Contents I Contents II

Email — Three-day itinerary for Hong Kong P.6 A guide for a domestic servant robot P.18-19

- by Chan Piu Yeung (F.2C)

- by Yu Yan Ching (F.1A)
Writing an email of complaint to an online retailer P.20-21
Food review — A local dessert P.7

- by Yao Yeuk Ham (F.1B) - by Chan Sze Tung, Jessica (F.2D)

Story — Amazing people, amazing deeds: My generous P.22-23

Diary Entry — An unlucky day P.8
uncle
- by Tsang Yeuk Hei, Hailey (F.1C)
- by Lin Man Ki, Celia (F.2E)

Food review — A popular dessert in Hong Kong P.9

A letter to the Editor to express views on electronic P.24-25
books
- by Xu Si Bo (F.1D)
- by Tang Yui Him, Percy (F.3A)
Picture story — A picture story about the importance of P.10-11
pet training Argumentative essay — A new waste charging system in P.26-27
- by So Wing You (F.1E) Hong Kong
- by Xuan Shan You, Youyo (F.3A)
Email of complaint — Writing an email of complaint to an P.12-13
online retailer Letter of advice — Writing a letter to offer advice to a P.28-29
- by Chan Yan Ki, Dora (F.2A) troubled student
- by Li Chui Ying (F.3B)
Blog Entry — A Very Memorable Travel Experience P.14-15
A survey report P.30-31
- by Yuen Sheung Chun (F.2A)
- by Huang Man Wai, Jasmine (F.3C)
Blog Entry — Writing a blog entry about a very memora- P.16-17
ble experience Two-sided argumentative essay— Waste charging in P.32-33
Hong Kong
- by Tang Wing (F.2B) - by San Wing San (F.3D)
1 2
 Contents III Contents IV

Letter to the editor — Expressing opinions on e-sports P.34-35 Article — Why is reading a good habit for students to P.49-50
have?
- by Kwok Ngai, Ben (F.4E)
- by Chan Chi Yip (F.3E)
Formal letter — Proposing the use of laptops and tablet P.51-53
One-sided argumentative essay — Whether priority P.36-38 computers in English classes
seats on public transport should be doubled - by Lo Ching (F.5A)
- by Chan Ho Yi (F.4A)
Suggestion form — Making suggestions to crime P.54-55
Informal email — Views on videotaping P.39-40 prevention patrol group

- by Chui Ho Kit (F.5A)

- by Lee Ho Nam (F.4B)
Debate speech — Students should not be encouraged to P.56-57
Speech — Doing Sports helps students become well- P.41-42 try fasting
rounded individuals - by Chan Lam, Amy (F.5B)

- by Choi Tin Lok (F.4C) Proposal — Allowing senior secondary students to use P.58-60
laptop or tablet computers in their English lessons

Letter to the manager — A proposal on sportswear P.43-44 - by Chong Siu Kit (F.5C)

School magazine article — Taking an active role at P.61-63

- by Chan Yu Yan (F.4D) school
Letter to the manager — A proposal on sportswear P.45-46 - by Leung Hoi Ching (F.5D)

Debate speech — Fasting P.64-65

- by Ng Kwun Yan (F.4D)
- by Ip Tsz Siu Sylvian(F.5E)
Argumentative essay — Priority seats on public P.47-48
transport should not be doubled Article — E-payment apps P.66-67
- by Choing Ki Chun, Brian (F.4E) - by Leung Ho Chuen, Matthew (F.5E)

3 4
 Contents VI Email — Three-day itinerary for Hong Kong
Yearbook — Graduation yearbook P.68
By Yu Yan Ching (F.1A)
- by Leung Lok (F.6A) Dear Simon,

Speech — Slow Movement P.69-70

I’m thrilled to hear that you will come to Hong Kong soon. I am
writing this email concerning your trip and I’d like to suggest visiting
- by Mok Cheuk Ki (F.6A) some famous places in Hong Kong and planning what activities we could
do.
Magazine article — Early Days of Vintage Variety Stores P.71

- by Lai Wing San (F.6B) On the morning of our first day, we will go to see the sunrise from
The Peak. What an amazing view it is! In the afternoon, we will go to the
Graduation yearbook — Write about academic life and P.72-73 Mong Kok Flower Street by taxi. There are different types of flowers
which are sold such as daisies and tulips. At night, we will go to the street
student life stalls to try out some delicious local food. It is very tasty.
- by Lau Tsz Hin (F.6C)
On the second day, we can have dim sum in Luk Yu Tea House in
Speech — Slow Movement P.74-75 the morning. Also, I suggest going to Fa Yuen Street in the afternoon
since there are a lot of sneakers in the stores. More importantly, the items
are sold at reasonable prices and won’t break your bank. At night, we can
- by Wong Hiu Tung (F.6D) see the spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. We can aslo enjoy the
Symphony of Lights which is very dazzling.
Feature article — Store Closure P.76-77

- by Tsang Pui Sang (F.6E) On the third day, I plan to take you to the Hong Kong Museum of
History. Alternatively, we could go to Ocean Park since it is the most
iconic theme park in Hong Kong. We could go on some exciting thrill
Feature article — Store Closure rides and watch a dolphin show.
P.78-79
- by Wu Hiu Ching (F.6E)
I can’t wait to see you in Hong Kong. I really look forward to that
day. Furthermore, don’t forget to send me a postcard. I’m sure you’ll have
loads of fun in Hong Kong.

Love,
Yanny

5 6
 Food Review — A local dessert Diary entry — An unlucky day
By Yao Yeuk Ham (F.1B)
By Tsang Yeuk Hei, Hailey (F.1C)

A Food Review of a Popular Dessert in Hong Kong – Chocolate Cake

Dear Diary,
Rainy
Since I have a sweet tooth, I love cakes. My favourite cake fla-
vour is chocolate because chocolate adds a lot of flavour as well as nutri-
Today was really a long and unlucky day for me! It all started in
ents to the cake.
the morning…

The appearance of the cake is very attractive and makes people want
For a start, I woke up late! This was what happened next…When I
to eat it very much. The cake smells lightly chocolate, sweet and creamy
got out of bed and checked the time, it was half past seven! I then quickly
and the cake itself means sweetness.
put on my school uniform and ran to the bus stop.

