Though city development has destroyed the natural habitat of many birds, occasionally we still see a hawk gliding in the sky or sparrows hopping on th

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1 Issue No.43 March 2011 O F F I C I A L L A N G U A G E S D I V I S I O N, C I V I L S E R V I C E B U R E A U 1

2 Though city development has destroyed the natural habitat of many birds, occasionally we still see a hawk gliding in the sky or sparrows hopping on the pavement. In the suburbs, where we have lush greenery, birds remain a common sight. There are many references to birds in the English language. Here are just a few examples. Except for those that are caged and certain species like penguins and ostriches, birds fly freely in the air. These winged creatures are widely accepted as symbols of freedom. Hence we have the simile free as a bird to capture the idea of a carefree mood. You might have heard of I d rather be a sparrow than a snail, the opening of the folk song El Condor Pasa. This, in the same vein, is also a reference to the yearning for liberty. But if you are told The bird has flown when looking for someone, the person you want to find is already gone. Like other animals, there are both diurnal and nocturnal birds. Some wake up with the rising sun, while some are active at night. Metaphorically, people who get up early are called early birds. Sometimes this expression also refers to people who arrive early. In real life, a railway company might offer early-bird tickets to those who leave home early in the morning; likewise, certain hotels might provide early-bird packages for those who check in before the peak season begins. We also have the proverb The early bird catches the worm, which suggests that opportunities are only available to those competitors who arrive first. By extension, you may use this proverb to remind people that to be successful, they have to take immediate action. Those who go to bed late are night owls. Some Hong Kong people are typical night owls ; they prefer working at night or enjoy nightlife a lot. Along the same lines, people who fly with the owls are those that become most active or creative at night. Some people find owls scary. With two big forwardfacing eyes and a flat face, they look distinct from other bird species. To indicate that you are not foolish or easily frightened, you may say I wasn t brought up in the woods to be scared by owls. In many places, the sight of owls is believed to be an ill omen of bad luck or even death. In English culture, however, owls have long been held as a symbol of wisdom. Owls can see well in darkness while humans cannot. This might explain why we have the expression wise as an owl. In Greek mythology, owls were often associated with Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and were chosen as the mascot of Athens. Since Athens is home to owls, it is meaningless to bring owls to Athens, which has now become an idiom meaning to undertake a pointless venture. Send owls to Athens or carry owls to Athens are variants having the same meaning. 2

3 * * qióng Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Rachel Carson 3

4 (Barn Swallow) (Eurasian Hoopoe) * (Little Grebe) * pìtī 4

5 * * qīqiāng Moths are nocturnal insects. As the night falls, they become active and will, by instinct, be drawn to any source of light. From this observation, we have derived the simile drawn like a moth to a flame, which describes people who are instinctively or strongly attracted to someone or something. One real life situation that we might have experienced is that, when a department store is having a sale, people swarm in for good bargains, as if they were all moths drawn by the light of a flame. Abundant examples can be found in literary works and other genres to illustrate the use of the expression drawn like a moth to a flame. Here is one in Barnaby Rogerson s The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography: The moment the Prophet arrived in Medina, Salman had been immediately drawn, like a moth to a flame, to Islam, although he remained a slave. The meaning of drawn like a moth to a flame is neutral. Sometimes it carries a bad connotation when the context so suggests. Drug abusers are drawn to psychotropic substances like a moth to a flame is an obvious example of disapproval. Simmie Tang Official Languages Officer I Civil Service Bureau In Western culture, flowers generally imply beauty, life and sensuality, with different flowers carrying their own symbolic meanings. For example, red carnations signify love, while white irises stand for purity. Men consider women and flowers to share the same attributes of grace, freshness and fragility. Therefore, flowers are traditionally associated with femininity and womanhood, and their blossoms can denote a girl entering womanhood or experiencing the world. Flowers have frequently been used in paintings as vehicles for symbolism. For instance, in Dutch still lifes of the 17th century, bouquets represent the transience of life and sensual pleasure; in Rococo paintings of the 18th century, flower gardens are symbols of blossoming love. To the American modern painter Georgia O Keeffe ( ), flowers were equally inspiring, except that she dealt with them differently. In 1923, O Keeffe began painting flowers in very large sizes, creating some of her signature pieces. She incorporated photographic techniques such as cropping and zooming into her compositions even before the technology of developing colour films or blow-ups was invented. O Keeffe cropped her images so tightly that they filled the entire canvas, dwarfing viewers who stood right in front of them. According to O Keeffe, it was a natural attraction to the physical beauty of flowers and the idea to paint something fresh and fragile that drove her to capture the images of flowers. She explained that busy city dwellers did not have time to study and appreciate things thoroughly; to make these people stop and look at her works, she chose to make them big like the huge buildings going up. O Keeffe s flowers were portrayed frontally. But she never attempted to be realistic, and hence not every petal or detail was painted. Though influenced by the clarity of straight photography, she believed that it is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things. By producing oversized close-ups and removing her objects from context, she simplified details and turned organic forms into colour shapes. O Keeffe once remarked, I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn t say any other way. However, some critics thought O Keeffe rebellious and interpreted her gigantic flowers as metaphors for sex. To this accusation, the painter replied that she was just representing the flower itself, flatly denying that her flowers were suggestive of the female organ. She perceived her art as how she saw the objects, and her flowers were nothing but flowers. O Keeffe s floral works are massively enlarged, presenting the images as something unfamiliar and startling, especially to those with little knowledge of her style. The effect is so overwhelming that viewers can no longer be sure whether it is just flowers they are looking at. Stirred by the vibrant colours and delicate shapes, viewers may find themselves lost in the artist s mystical world. 5

6 The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. William Blake 6

7 The following winners will be notified individually by post: Siu Yee-wan Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Tsui Sin-shan Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Chow Hok-ying Home Affairs Department Li Hong Inland Revenue Department M W O G I L D O C D R E C E D I N G A L M O N D E M G E W O T P L F U N I B R O W L E T B O E L U J S B U O T T L E R O S S E B U G D N N Y L O B A G S E L E S S 7

8 Q D Issue No. 44 (June 2011): The Joys of Childhood Issue No. 45 (September 2011): Man and Society Contributions from colleagues are welcome. Please refer to Issue No. 42 for details. Dr Robert J. Neather Hon Chinese Adviser Dr Hong Po-man Hon English Adviser Dr Robert J. Neather Editorial Board Chairman Mrs Stella Mui Member Mrs Loletta Yeung Executive Editor Mr Kenneth Luk Member Ms Peggy Chan Member Ms Iris Ip Assistant Editor Miss Cynthia Seto Member Mr James Ho Member Ms Winnie Cheung Member Miss Holly Lo Member Mr Damon Kong ( csbolrs@csb.gov.hk Word Power is also uploaded to the webpage of the Civil Service Bureau ( If you have any comments or suggestions about this publication, please write to the Editorial Board of Word Power (Official Languages Division, Civil Service Bureau, Room 2310, High Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong or csbolrs@csb.gov.hk). 8

國立桃園高中96學年度新生始業輔導新生手冊目錄

國立桃園高中96學年度新生始業輔導新生手冊目錄彰化考區 104 年國中教育會考簡章簡章核定文號 : 彰化縣政府 104 年 01 月 27 日府教學字第 1040027611 號函中華民國 104 年 2 月 9 日彰化考區 104 年國中教育會考試務會編印主辦學校 : 國立鹿港高級中學地址 :50546 彰化縣鹿港鎮