Date:    Thu, 16 Apr 1998 10:25:02 +0900
<br>From:    Gao Yongwei <951208[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]FUDAN.EDU.CN>
<br>Subject: Swallows & Amazons (for ever)
<br>
<br>Dear all,
<br>
<br>I have two questions:
<br>1. What does the expression "swallows and amazons (for ever)" mean? I
<br>came across the term in a COBUILD dictionary, but I failed to catch
<br>its meaning. Can anyone help?
<br>2. English is regarded as THE foreign language in China. It is used a ;pt
<br>lot and learned by millions. Hence Chinglish arrived on the scene. The
<br>catch-all phrase emcompasses misused expressions, wrong collocation and
<br>Chinese English, etc. For instance, "...percent of state-run enterprises
<br>are at a loss", which is culled from the first press interview of China's
<br>new cabinet. Should "at a loss" be replaced by "losing money"? Is
<br>"money-making" a better choice than "loss-making" in this context?
<br>
<br>Thanks a lot for your help.
<br>
<br>Yongwei Gao
<br>Fudan University
<br>Shanghai, China
<br>