K S LO ENGLISH

Feeling puzzled why teachers encourage you to read more? You may find answers in this article.

1. What would the world be without reading?

Reading is vitally important to our lives. No matter what we do, we still need to gain knowledge. In our daily lives, we acquire knowledge mainly from textbooks. If there were no books and documentaries, the world would not be able to develop. There would not be technological advancement anymore. Perhaps, we could not learn at school. We would be catching fish and living in the wild. World-changing inventions such as artificial intelligence would not exist.

2. How to choose a suitable book?

While some people believe that reading literature books can help improve their writing and reading skills, I don’t think it is true at all. If you insist on reading a type of books, you will find it boring eventually. Gradually, you lose interest in reading. There is an effective way for you to choose a book that suits you! First, before you enter the library, ask yourself: what have you wanted to find out recently? Then, you enter the library and find books that can answer your question. For example, if you want to know more about what thermal expansion is, you can look for some science books on this topic. Ultimately, it will be easier to find the right book to read!

3. Apart from going to the library, are there any alternatives?

Of course! Some alternatives are as follow:

• • Hyread:
    https://hkpl.ebook.hyread.com.tw/index.jsp
  • EBSCOhost (for classic literature):
    http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/basic?sid=5cadfad2-a02d-44df-955e-b3f5f159fd0a@sdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=0&tid=2003EB
  • OverDrive eBook:
    https://hkpl.overdrive.com/

*During the school suspension period, our school library provides loan out service (fill in the following Google form): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddtewyxve6cWuQmRMPgJgkLMtp-yNejA5a5bNVlSKW1QzC-g/viewform

*You will have to find the ‘ACNO’ on the LMOpac 2.0 system.

4. Do we have a special day celebrating the joy of reading?

Absolutely! 23 April is World Book Day. It is a day for authors, especially William Shakespeare. He died on 23 April 1616. During World Book Day, there are numerous activities organized by libraries. You can share what you are reading to celebrate this precious day with other book lovers.

5. I have been learning at school for more than 10 years; why do I still have to read extra books?

Well… the fact is that all you have learnt is only a tiny fraction of all the knowledge in this world. Teachers cannot tell you about everything. Information on the Internet may be false. The preferable way is to find books to read in the library as the information in books is reliable for most of the time compared to some poorly written texts online.

The more you read, the more you learn about the globe! Try to read more from now on!

 

Photo source:

https://www.rd.com/culture/bestselling-books-of-decade/

When you find it boring to stay at home during school suspension, why don’t you try reading some books? If you don’t know how to start initially, let’s see whether the following books suit you!

1. Matilda

Matilda was a brilliant girl who always came up with lots of ideas. Her parents were mean to her because she did not follow what they did. For example, they loved watching TV, but Matilda loved reading books. She loved going to the library in her village. One day, she found that her father was cheating customers when selling cars. Her father was rude to her when Matilda said that he was a liar. After that, Matilda learned from Napoleon (to counter-attack). This book tells us that reading is very important as it can help you come up with a lot of wonderful ideas. Matilda was poor because her parents and school principal looked down on her. If you think your life miserable, read this book to find some hope!

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie was a poor boy. One day, he suddenly discovered a golden ticket from the Wonka Chocolate Factory. He had a chance to visit the factory with other four children: Augustus, Veruca, Violet and Mike. They were gluttonous, spoiled, arrogant, and ill-tempered respectively. Eventually, only Charlie left the factory in one piece. Why could the other four kids not leave the factory? Read this book to find out more. This book tells me that parenting is very vital. Children learn from their parents. Parents should teach their children how to behave well instead of spoiling them. Otherwise, their children will be like the four spoilt ones in the book!

3. The Witches

Have you ever wondered what witches look like? In this story, the witches were very cruel because they killed children. ‘I’ as a little boy discovered the grand high witch. When ‘I’ was in a hotel with my grandma, ‘I’ was discovered by the witches and they turned ‘me’ into a mouse! This adventure of mine started. This book is inspiring because as long as you have hope, you can succeed in doing everything, even killing witches!

4. The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)

Sophie was an orphan. One day, she saw a giant running on the street. Then, she was taken by the BFG. She then found nine giants who ate humans. Also, they bullied the BFG. After that, Sophie came up with a great idea so the giants could not bully the BFG or eat humans anymore! This book conveys the message that having a companion is very significant as a companion can help you overcome difficulties!

5. Danny The Champion of The World

Danny lived with his father William in an old caravan. William was a pheasant poacher. Unfortunately, William got a broken ankle and could not poach pheasants for Mr Hazell. On Friday, there would be a world pheasant shooting competition organized by Mr Hazell. After that, Danny wanted to prevent pheasants from being shot. He had a fantastic idea to release all pheasants into nature. This book has a message that children can be cleverer than adults. We cannot underestimate kids’ ability!

Hope you enjoy reading the above titles!