The taste of the cake is also very delicious. The bitterness of the
When I was almost there, I could see the bus I wanted to get on,
chocolate makes the cake not so sweet. The biscuits at the bottom add a
but I was too late, and it drove away. It was raining quite heavily outside,
crunchy texture to the soft texture of the cake, and the cream on the top is
but I didn’t bring my umbrella. While I was running to the bus stop in a
very similar to ice cream because it is placed in the refrigerator.
hurry, I hurt myself. “Oh, no!” I shouted. I thought a passerby would help
me, but all of them were rushing to school or work. I was all alone.
The texture of the cake is soft, bouncy and has a sponge-like texture.
When it is chewed, the cake has a ‘rustling’ sound and the biscuits un-
When I arrived at school, the running competition I had to join had
derneath produces a crisp sound.
already started. “You can’t join the competition. You got hurt!”, the
coach said to me. I was really disappointed. I sat on the bench and
This dessert shop is located in Kowloon and the name is ‘Hey Yo! watched the competition as a spectator.
Hi . Cheese’. A slice of cake costs around HK$24. I would recommend it
to friends as the dessert is delicious and yet affordable.
It was such an unlucky day for me. I hope my bad luck will go
away. Today, I learnt that I need to wake up early so I won’t be late for
school again!

Good night, Diary.

7 8
 Food review — A popular dessert in Hong Kong
Picture story — A picture story about the importance of pet training

By Xu Si Bo (F.1D)
By So Wing You (F.1E)
Buddy’s training experience
Delicious Black Sesame Paste
Last year, a man named Joe went to the Jojo Animal Shelter to adopt
Black sesame paste is a well-loved dessert in Hong Kong. I gave it a pet. He adopted a dog with short hair, a long tail and a pair of watery
a try in the Kai Kee Dessert shop. It is known as B Chai Herbal Jelly. eyes. He named him Buddy.
When I passed by the dessert shop with my friends, we found that there
were quite a lot of people in the cafe. I told them I wanted to have a try,
so we went inside.
One Monday morning, Joe went to the supermarket with Buddy to
buy groceries. After that, as they were on their way back home, Buddy
The dessert looks delicious. It is served with a big spoon, and it is suddenly caught a fragrant smell and rushed very fast like a rocket to the
usually boiled. The serving size is medium, and it smells good. Its taste
door of Joe’s neighbour’s house. Joe picked Buddy up and walked home
comes with a strong sesame flavour.
angrily.

The best thing about it is that it is not expensive, and it is very suit-
able for breakfast. However, it would have been better if the sesame
In the evening, while Joe was preparing dinner in the kitchen, Buddy
paste was not too sweet because I don’t like having overly sweet food.
Although I’m afraid of getting fat, its taste is still lovely. jumped onto the worktop and stole some meat. Joe’s response was fast.
He shouted at Buddy, ‘Enough! Go back to your kennel, Buddy!’ Buddy
put down the meat in his mouth and turned around with a disappointed
I recommend this dessert to others since it has a strong sesame
paste taste and is cheap. If you like sweet things, it’s worth trying it. face.

The next day, Joe couldn’t hold Buddy’s mischievous behaviour any-
more. He took Buddy to a pet training centre and met Kelly, the pet ex-
pert. ‘Hi, do you need help, sir?’ Kelly asked. Joe tried to explain what
had happened between him and Buddy. ‘It seems that your dog needs
some special training,’ Kelly said and sighed.

9 10
 After a month, there was an examination to test each pet’s Email of complaint—Writing an email of complaint to an online retailer
training results. All the pets acted perfectly during the examination.
By Chan Yan Ki, Dora (F.2A)
However, when it came to Buddy’s turn, something went wrong.
Dear Sir/Madam,
‘Sit!’ Joe ordered Buddy. Buddy lay on the floor and did nothing.
Joe felt embarrassed. All of a sudden, Buddy saw another dog own-
er holding a toy frisbee and rushed towards him. Joe shouted to I am writing to complain about the unsatisfactory online purchase of a
pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones I made on your platform. As a
Buddy, but Buddy didn’t listen to his owner and acted hyperactive-
customer, I would like to give a brief account of my experience as well
ly. Joe felt really embarrassed and exhausted. as providing details of the problems I encountered.

The following Saturday afternoon, Joe made an appointment The thing I was most dissatisfied with was the poor quality of the
headphones. I purchased them on 28th March 2022 and received them
to see Kelly again at the pet training centre. Joe asked, ‘Why Bud-
one week later. I followed the instructions in the manual, but the head-
dy makes no improvement? He is even more hyperactive than ev- phones suddenly stopped playing music and disconnected automatical-
er!’ Kelly replied, ‘Buddy has some bad behaviour. Have you tried ly when I was listening to music on Spotify. The experience was so
to understand his feelings? For example, what he wants and what unpleasant because I could not use them properly anymore. Can you
he doesn’t want. Maybe you didn’t give him what he wanted.’ Joe imagine my exasperation and bewilderment?

realized that he treated Buddy very badly. He always shouted at

Buddy for no reason, and he trained Buddy impatiently. Joe went Equally exasperating is the fact that the charging port is also of poor
back home and sat in front of Buddy. He cried and apologized to quality. After I had the headphones for two weeks, I discovered that
the charging cable you provided was not compatible with the head-
Buddy. Buddy jumped on him and licked his face. Joe cuddled him phones. I felt so disappointed with the headphones because they did
and smiled happily. not live up to the standard and that was not what I anticipated.

I purchased the headphones from your online store on the understand-

ing that I was going to enjoy high-quality music and service. However,
the goods I received were contrary to what I had expected. I urge your
company to review the quality of your products and prompt action
should be taken to rectify the situation. Furthermore, I hereby demand
an apology concerning such chaos caused and a pledge that improve-
ments will be made immediately.
11 12
As a last resort, I will report my case to the Consumer Council. I can be
contacted at [email protected]. I anticipate your prompt response. Blog Entry - A Very Memorable Travel Experience
By Yuen Sheung Chun (F.2A)

Yours faithfully,
Eric Wong Landmarks of Hong Kong
Posted 10:23pm. 4 October 2021.

Introduction
Have you ever been to the most popular landmarks in Hong Kong?
If not, I will share my recent travel experience in Hong Kong during the
pandemic.

One-day Tour on Hong Kong Island

In the morning, I took a bus to Stanley. I ate a nice breakfast to start
my day. It was a fried egg sandwich with ham and a cup of hot chocolate.
Afterwards, I went sightseeing around Murray House, Stanley Market and
Stanley Beach. I took quite a lot of pictures there. It was not very hot as
there was wind along the seaside. In the afternoon, I took the bus to Central
and rode The Peak Tram. The queue was long, but I thought it was worth
it. Along the way, I saw views of the Central Business District. When I ar-
rived at the top, I went to the Peak Tower and took pictures of the gorgeous
views of Hong Kong. After buying a lot of souvenirs there, I had dinner at
Burger King because it is the last branch in Hong Kong. It was delicious. I
absolutely loved it!

44-year-old Ocean Park

That night, I stayed at Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel. The
bed was big, bouncy and very comfortable. The next day, I visited Ocean
Park. I queued for the cable car immediately as I knew there would be a lot
of people there later on. The views were beautiful and I had no regrets. I
rode on different rides like ‘Hair Raiser’.

13 14
 It was thrilling and very exciting. Then I went to see animals. I saw Blog Entry - Writing a blog entry about a very memorable travel experience
penguins and seals. The penguins were so cute! I also watched a dolphin
show. They were so disciplined and did many different stunts. I also ate By Tang Wing (F.2B)
grilled squid which was very flavourful.
Having fun in Seoul, Korea

Kowloon
I had a very impressive travel experience in Korea and I believe you
The next day, I took the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour and ar- will love this place as well after reading about my experience.
rived Tsim Sha Tsui. The unforgettable views of the skyscrapers were
amazing, so I took many pictures. I also explored Nathan Road and bought
souvenirs as I walked along the street. I ate ice cream too. I visited different On the first day, my family and I arrived at Incheon International Air-
shops. Then I walked back to Tsim Sha Tsui. It took me two hours because port in Seoul. We were ready to start a wonderful journey. The hotel we stayed
the distance was very long. In the evening, I stayed in The Peninsula Hotel was very large and luxurious with a buffet breakfast corner, a swimming pool,
and ate some local food for dinner. I could see spectacular views of the city and a breathtaking view from the terrace. Even though the hotel had many
from my room. facilities for us to relax in, we didn’t have much time to explore the city, so we
set off at once. First, we went to Namsan Tower. The lighting on the tower
changes according to seasons and time. The tower has a revolving restaurant, a
Visiting Disneyland café, and an observation deck. I could see an unforgettable night view of the
On the last day of my trip, I visited Disneyland. I took pictures of whole city of Seoul.
attractions like the Main Street and the castle. Then I rode on different rides.
Space Mountain was very scary at first, but then I found it fun and exciting.
I also took pictures with cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Goofy The next day, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace. As the largest and
and ate donuts, which were very sweet. For dinner, I ate crispy and deli- most beautifully designed palace among the five in South Korea, it occupies a
cious fish and chips. After dinner, we watched the Disney Parade and I saw pivotal position in the history of South Korea. By visiting this palace, we
different cartoon characters. Afterwards, I went home and it marked an end could see traditional Korean architecture, and had an opportunity to gain a
to my four-day trip around Hong Kong. deeper understanding of Korean history.

This trip was very memorable for me as I had never really explored On the third day, we went to the Myeongdong neighbourhood to do
Hong Kong deeply. Also, it was very comfortable and relaxing to walk some shopping. Besides numerous boutiques and cosmetic stores, the roads in
around as there are fewer tourists during the pandemic. I truly think Hong the Myeongdong area are full of food stalls selling traditional Korean snacks
Kong is beautiful after this experience. and exotic dishes, which are fragrant and delicious!

On the last day of our visit, we had a good time relaxing in our hotel
facilities in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to the airport and

15 16
bought some souvenirs in a duty-free shop for our family and friends. A guide for a domestic servant robot
This was how our unforgettable journey ended.
By Chan Piu Yeung (F.2C)

I would like to invite you to visit this wonderful city of Seoul!

A cutting-edge domestic servant robot – Paxton

Nowadays, many people have a lot of things to do in their daily

life, such as doing homework or working in an office. After these activ-
ities, they still have to do all the housework and that will make them
even more tired. A robot, Paxton, can ease the burden of busy people so
that they can have more time to rest.

Features/Functions of Paxton
Paxton is a very useful robot which can do many things, like mak-
ing delicious, fabulous foods, such as soy sauce chicken wings, scram-
bled eggs with pork chop rice and French fries. Also, when the corners
of your room are so dusty and you cannot clean them properly, Paxton
will automatically help you to clear away all the dust and make your
room shiny and clean once again.

Besides preparing food and cleaning, Paxton can help you to find
missing items, so don’t worry if you cannot find something. Just call
Paxton, then your robot will search every place in your home to help
you search for your lost item.

In addition, if you keep using your electronic products for over 10

hours, Paxton will warn you loudly. If you don’t listen to it, Paxton will
switch off the devices and confiscate the electronic device that you are
using. So, remember to allow your eyes to rest and relax.

17 18
 Writing an email of complaint to an online retailer
Safety rules when using Paxton
Paxton is a very caring robot that can help you solve many By Chan Sze Tung, Jessica (F.2D)
problems, but if you do some bad things or say some bad words,
Paxton will take action to ensure you never do so again. The most Dear Sir/Madam,
important thing is you must not say any bad words. Otherwise, Pax-
ton will brutally kick your legs. Anyway, it will not break your legs.
Therefore, you should always be polite when you are around Paxton. I am writing to complain about the unsatisfactory online purchase of a
pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones. I purchased the Droid Ears X-
100 Bluetooth Headphones on 15th April, 2022 from your online shop.
Paxton does not need to eat but it needs electricity to run. Be-
fore using it, you have to charge the battery fully and switch it on
when you want to use it. Also, it is more important than ever to stay The most disappointing part of the purchase was that the quality of the
away from water because when Paxton touches water, it will gradu- headphones was poor. Before using the headphones, I read the product
ally rust and break down. You have to wait for three weeks to fix it manual carefully and followed the instructions. However, the head-
due to our busy factory and workshop, so be careful! phones could not be connected properly to my devices. Eventually,
they could be connected to my smartphone, but only after about one
hour of trying. Then, while I was watching YouTube videos, they dis-
connected automatically, and I could not hear anything again. There-
fore, I am very disappointed with this product because it did not live up
Rationale for designing Paxton
to the standard of an award-winning product.
The reason for creating Paxton is that we are busy every day.
There are many people who need to work and live alone but they
can’t take care of themselves. We hope that Paxton can assist them a I would also like to draw your attention to the poor service I received
little every day. Probably not much, at least we tried to help. Paxton from your online shop. The sales assistant guaranteed that the head-
is user-friendly and brings convenience to all of us. phones would be delivered within 1 to 3 days. Nevertheless, I had to
wait for three weeks. I called the sales assistant to ask about the situa-
tion but he was rude to me. In addition, when I asked him whether I
In conclusion, Paxton can improve our quality of life. If you could return the headphones, he hung up on me. Accordingly, I was
follow the safety instructions carefully and use it wisely, you need angry about it because the sales assistant was impolite. His attitude
not worry about household chores. Have a satisfied and smooth life! made me feel bad. I believe that this is not the right attitude to treat
your customers.

In conclusion, I was dissatisfied with the online purchase of the wire-

less Bluetooth headphones because they were not what I expected.

19 20
I demand a reasonable explanation and a full refund. If you ignore Story — Amazing people, amazing deeds: My generous uncle
my complaint, I will report the case to the Consumer Council. You
can contact me at [email protected].
By Lin Man Ki, Celia (F.2E)

I look forward to receiving your reply soon.

My uncle who is forty-five years old has been running a bakery for
more than ten years. He gets up early every day to make bread. Last sum-
Yours faithfully, mer vacation, I volunteered at my uncle’s bakery and tried to work as a
cashier.
Eric Chan

One day, when I was working at the bakery with my uncle, he sud-
denly got a phone call. ‘Someone has just placed a large order and I’ve
accepted it! We’re gonna make lots of bread, and you’ll help me!’ He
screamed with excitement once he hung up the phone. He then left the
bakery and went shopping for the ingredients for the big order.

Soon after my uncle left, an old man in a ripped dirty vest on crutch-
es walked in. I tried to be polite and smiled at him, ‘Is there anything I
can help?’ The old man did not speak. He got a big bag of bread, went
towards me and whispered, ‘How much?’ ‘10 cocktail buns and 12 pine-
apple buns. That’s $100 in total, please.’ Then he took out a hand-drawn
$100 banknote from his pocket. I was speechless at first and became irri-
tated as he turned around and walked away. I realised he was here to grab
the bread. I immediately snatched the bag of bread from his hand. He
looked shocked and scared. ‘Sir, please get out!’ I shouted at him and
pushed him out of the shop. The passers-by looked at him with a strange
gaze. I went back to the bakery, sat down at the cashier and heaved a sigh
of relief.

My uncle came back after I put the bread back on the shelf. I told
him about the incident that had just happened. After listening to what I
said, he took out a little metal box. He opened the box which was filled

21 22
with the similar banknotes that the old man had been holding. I was A letter to the Editor to express views on electronic books
astounded and took out one. My uncle told me that the old man used to be
a talented artist. Unfortunately, he was deceived by his unfaithful wife
and all his savings were taken away. His wife ran away with a man. Since By Tang Yui Him, Percy (F.3A)
then, he became a poor lonely man and no one cared about him. ‘He Dear Editor,
comes and buys bread once a week with his hand-drawn money. Whenev-
As a regular reader of your column, I am writing to express my views
er I can help, I do. And I admire his drawings. You see, how beautiful the
over the issue of electronic books. I support the use of e-books as they are
banknotes are,’ my uncle said and smiled. ‘Is he going to run out of food?
both convenient and environmentally friendly.
I just kicked him away.’ I said euphemistically, ‘Can I go and deliver him
the bread?’ I asked. My uncle told me to pack the bread that the old man
had chosen and went to his place afterwards. The first reason I support the use of e-books is that they are convenient.
The font size of most e-book readers, such as Kindle and Epic Book
Reader, can be adjusted to make words easier to read. This surely is much
By the end of the summer vacation, I found out that the large order more user-friendly, especially for the elderly and readers who suffer from
was made by a charity. My uncle couldn’t earn much from the deal actu- disabilities. On the contrary, the font size of traditional books can only be
ally. But from the smile on his face, I could tell that the happiness brought enlarged by using a bulky magnifying glass. Therefore, e-books are far
by helping others is always beyond words and cannot be replaced by any- more convenient than traditional books and should be used more widely.
thing else. That’s what I learnt from my uncle last summer.

The second reason that I would opt for using e-books rather than tradi-
tional books is because they are a lot more environmentally friendly. As
indicated in a recent study published in Nature Estimates, the size of one
football field of a forest is lost every single second for paper manufactur-
ing and production. If those trees could talk, all of us should be sent to
court and face trials for the harm we have done to the Earth. Unlike tradi-
tional books, e-books are more eco-friendly, because they do not kill for-
ests. Go grab an e-book reader now in order to make the Earth healthier!

Obviously, EBooks bring lots of benefits to people nowadays. Neverthe-

less, they are a double-edged sword. They may have serious health conse-
quences if we don’t use them correctly. In other words, every coin has
two sides.

23 24
 Argumentative Essay — A new waste charging system in Hong Kong
First and foremost, it is harmful for our eyes to look at the display of elec-
tronic devices for a long time. Prolonged exposure to blue light can poten-
By Xuan Shan You, Yoyo (F.3A)
tially harm our retinal cells and make us suspectable to conditions like
macular degeneration.
Recently, there has been heated debate about whether Hong Kong
should introduce a waste charging system. In this system, citizens will be
To solve the problem above, it is suggested that readers should practise a
charged by the amount of waste they produce according to the weight of
“20-20-20” eye-caring exercise. That means resting our eyes for 20 sec-
the waste or the number of plastic bags they have used. Let’s take a look
onds after looking at a screen for 20 minutes, and looking at a distant ob-
at the possible advantages and disadvantages of this proposal.
ject from 20 feet while resting. In addition, children under 12 years old
should not use electronic gadgets for more than two hours in order to pro-
tect their eyes which are still developing. First, a trash charging system can efficiently reduce the amount of
garbage Hong Kongers produce. In 2019, we produced over 6 million
tons of solid trash, of which only 20% was recycled. However, Hong
To conclude, although e-books have a number of useful benefits, they al-
Kong’s landfills have already reached saturation. In comparison, let’s
so have some drawbacks which traditional books do not have. However, it
look at Taiwan. Since their government introduced its trash pricing sys-
depends a lot on the ways we use them. I am sure all of us can become a
tem in 2000, the amount of waste disposed per person fell by about 60%,
wise reader if we read in a sensible manner. Enjoy your reading journey
from 1.1 kg per day in 2000 to 0.39 kg per day in 2011. Therefore, it is
with e-books!
clear that this kind of system can significantly minimize waste. It is ad-
vised that the Hong Kong government should follow suit so as to protect
Yours faithfully, our environment.

Chris Wong
Furthermore, another benefit of the garbage pricing system is that it
ensures that everyone is treated equally. As fees are calculated depending
on the amount of waste individuals produce, the more you use, the more
you pay. Residents in Taipei are required to acquire special rubbish bags
from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. In my opinion,
this system is fair because citizens are charged based on how much pollu-
tion they produce, and it has successfully reduced garbage output. People
in Hong Kong would consume much less garbage if these steps were also
implemented in 2000. People would stop generating huge amounts of
waste in order to save money. This trash charging system will treat eve-
ryone equally, and Hongkongers will become more conscious of their
waste production in the long run.

25 26
 However, despite the numerous benefits listed above, the system Letter of advice — Writing a letter to offer advice to a troubled student
is far from perfect. Critics of the proposal are concerned about unlawful
By Li Chui Ying (F.3B)
rubbish disposal. Hong Kong will have to remove some public trash bins
to prevent families from throwing their trash carelessly onto the streets. Dear Mandy,
This will cause quite some inconvenience to residents and visitors. It is
obvious that people may attempt to bypass the system by illegally dump-
ing their household waste. This is one of the shortcomings of the plan. I know you wrote a letter to the counsellor about your problems. I
hope I can give you some advice that will help you.

