昔日文章

This year's Dragon Boat Festival was celebrated on the 3rd of June. Traditionally, dragon boat races are held during this festive time. To help the crew to reach the finish line, a drummer beats a drum to keep the rowers in unison and to maintain morale.   A drum is a percussion instrument which is used to keep a steady beat and create a rhythmic feel in a song. What other uses does a drum have? It can also be used in ceremonies, military processions, and even to send messages over long distances.   In the mid-1800s, the phrase " drum up " appeared in the USA. Its meaning is to try to attract customers and supporters by persistent persuasion. At that time, travelling salesmen in the South kept their wares in a wooden box clad with leather. To let houseowners on a plantation know that they were coming up the road, they would drum on the box with a set of drumsticks. For example:   Her new job is to drum up business.   The teacher hopes to drum up enough students to form a swimming team.   今年的端午節在新曆6月3日慶祝。傳統上，這個節慶日子裡會舉行龍舟賽。為了幫助隊員抵達終點，鼓手不停擊鼓，令划手動作一致及保持士氣。   鼓是敲擊樂器，用來在歌曲中保持穩定的節拍，以及予人韻律和諧的感覺。鼓還有哪些其他用途？它也可用於典禮、軍隊巡遊，甚至是向遠方發出信息。   18世紀中旬，「drum up」這個短語在美國出現。它的意思是試圖透過持久的遊說，吸引顧客和支持者。當時，美國南方的旅行推銷員把貨品存放在一個用皮革包裹著的木箱。為了讓種植園上的屋主知道他們正沿著道路走上來，他們會用一副鼓槌敲擊箱子。例如：   她的新工作是拉（drum up）生意。   老師希望召集到（drum up）足夠的學生來組成一支游泳隊。  

If you look around, what types of electric lights can you see? In modern society, the most common electric lights are incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps and LED lamps. Of these three, incandescent light bulbs have the longest history. This technology completely changed people's daily lives in the late 19th century and dominated the lighting industry in the 20th century.   In terms of symbolism, a light bulb often represents a clever idea because its invention was revolutionary. Thus, the expression " lightbulb moment " means a moment when you suddenly realise something or have new inspiration. For example: In a lightbulb moment, the mathematician came up with a ground-breaking equation.   However, the origin of the phrase is said to be related to an illuminated light bulb above a cat's head in a comic strip. Some scholars suggested that this figurative meaning was first expressed in " Felix the Cat " , a children's comedy cartoon created during the silent film era.   In recent decades, incandescent light bulbs have been replaced by LED lights, which are cheaper, more durable, and more environmentally friendly.   如果你四下張望，你看到哪些種類的電燈？在現代城市裡，最常見的電燈是鎢絲燈、螢光燈和LED燈。三者之中，鎢絲燈的歷史最悠久。這種科技在19世紀末完全改變了人們的日常生活，並且在20世紀支配了照明業。   就象徵意義而言，燈泡通常表示聰明的想法，因為燈泡的發明具有變革意義。因此， 「light bulb moment」這個語句的意思是，你突然有所領悟或得到新啟發。例如： 在靈光一現（light bulb moment）中，數學家想出了一個石破天驚的方程式。   然而，這個語句據說是源於連環漫畫中一隻貓頭上的一盞明亮燈泡。有些學者提出，這個比喻意義最初見於默片時代創作的兒童卡通喜劇──「菲力貓」。   近幾十年來，鎢絲燈泡已經被LED燈取代，因為後者更便宜、更耐用，而且更環保。  

We have bidden farewell to 2021 and are looking forward to a wonderful New Year of 2022. At the beginning of every year, people around the world make resolutions. However, an online survey found that less than half of people are still successful in keeping them after six months. Psychologists said that they are successful because they "get their act together" and set specific, achievable goals.  The colloquial phrase "get one's act together" means get organised or make a plan so that you do things in an effective way. For example,  If Tom could get his act together, he could be a marvellous footballer.  This modern expression came into use in the 1970s, and probably originated in the theatre or film industry. The word "act" refers to the performance for a show. When actors were feeling nervous or forgetful, the director may have told them to "get their act together" so that they were ready for a performance.  May the New Year bring faith, hope and love in your life. We wish you a year full of joy, peace and light.  我們告別了2021年，現正期盼美好的2022新年。每年伊始，世界各地的人們都會定下新年計劃。可是，一個網上調查發現，只有不到一半的人在六個月後依然成功堅守這些計劃。心理學家說，他們之所以成功，是因為他們get their act together，並確立具體且可達到的目標。 Get one's act together這個口語說法的意思是，你要安排妥善或制定計劃，方能有效地做事。例如：  如果湯姆可以有條有理地處事（get his act together），他有可能成為了不起的足球員。 這個現代用語在20世紀70年代開始被使用，有可能源自劇院或電影業。「Act」一字指的是演出。當演員感到緊張不安或沒記性的時候，導演告訴他們要集中心思、處事有條理（get their act together），方能為表演做好準備。 謹此祝願新一年為你們的生活帶來信望愛；並順祝你們這一年充滿喜樂、平安和光明。    捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation  