 

Cover picture credit:

https://www.roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/characters/children/matilda-wormwood

Worrying about gift exchanges at Christmas parties? If you are feeling desperate, perhaps the following recommendations can help you!

1. Stationery set

Stationery sets are a must for everyone to deal with signing, writing, drawing, etc. If your friends want something useful, a stationery set is perfect. You can prepare a stationery set for a gift exchange. A stationery set usually involves pens, an eraser, pencils, a correction tape and a ruler. If there is a notebook in your stationery set, it will be even better, especially for somebody who loves writing a diary or jotting notes.

Budget: $30-$50 (depending on the price of stationery)

2. Music box

Listening to the song on a music box gives you a feeling of warmth, especially in winter. Most music boxes contain some enthralling songs. It can help the receiver remember you when they listen to the song on the music box.

Budget: $50-$200 (depending on the size )

3. Dolls

Dolls are for girls. If you attend a Christmas party in which all the participants are girls, dolls are suitable indeed. Girls like some cute dolls, particularly animal dolls such as Shiba Inu dog dolls and cat dolls. The gift receiver will be really excited if they obtain a doll as a gift.

Budget: $50-$200 (depending on the size)

4. Board game set

If you want your gift to stand out from others, a boardgame set is the right choice. Some board games can be played with others so as to share happiness. It is undeniable that playing board games can help us get to know more about communication and personalities. Why not consider buying a set of board game for your friends?

Budget: $150-$1000 or above (depending on the brand)

5. Hot chocolate mug

Nothing is warmer than drinking from a hot chocolate mug in winter. I haven’t seen one who has given a cup of hot chocolate to others. But if you can make a mug of hot chocolate for others, they must be surprised! If you want the mug to be very adorable, you can buy one from amazon.com. There are numerous types of mugs. The receiver can not only enjoy hot chocolate but also keep the special mug.

Budget: $60-$300 (depending on the design)

6. Books

If you have books that you have read, you can think about giving them to others. Some books such as Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens are very meaningful and inspiring. Knowledge is more important than money. Reading books can make you realize that nothing is more important than love. At this Christmas, you can try giving books to others in order to share the joy of reading.

Budget: /

7. Hand-made scarf

A scarf is one of the necessities in winter. If you can knit a scarf as a present, the receiver will be much grateful and appreciate you more. If you don’t know how to knit one, you can search for some videos online to learn it. It is worth spending time knitting a scarf as knitting is an act of love and care.

Budget:$30-$50

8. Crystal ball

A crystal ball is relaxing when you shake it. I usually shake it when I feel nervous. Imagine that all stress was inside the ball. Then shake it. Your stress would be reduced immediately. It is an excellent present for others who are stressed.

9. Scratch-world map

Many people like travelling around the world nowadays. Having a scratch-world map can help others who want to go to all the countries. After visiting a country, they can scratch the part out on the map to reveal the coloured region underneath. After a year, maybe there are many parts exposed. You can buy one from amazon.com for gift exchanges.

Budget: $150-$400

10. Cookies

If you like cooking, you can make some cookies for gift exchanges. Gingerbread is well-known at Christmas. Making some gingerbread for gift exchanges is a great idea as it is palatable. People can eat it when they are hungry.

Budget: $40

In conclusion, there are many choices for gift exchanges! As Christmas is coming very soon, I wish you guys a merry Christmas!

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

During my last summer vacation, I participated in a course called ‘Psychology and Personal Growth’ which was organised by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Here are ten interesting facts that I would like to share. If you want to know more about psychology, this article is definitely suitable for you.

1. What is psychology? What does it study?
   Some students who don’t know about psychology may assume that it is a subject about reading people’s mind. The fact is psychology is a study which concentrates on human behaviour and mental health.
2. How is a psychological test conducted?
   The human brain has a lot of preconceptions which need to be taken into consideration before psychological experiments. Psychologists usually conduct experiments by naturalistic observations, case study (interviews, questionnaires, psychological tests) and double-blind studies (experiments in which neither the subjects nor the researchers know who has been given the active treatment or drug and who has not). These ways can help avoid some social desirability bias (the tendency for people to respond in a socially desirable way) so experiments can be convincing.
3. Where does stress come from?
   Psychologists believe that stress comes from various sources. Apart from working and schooling, some life changes and other special sources can make you anxious. Negative life changes such as losing a job, dropping out of school are stressful. Acculturative stress such as racism and discrimination can be worrisome for ethnic minorities as they will find it hard to find jobs.
4. How do psychologists define conflict in a human’s brain?
   There are three types of conflict: approach-to-approach conflict, avoidance-avoidance conflict, multiple approach-avoidance conflict.Approach-approach conflict: two positive goals that you want to achieve, but you can only attain one. For example, your pocket money can only afford a smartphone, but you want to buy a Samsung and Apple.Avoidance-avoidance conflict: two negative goals that you don’t want to achieve but you have to do. For instance, cleaning the toilet or bathing a dog. These two things are time-consuming and you don’t want to do.