Another issue is time. It is likely that this system will cause us

more inconvenience in our daily lives. Some families in South Korea, a You mentioned that you were feeling very tired. This is quite a
country with a similar waste charging system like Taiwan, complained common problem amongst secondary students, but don’t worry. There
that the system forced people to do extra work sorting and weighing their are things you can do about it. Do you talk with your parents? I think
waste, which takes a long time. As we all know, Hong Kong citizens are you should talk with them and tell them your feelings. You need to tell
always busy with work and time is a luxury. In this case, the effective- them you can’t get good grades at school if you can’t focus on anything.
ness of the system is questionable. If this policy is implemented in Hong Tell them you are tired and discuss your sleep issues with them and see
Kong, further issues might arise and need addressing. if some of the cram classes your attend can be cancelled. Apart from
that, you can take a nap during recesses and at lunchtime. You can also
finish your lunch quickly in around 15 minutes and then you can rest for
It is evident that the waste charging system has both advantages at least half an hour.
and disadvantages, However, I believe that the potential problems can be
solved. I am confident that the policy will be able to address Hong
Kong’s environmental issues. To protect our environment, the govern- You also said that you have no free time for hobbies. If I were you,
ment should carefully design and implement systems that have already I would talk to my parents and persuade them to let me join one extra-
been adopted by other countries many years ago. We should unite to en- curricular activity. If you can still get good grades, they may allow you
sure that Hong Kong has a brighter future. to join another one. If you want to have more free time, I suggest that
you finish your homework and revision at school. Then you will have
more time to do your hobbies after school and on weekends.

Finally, you said that you think you need to control your weight
because you struggle to get into your uniform. I think you can have a
healthier diet. You must eat your breakfast because it is the most im-
portant meal. That can help you replenish your energy and make you
more spirited. You said you know you should stay away from sweets
but you feel happier eating them. I suggest you can eat some healthy
fruits like apples, kiwis and bananas. They are also sweet. You

27 28
should drink more water every day because drinking more water can im- A Survey Report
prove your metabolism. In addition to improving your diet, you could
By Huang Man Wai, Jasmine (F.3C)
exercise more. You should do physical activities like yoga or jogging for
15 to 20 minutes a day. These can help you lose weight.

Survey Report on Students’ Opinions about the School Tuck Shop

Mandy, the sun will come out tomorrow, so try to be positive. I hope
these suggestions are useful to you.
Introduction
The Student Union recently conducted a survey to find out
Best wishes,
what students think about the school tuck shop. In total, 324 students
Lura from our school took part in the study. This report describes the
findings, analysis and recommendations resulting from the survey.

Findings
One main finding was that a large majority of respondents reg-
ularly purchase food from the school tuck shop. 146 out of 324 stu-
dents (45%) purchase food from the school tuck shop at least five
times a week. Furthermore, a minority of respondents (35.5%)
bought food from the tuck shop three to four times a week. Student
respondents rated the quality service at about 3.6 on a 4-point scale.
They rated the food varieties offered as well as nutritional value of
food at 1.4 and 1.9 respectively.

Analysis
It is clear that many students who took part in the survey are
concerned about the quality of food sold at the school tuck shop.
Many students visit the school tuck shop quite frequently. Some stu-
dents sometimes go there to buy food because they have no other
option. Although a lot of students find the quality of service satisfac-
tory, they are not happy with the limited variety of food on offer.
Students also think that the food choices are very unhealthy and
have low nutritional value.

29 30
Recommendations Two-sided argumentative essay — Waste charging in Hong Kong
It is recommended that the school tuck shop should work on two By San Wing San (F.3D)
main areas of improvement so that students can have a more enjoyable
experience. First, the school tuck shop should increase the variety of food
on offer. That will attract more students to use it. Secondly, it is strongly Should a waste charging system be introduced in Hong Kong?
suggested that the tuck shop should revise the lunch menu and provide
more nutritious and delicious food. Finally, we all hope that the school
tuck shop can maintain its good service. Waste problem has been a great cause of concern in Hong Kong. To
solve this problem, the Hong Kong government has proposed to intro-
duce a waste charging system. There are many advantages and disad-
vantages of such a system.

On the plus side, the waste charging system can effectively reduce
the production of garbage. People will buy fewer unnecessary products if
they can because they need to pay for the trash they produce. In Taipei,
since the government introduced a waste charging system in 2000, do-
mestic waste has reduced from 1.1 kg to 0.69 kg per day, decreasing by
nearly 60%. It shows that charging consumers can really reduce the pres-
sure on landfills. If Hong Kong introduces the waste charging system,
there should be less garbage produced.

Another advantage is that it is fair. This waste charging system

charges people according to how much rubbish they produce, so that is
fair to everyone. For instance, my friend Tom always shopped online
before because he did not need to pay for his garbage. But after the waste
charging system was implemented in Taipei, he needed to pay for all the
rubbish that he produced, so now he shops less in order to produce less
waste. If we do not have the charge, no matter how much waste you pro-
duce, the cost is shared by all taxpayers. But with the charge, people
have to be responsible for the waste they produce. Those who produce
more will have to pay more.

Although there are benefits to the system, one drawback is that the
waste charging system will cause illegal disposal of waste. Some people
31 32
want to avoid the charge, so they dispose of their rubbish illegally. They A letter to the editor to express opinions on e-sports
may dump it on the streets, which will affect the cleanliness of the city.
By Chan Chi Yip (F.3E)
This happened in Taipei when the city first introduced a waste charging
system. The government had to remove a number of trash cans, causing Dear Editor,
some inconvenience to residents and visitors. It also had to deploy more
manpower to police illegal dumping of waste, which has been an added
expense for the government. If the same system is introduced in Hong Nowadays, many youngsters are getting involved in e-sports. Therefore, I
Kong, the government is likely to face the same problems. am writing to express my opinions on the prevalence of e-sports.

Another disadvantage is that a charging system for garbage will Firstly, playing e-sports can help us relax from our busy lives. Teenagers
aggravate the financial burden of the poor. The cost may be insignificant are very busy with school and homework which makes them exhausted.
to the rich but it will definitely have an effect on the poor. They already Therefore, playing a quick e-sport game after a tough day at school can
struggle for a living. The cost will intensify the financial problems of help them to relax. They will feel excited and have a sense of achieve-
these people and worsen their quality of life. ment after winning a game.

In conclusion, every coin has two sides. We can clearly see the ad- Secondly, playing e-sports can improve youngsters’ social skills. For ex-
vantages and disadvantages of this waste charging system. In my opin- ample, in some kinds of games which have gunfights, it allows multiple
ion, all the disadvantages can be overcome. The government can provide players to work together as a team. They chat with one another instantly
subsidies for poor families and illegal disposal of waste will decrease if and so students can even make new friends. Also, this can boost young-
there is enough policing and education. Therefore, I support the intro- sters’ teamwork skills which is very useful in some school activities, such
duction of the waste charging system. as group projects.