我是安當小導遊 大家好！今次很高興能成為你們的安當小導遊，我會介紹聖安當小學的歷史和各項設施，讓你們可以更深入地了解學校。 聖安當小學是由天主教中華無原罪聖母女修會所創辦，經過三次的遷校，最後將聖安當小學遷往九龍觀塘油塘道一號。學校四周被山環繞，環境清幽，是一個學習的好地方。 進入校園後，首先映入眼簾的是學校操場，是同學踢足球、打籃球、打排球的好地方。接著沿著樓梯向上走，就會到達一樓的禮堂，這裡足足有八個課室那麼大。 然後，繼續沿著樓梯往上走，就會到達二樓。二樓有一個設備齊全的圖書館。圖書館內有八張桌子，同學們都會坐在這裡安靜地看書。在桌子的左邊有五台電腦，這五台電腦簡直像一個知識百寶箱，打開它，同學們就可以學到更多的課外知識。圖書館內不僅設備齊全，裡面的書也種類繁多，例如有故事書、歷史書、小說、科學圖書等。這裡常常瀰漫著寧靜的氣氛。 接著，我們沿著樓梯上去，會經過許多活動室，例如電腦室、舞蹈室、英語學習室、天文室、音樂室等。 最後，我們就會到達六樓。六樓有一間設備先進的視藝室，在視藝室的旁邊，有一間陶藝室。陶藝室雖然只有半間課室那麼大，但是裡面的設備齊全。一進去，就看見有六台拉坯機，在拉坯機前面的櫃子上面， 整齊地排列著色彩繽紛的顏料。而在櫃子的對面，擺放著不同做陶泥用的工具。最後，在櫃子的旁邊，有兩個用來燒陶泥的大窰，大窰的前面， 擺放著許多栩栩如生的作品。 相信大家已經對這所設備完善，設施先進，多元化的學校有更深入的了解。今日我就介紹到這裡，謝謝大家！  黃嘉文   聖安當小學   六仁 老師評釋：嘉文寫的文章內容豐富、條理分明、詳略得宜，能夠清楚且具體地介紹學校的特色。文章亦善用不同說明手法，介紹學校內的不同設施，使讀者即使沒有到過聖安當小學，仍能有親歷其境之感，嘉文可真是一位名副其實的安當小導遊呢！ －－ 蔡梅茵老師 電子娛樂產品——虛擬實境 你知道甚麼是虛擬實境嗎？虛擬實境是利用電腦類比產生一個三維空間的虛擬世界，提供使用者關於視覺等感官的類比，讓使用者有身歷其境的感覺。 現在你知道甚麼是虛擬實境了，那接下來就說說虛擬實境的好處和壞處吧。 虛擬實景的好處主要有兩個：第一， 可以代替書本，它在教育方面或成教育新趨勢，預計未來兩三年後，教育界將開始應用虛擬實境輔助學習，以虛擬實境方法帶領學生「走出校園」學習。第二：把地圖變成實境，我們除了實地考察外，還可以用虛擬實景，使在出行時，可以更快認出要走的路。 可是虛擬實景技術如果使用得不恰當的話，就會變成壞處。正所謂「水能載舟， 亦能覆舟」（出自《荀子，哀公》），虛擬實景急速發展的同時，對使用者的不良影響亦受關注，虛擬實景會「欺騙大腦」，即使看下來很像遠景， 實際上屏幕與眼睛的距離非常接近，容易引發視覺疲勞；虛擬實景又會讓人沉迷網絡世界，混淆現實世界，影響社交生活， 甚至家人的關係。 虛擬實景可以帶來好處，但要謹慎使用，以免傷害自己，期盼生產商遲一點可以研發出配備更佳的虛擬實景技術。 李潁楠   天主教伍華小學   6B  老師評釋：潁楠的文章結構嚴謹，選材貼合潮流，善用不同的說明手法（如：定義說明等），能適當引用名人名言，分析亦頗透徹。謝謝潁楠的文章引發各位小讀者思考，喚起大家對電子娛樂產品帶來影響的關注。－－ 陳嘉雯老師 My Dream Job  When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut. I saw some astronauts on TV. Some of them were interviewed by reporters. They were famous! The reason I want to be an astronaut is not because of the popularity and fame, but i t i s about the cha l l enges , excitement, and that I can explore the solar system. I like challenges. Also, I am curious and always want to find out more about space.  If I become an astronaut, I will walk in space, collect rock samples from planets and take care of space station. To do these, I need to be fit so that I can stay in space for a long time and do experiments there. Also, I need to be knowledgeable so that I can steer and do maintenance for the space ship. Apart from these, I need to learn other languages so that I can talk to other astronauts from different countries. I need to learn French, German, Spanish and more!  I am going to study hard so that my dream can come true. I am going to do exercise every day so that I can stay fit. I also need to read more books about space so that I can learn more relevant things.  Success is no accident. I will try hard from now on. I hope I can be an astronaut one day!  Tsang Chun Yin   Ma On Shan St. Joseph’s Primary School   6LD     捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation