旅 遊資源豐富，三亞、海口等城市成為國內 外遊客熱點。地方政府注重生態旅遊的發 展，兼顧自然環境保護與經濟成長，致力 打造「綠色智慧島」的海南形象。 海南的文化深受多種民族影響，特別 是前述提及的黎族和苗族的傳統習俗與生 活方式，形成了獨特而豐富的地方文化風 貌。黎族以其色彩斑斕的織錦工藝聞名， 細膩且富有象徵意義；苗族則以節奏鮮明 的舞蹈和富含傳統精神的音樂表現文化底 蘊。兩大民族每年在海南舉行的節慶活 動，黎族的「三月三」歌節和苗族的「苗年」 盛典，更吸引了大量遊客前來體驗。 飲食方面，海南同樣展現出鮮明的地 域特色。椰子飯糅合了甘甜椰香與米飯的 鬆軟，海南雞飯則以鮮嫩滑爽著稱，各式 各樣的海鮮料理將南海的豐饒味道完美呈 現。這些美食深受當地居民及遊客喜愛。 海南省，位於我國最南端， 四面環海，猶如一顆鑲嵌於南 海之上的璀璨明珠。作為中國唯一的 熱帶島嶼省份，海南不僅擁有得天獨 厚的自然資源，更蘊藏着深厚的歷史 底蘊與多元的民族文化，是海上絲綢 之路的重要一環。隨着改革開放，海 南的經濟迅速發展，成為中國最大的 經濟特區，吸引了大量的投資與遊 客，成為國內外旅遊的熱點。 歷史思與行 1. 在海南的多民族融合中，你認為文化 保存與現代化之間有無衝突？應如何 平衡？ 2. 蘇軾被貶海南後仍能創作出豁達詩 句，你認為逆境對文化創作有甚麼啟 發？ 3. 海南的旅遊業與生態保育之間是否存 在矛盾？你會如何取捨？ 4. 在全球氣候 變 化 下 ， 海 南 的 熱 帶 生 態 系 統 面 臨 甚 麼 挑 戰 ？ 你 認 為 應 怎應對？ 1. 中國唯一熱帶雨林島嶼省份 海南擁有中國唯一的島嶼型熱帶雨 林，尖峰嶺和五指山地區保留大量原始 森林，是生態研究的重要基地。 2. 擁有全國最長海岸線之一 海南島海岸線長達1800公里，沿岸 分布大量沙灘、港灣與珊瑚礁，成為海 洋旅遊與漁業發展的天然優勢。 3. 火箭發射基地所在地 文昌航天發射場 （見圖） 是中國最南 端的航天基地，具備發射大型火箭如 「長征五號」的能力，成為國家太空工程 的重要支點。 一島多面睇 冷知識 BOX 張海倫 張鎮良 裘錦秋中學（屯門） 中國歷史科老師 裘錦秋中學（屯門） 中國歷史科主任 作者介紹 ■儋州東坡書 院的東坡居士 塑像 網上圖片 ■海南雞飯 網上圖片 星島 教室 D6 侷芎 02.16.2026 星期一 天 地 人 時 誌 本欄，由教育評議會邀請資深中小學教師及校長撰寫。 文章以生動有趣的方式，透過中國節氣氣候、各地風土民情及歷史人物故事，帶領讀者探索中國文化與歷史的奧妙。
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODc1MTYz