However, e-sports is a double-edged sword. If teenagers do not play it

wisely, it may harm them in many ways. If youngsters have a lack of self-
control, they could become addicted to e-sports. As a result, they may
skip their schoolwork. If this keeps on, they will have poorer academic
performance.

Furthermore, playing e-sports may cause physical harm and is bad for
teenagers’ health. For example, sitting in front of the computer for a long
time may increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, can-
cer, diabetes, stroke, and arthritis. Regarding mental health, people who
like chatting to others in the virtual world may refuse to talk with people

33 34
in real life. They may feel isolated and escape from real-life problems One-sided argumentative essay — Whether priority seats on public
through gaming. transport should be doubled

By Chan Ho Yi (F.4A)
To conclude, playing e-sports brings both benefits and drawbacks to
youngsters. They should use gaming wisely to reduce stress and entertain
themselves. Doubling priority seats - a blessing or a curse?

Have you ever taken a priority seat? In the past, with the view to
embrace the small sector of the society, there was a general consensus
Yours faithfully, among our HongKongers concerning offering priority seats voluntarily.
Chris Yet people’s scale of views seems to swing to another side recently. A
sparked controversy has been stirred up about whether the priority seats
Chris Wong
should be doubled to serve the disadvantaged. After pondering all the
merits and demerits, it is my firm conviction that the policy might be
beneficial at the first glance, but it should not be implemented in a long
run.

To start with, doubling priority seats is detrimental as it can be the

hotbed of cyberbullying, hatred as well as malevolent discrimination to
individuals. Think about it: the cyberspace is playing a vital role in the
modern society, owing to the convenience and accessibility of spreading
ideas. In other words, passengers would be easily under public scrutiny if
they do not offer their seats. On the other hand, villains could post mali-
cious sayings against the passengers, thanks to the anonymity of online
world. An able-bodied girl in Taiwan is a case in point. She faces severe
backlash and online abuse simply because she is not morally correct. Of
course a movement supporting her was launched afterwards. Is it a bless-
ing from doubling priority seats? If the policy is implemented, it would
surely do nothing but only intensify the social adversity. Hence, it is
crystal clear that doubling the seats should not be adopted.

It is also worth noticing that doubling priority seats add fuel to the
fire to the tensions between the young and the disadvantaged. That is to

35 36
say, the policy should be put into blacklist because it would create more the tensions between different parties in the society. In addition, it
quarrels and discontent between the two parts of society. In fact, the would waste the financial expenditures of the authorities and money of
tender passengers point an accusing finger at the policy, suggesting that taxpayers. Hence, doubling the seats should no longer exist as it does
it is utterly unfair to them, as the needy enjoy discounts of fees already more harm than good.
while the able-bodied enjoy nothing at all. On the other hand, in order
to leave spaces for more priority seats, one of the procedures of dou-
bling the seats is to demolish the normal seats serving the passengers.
With it come the outburst of wrath towards the disadvantaged. For ex-
ample, a recent survey report conducted by Ming Pao reveals that more
than half of the able-bodied passengers reckon it unfair to double the
priority seats. What’s more, nearly 40% of them even posted hate
speech towards the needy, calling them ‘the vested interests’. There-
fore, on no account should the policy be put into practice as this can
jeopardize the relationship between passengers and the minorities.

Besides the aforementioned, the waste of financial expenditures

should not fade into oblivion. Let’s think about it with a pinch of salt:
the needy, comprising the disabled, pregnant women and the elderly,
are indeed only a small sector of the whole society. Are the existing pri-
ority seats really inadequate? In other words, is doubling the priority
seats a worthless ‘white elephant’ or a true salvation? Television Broad-
casts Limited recently invited some needy to collect their points of
view regarding the effectiveness of the policy. Yet most of them admit
it is not of the paramount significance from their points of view. On top
of that, have you ever thought about the spendings could be extremely
high? Inclusive of transport fee for materials, labor cost together with
the maintenance fees, the question is self-evident. It could be concluded
that doubling the priority seats not only costs too much, but is also not
fundamentally conducive to the needy. Therefore, why should it be in-
troduced?

In a nutshell, the aftermath of doubling priority seats could be

manifold, including heating up the cyberbullying crimes, intensifying

37 38
 An informal email about videotaping That’s all I want to tell you. It was a very unusual incident but I still en-
joyed the show. Write me back and tell me your views.

By Lee Ho Nam, Marcus (F.4B)

Best regards,
Chris
Dear Jasper,

Hey, I haven’t heard from you for a while. A few days ago, I went to
a live performance hosted by a famous DJ. During the performance,
something interesting happened and I want to tell you what I think
about it.

In the first ten minutes, everything was going well. People were
singing along and cheering for the DJ. But suddenly, the DJ stopped
all the music and walked towards the side of the stage. Everyone was
confused and looked at the DJ, wondering what he would do. Next
second, he started to point at something. Everyone followed where
he was pointing and found that a fan with full recording equipment
(you know, things like tripod, microphone and professional video
recorder) was videotaping his performance. The DJ told the fan to
stop recording. Everyone had different reactions. Some of them
booed but many fans agreed with what the DJ did and started cheer-
ing and gave him a round of applause. The fan who was videotaping
felt ashamed and embarrassed, so he packed up everything and left.

I agree with what the DJ did. The fan who videotaped the perfor-
mance is possibly breaking the law since the DJ owns the copyrights
for his show. Therefore, I guess it’s illegal to record his live perfor-
mance. At the same time, I think it is extremely disrespectful for
someone to videotape the artist instead of actually listening to the
music. I can understand why the DJ was so furious.

39 40
Speech - Doing sports helps students become well-rounded individuals
Another reason why playing sports makes students well-rounded is that
sporting idols can have a positive influence on us. I am sure you have
By Choi Tin Lok (F.4C)
heard of Kobe Bryant, a famous basketball player. His hard work and
Good morning principal, teachers and fellow students. willpower have inspired many people and inspires them to work harder in
I am Chris Wong, a sports news reporter for an online youth magazine. everything they do. Therefore, it is good for students to learn from their
Sport is often a very common element in our daily lives. As everyone sporting idols.
knows, playing sports can build up our bodies and increase our resistance
to disease. Apart from these benefits, playing sports also can help us be- To sum up, playing sports is not only good for our health and our body,
come well-rounded individuals. but it can also cultivate students to develop important personal qualities.
If students do sports regularly, they can have better physical and mental
health. I suggest you all start doing a sport today. I hope my sharing ses-
First, doing sports can make our mood better and help us release our pres-
sion can inspire you to be active. Thank you!
sure from homework, tests and exams. Most students burn the candle at
both ends in order to complete their homework. Also, many students do
not have a way to relieve stress and do not sleep well, so they may be
tired and listless during class. Worse still, some students develop mental
illnesses like depressive disorders because they sit indoor all day.