   Multiple approach-avoidance conflict: contain both positive and negative goals. For example, you want to do revision but there are many things which are tempting and preventing you from revising such as playing computer games, browsing social media.

5. What are Type A and Type B personalities?
   Psychologists divide people personalities into two main groups: Type A and Type B people. Type A people are usually creating stress. They are mainly aggressive. Some of them are perfectionists. Type B people focus more on quality of life. They strike a balance between working and relaxing.
6. What do psychologists think about eating disorders?
   They think that the cause of an eating disorder is perfectionism. Some people are discriminated thanks to obesity. Society pressure means they want to have an ideal look. As a result, some people take on severe dieting to keep their attractive body shape. However, they can easily suffer from two diseases: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.Anorexia Nervosa: An eating disorder characterised by the maintenance of abnormally low body weight, intense fear of weight gain and a distorted body image with a lack of menstruation.Bulimia Nervosa: An eating disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by purging and by persistent overconcern with body shape and weight.
7. Why do psychologists believe that women live longer than men?
   Because men are more likely to die from acts of violence, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. Also, men lack attention to their health. On the contrary, women are more willing to seek health care.
8. How do psychologists perceive names?
   They perceive that some names (especially girls) such as Jennifer, Kathy and Christine are more attractive than names Gertrude, Ethel and Harriet. Moreover, some unusual or odd names are less popular. Women with masculine names such as Rean or Randy are less anxious, more culturally sophisticated. Furthermore, they have greater leadership potential than feminine nicknames. Believe it or not!
9. What psychologists think about a love relationship?
   Psychologists created ABCDE models of relationship which refers to Attraction, Building, Continuation, Deteriorating, and Ending to depict a love relationship. Intimacy can be built through self-disclosure.
10. What happens if you don’t get enough sleep?
    Psychologists think that inadequate sleep can reduce cognitive ability. Also, there are more vehicle crashes, cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders. Lack of sleep can lower mental alertness and concentration.

The above facts are based on some psychological researches. Psychological researches can only be references for you. Perhaps there are some mistakes in the experiments, so results may have some errors. The above facts are based on a university reference book. You can borrow some psychological books in the library so as to learn more!

Reference:
Nevid, J. S., & Rathus, S. A. (2016). Psychology and the challenges of life: adjustment and growth. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Photo by Nita from Pexels

Do you want to go to some museums in Hong Kong? If you don’t have a clue how to find a museum which can arouse your interest, perhaps you can find a museum which is suited to you via this article.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Features: This museum has a lot of permanent exhibitions about the history of Chinese arts. For instance, there is an exhibition called T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art with collected ceramics and pottery sculptures. Apart from permanent exhibitions, you can visit some special exhibitions such as Bruce Lee: Kung Fu, Art and Life. If you wonder about the life of Bruce Lee, you can have a look at this exhibition. If you are an art enthusiast, you must consider this museum.

How to go: Take the MTR to the Che Kung Temple Station and walk five minutes.

Entry fee: Free entry (for both special and permanent exhibitions).

Hong Kong Railway Museum

Features: Have you ever imagined Hong Kong railway a long time ago? I can tell you that the first railway in Hong Kong was from Tai Po Market Station to Sheung Shui Station. Do you know how the railway developed so rapidly in Hong Kong? In this museum, you can find out the answer and also see how citizens buy their tickets and how the past train companies ran their business. Also, you can visit to the historical train nearby and take some nice photos!

How to go: Takes ten minutes to walk after arriving at Tai Po Market MTR Station.

Entry fee: Free entry

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum

Features: Have you ever thought about how Hakka villagers went about their business in the 19^th century? If you pay a visit to this museum, you can find out. Also, you can see traditional farming machines which are very useful and effective. Although there was no advanced technology in the 19^th century, you can see how they lived at that time. Let’s visit this museum and see how brilliant it is!

How to go: Take MTR to the Diamond Hill Station. Then, take Kowloon Motor Bus No.92 to Sai Kung Bus Terminus. After that, take Kowloon Motor Bus No.94 to Sheung Yu Station. Finally, walk pass through the Pak Tam Bridge and take 15 minutes to walk along the Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail.

Entry fee: Free entry.

San Tung Uk Museum

Features: Can you depict how Hakka villagers lived 200 years ago? Why their villages are walled-structures? You can find out the answers inside this museum. In addition, you can get to know about some intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong in order to know deeply about Hong Kong history. There is abundant information such as videos and pictures provided for you to understand their lifestyles.

How to go: Take the MTR to Tsuen Wan Station MTR Exit D. Then, follow the directional signages and take around 8 to 10 minutes to walk.

Entry fee: Free entry

The above museums are the four museums which are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in New Territories. Next time, I will suggest some museums in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Stay tuned!