However, regular exercise will increase our oxygen, blood flow and stam-
ina. Doing sports with friends or family will relieve our stress and make
us have a good mood and become more optimistic. Besides, students can
make new friends through doing sports. Last but not least, students can
have better focus on their schoolwork. We can see that by doing sports,
students can relax and have more energy to focus on their studies.

Furthermore, sport can train our perseverance and our patience. How can
it train our perseverance? When we are playing a sport we like, we want
to improve our skills and spare no effort. During back-to-back training,
we can improve our willpower and patience. We can learn how to set
goals, which is a very important skill for students. If students learn to set
goals in their daily life, they will not give up if they have developed good
perseverance.

41 42
 Letter to the manager — a proposal on sportswear Proposed strategy 3: Advertise on mass media
Nowadays, almost everyone uses social media, such as Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube. Therefore, we can take advantage of this general
By Chan Yu Yan (F.4D)
trend to sell our new products. For instance, our customers can get dis-
Currently, there seems to be a huge potential market for teenage counts or rewards by recommending our products to their social media
sportswear. In order to attract more teenagers to buy our products, we friends. If customers follow our social media, they will be rewarded with
plan to adopt some innovative marketing strategies to appeal to young gifts. Therefore, we can advertise more on mass media to target the teen-
buyers. Below are three strategies that we would like to propose to boost age market.
the sales of our company.
To sum up, it is believed that these three strategies will boost our
brand’s sportswear sales and will target our teenage market successfully. I
Proposed strategy 1: Invite athletes to be spokespersons sincerely hope that these suggestions will be adopted and approved.

In Hong Kong, there are many outstanding athletes, such as Cheung

Ka Long who was the gold medal champion for Fencing in the 2020 To- Yours faithfully,
kyo Olympics. Most Hong Kong people are very proud of him, so he wins
Chris Wong
the hearts of his loyal fans. Followers often see these athletes as role mod-
els. Because of their popularity, they have the ability to attract customers
to buy new products. Therefore, we suggest inviting some well-known
athletes to be spokespersons for our brand. By using their athletic image
and influence, our sportswear products will be associated with images of
energy, vibrancy and triumph.

Proposed strategy 2: Give customers preferential treatment

The main purpose for giving preferential treatment to customers is to
increase the sales of our products. Through brand promotion, our sports-
wear can be made more attractive with discounts or by offering ‘buy 1 get
1 free’ deals. Since promotions are always held on major e-commerce
platforms, we propose launching e-shops online. For example, the most
well-known e-platform is Taobao’s ‘Double 11’ event. On that day, all
goods can be purchased for half the normal price and many people wait
until that day to buy what they want. We can also hold a flash sale promo-
tion on a specified date. In fact, such promotional activities are not only
used by businesses to make a lot of money, but also to attract as many
people as possible to buy their products.

43 44
 Letter to the manager — a proposal on sportswear To sum up, we sincerely hope that with the above strategies adopted, we
could boost the sales of our company and appeal to more teenagers.

By Ng Kwun Yan (F.4D)

Yours faithfully,
Dear Manager,
Chris Wong

Nowadays, sportswear is popular among teenagers and adults. I would

like to suggest three strategies to attract more teenagers to purchase our
products. Below are some innovative marketing strategies that might
target the teenage market.

Proposed sales strategies:

One marketing strategy is that we can offer a discount to customers. For
example, 30% to 40% off may sound appealing to teenagers who do not
have much purchasing power. For example, if a pair of sneakers could
be bought for a couple of hundred dollars less, we are confident that our
sales will be greatly boosted. With a reduced price, it is more likely that
teenagers will be attracted to buy our products.

A second marketing strategy is that we can advertise our products on

social media. For instance, we can start by posting some of our products
on Instagram or Facebook. In this way, customers can easily know more
information about our products. Also, they may be tempted to buy our
products due to peer pressure. So, it is essential to have good social me-
dia promotion for publicity of our sportswear products.

A final marketing strategy I would like to propose is that we can hire a

celebrity or a famous athlete as the spokesperson of our company. For
example, our Olympic Games medallists will surely boost the image of
our brand. Research shows that quite a number of teenagers are attract-
ed to buy Nike products because of their positive affiliation with Mi-
chael Jordon.

45 46
 Argumentative Essay — Priority seats on public transport should In my opinion, discrimination against other people is quite com-
not be doubled mon in Hong Kong. People in need often get labelled by others with
negative words such as ‘old’ and ‘weak’. To avoid being labelled,
By Chong Ki Chun, Brian (F.4E) people in need would rather stand for the entire trip or sit on regular
seats other than sitting on the priority seats. Once again, this leaves
some priority seats empty, and worsens the crowded environment on
Doubling the number of priority seats — effective or not? public transport, especially the MTR.
Recently, the Hong Kong government has proposed doubling the
number of priority seats on public transport. These seats are specifically
reserved for people in need to sit on, which includes elderly, pregnant or In conclusion, doubling the number of priority seats would not
injured people. Although it sounds like a good idea, I am strongly against lend a hand to solving the major problems of crowded public
this proposal. transport. Priority seats are mostly vacant since people want to avoid
being judged or discriminated against in public. This proposal would
worsen the current situation and cause more arguments in society.
One of the major reasons why the government should not double the Therefore, I disagree with doubling the number of priority seats.
number of priority seats on public transport is that they are a waste of
space during rush hours. Priority seats are in fact regular seats when there
are no people in need. But most people feel ashamed when they sit on pri-
ority seats, as they believe that they would be discriminated against or get
involved in public accusations. Therefore, no one sits on priority seats
even when the train is very crowded. In my opinion, public transport such
as trains and buses are always jam-packed, so doubling the number of pri-
ority seats will only worsen the current situation.

Another reason the government should not implement the proposal is

that it will cause more arguments and resentment. From the point of view
of some passengers, they think it is unfair because they must give up their
seats to others no matter what or when and without any reason. On the
other hand, those who deserve priority seats also entered this heated de-
bate recently. Some commuters think that those who are tired do not de-
serve the priority seats, or that some people are faking an illness in order
to get a seat. Since everyone has different standards and judging criteria, I
think that doubling the number of priority seats will only rapidly cause
even more issues. Furthermore, this idea does not solve the major under-
lying problem – how to create a more caring society.

47 48
 Article — Why is reading a good habit for students to have? Since reading relieves our stress and makes us knowledgeable,
why don’t we stop scrolling through our phones and put them away? Why
By Kwok Ngai, Ben (F.4E)
don’t we read books that interest us instead? I am sure you will be deeply
influenced by the sea of knowledge found in the books you pick up. Noth-
Reading – A Passport that Takes You Everywhere ing better to do? What about having a read right now?

When was the last time you finished reading a book? With the
emergence of various entertainments on the Internet, reading has be-
come a less popular leisure activity among students. Yet, those who
don’t read may not realise that they keep losing opportunities to get to
the house of gold.

The life of a student can be stressful, right? Stress makes us up-

set and can affect our performance. But here comes a resolution – read-
ing. Just abandon your unhappy thoughts, spread your wings and soar
into the universe of stories. Whether reading online or offline, you can
be a witness to many characters’ life journeys. You can share in their
happiness, or you may shed a tear at their unfortunate life fluctuations.
The movement of your heart will blow the haze away from your mind.
You may then find that you have risen to an altitude you haven’t been
to before without the resistance of stress.

The world we live in is marvelous, as it has numerous treasures

waiting to be discovered. We are limited at school and might not get a
chance to study or discuss too many interesting topics. However, not
only can we read to appreciate literature and to improve our writing
skills, but also to appreciate great literary works created by a vast range
of writers throughout history. We read to study science so we can know
more about facts ranging from planet Earth created by mother nature to
the enormous complexities of space beyond the horizon. Reading al-
lows us to discover beauties we have not seen before. Through reading,
you can enter a completely different world.

49 50
Formal Letter — Proposing the use of laptops and tablet computers Learning with tablets or laptop computers is definitely tailor-made for
in English classes us, boosting students’ effectiveness of learning English.
By Lo Ching (F.5A)
Dear Mr. Green
Apart from being curious, most teenagers are thrill-seekers. Undoubt-
edly, using textbooks or chalkboards is a traditional way to learn,
Proposing the use of laptops and tablet computers in senior English classes which most of us therefore find quite tedious. With advanced technol-
ogy, learning can be much more diversified indeed. There are different
In the past, students carried myriads of books and notes to school in their applications, such as Kahoot!, for class activities. In this application,
backpacks as learning materials. However, in this era of advanced technol- there are lots of quizzes or games that we can do or play. It also allows
ogy, there have been different kinds of smart devices that allow us to save us to have competitions with others. Clearly, we can learn while hav-
all the learning materials on one single device without burdening our ing fun. Engaging in competitions boosts our motivation to learn in
shoulders. We can even search for multifarious materials which can facili- order to win. In this way, we can be more focused. This definitely fa-
tate our learning. In the light of this, the primary aim of this proposal is to cilitates learning. Learning English is hard, and for some of us, no
illustrate the benefits of using laptops and tablets during English lessons matter how much effort we have put into it, our performance in Eng-
for senior students. lish still remains more or less the same. This could be demotivating, so
having fun while learning English would make us more enthusiastic
about learning the language.
First of all, studying is not just about referring to textbooks or chalkboards
which actually suppress students’ quest for knowledge when it comes to
learning. As a teenager, I would say one of our strengths is our insatiable In addition to the advantages that students could enjoy, teachers could
curiosity about the world. However, more often than not, textbooks pro- also be benefitted by using tablets or laptop computers in class. Teach-
vide students with all the answers thanks to the abundance of knowledge ers could be given immediate feedback about students’ performance.
they contain. Referring to textbooks in class is actually a passive, one-way During English lessons, if teachers assign worksheets to students, it is
process which neglects students’ active role in learning with their own pro- almost impossible for teachers to check every single student’s pro-
cessing of knowledge. Yet, the virtual jungle provides an array of materials gress. With the aid of Teams or Google Classroom, teachers can moni-
of different types available for students to carry out self-discovery learn- tor the progress of students’ tasks instantly as they can check the time
ing. When learning English, a subject that we find hard to master, if we are different students need to finish the task. They can also track how well
allowed to use tablets to look for materials suitable for ourselves, the students have performed in a certain task. In other words, this provides
searching process actually gives our brains stimulations and also a chance insights into whether students have had a good grasp of what they are
for us to reorganize our thoughts. For example, reading articles can give us learning. Based on the insights, teachers can then adjust their teaching
visual stimulation while listening to English songs gives us auditory stimu- strategies or provide other appropriate learning materials in order to
lation. Students might gain better insights as a result of learning in a way cater to the needs of different students.
that they find suitable and satisfies their curiosity.

51 52
It could be seen that there are a multitude of upsides to using gadgets dur- Suggestion Form — Making suggestions to crime-prevention patrol
ing English lessons. Most senior form students, if not all, are self-
disciplined and could make wise decision as to how they should use the
gadgets to benefit their learning. Putting this proposal into practice will By Chui Ho Kit (F.5A)
serve as the first step towards unlocking the full potential of studying
with technologies. I would be grateful if you could kindly give my pro-
posal some thought and grant your approval for it.
What crimes should be focused on and why
Yours sincerely, I think the Crime Prevention Patrol Group should focus on burglary.
Chris Wong Unlike other modern private buildings, there is no property management
but an old security system in Chung Way Mansion. As an illustration, the
mansion is not equipped with monitoring cameras nor protected by securi-
ty guards. In the meantime, the residents’ living standard has also in-
creased a lot in this decade. They have become wealthier. In the light of
this, some burglars will take advantage of our mansion’s lack of security
to steal residents’ property. Apart from burglary, the Group should focus
on kidnapping. With a lack of security guards, strangers can enter the
building effortlessly. In addition, most parents, if not all, need to work day
and night. In other words, some children are left unattended at home. The
kidnappers may lure the children to open the door by offering what most
children like, such as sweet treats or monetary rewards. The result can be
disastrous. If the children trust those kidnappers, they will probably be
kidnapped.

How such crime(s) can be prevented

I suggest providing round-the-clock patrol. The Group can divide the

members into a few squads to patrol different areas in different time slots.
The members of the Group ought to be equipped with walkie-talkies so
that they can provide support for each other all the time. If they observe

53 54
 Debate Speech - Students should not be encouraged to try fasting
that some strangers are wandering around the mansion suspiciously,
they should keep an eye on them and report to the police force without By Chan Lam, Amy (F.5B)

hesitation. With frequent patrolling, a huge deterrent force is generated

to discourage burglars and kidnappers from committing crime. The Good morning, judges, principal, teachers and my fellow stu-
dents. Today, it is my honour to stand here and argue for the motion
Group should not only provide regular patrolling, but also distribute
that ‘Students should not be encouraged to try fasting’. Do you know
leaflets to residents. The residents can know more about the ways to about fasting? Have you tried it before? Fasting is defined as skipping
prevent theft. For instance, they should lock the doors and place their breakfast, lunch or dinner for a certain period of time each day. We,
luxuries in a safe. By doing so, the residents’ alertness to strangers and the affirmative side, agree that the disadvantages of fasting outweigh
its advantages.
awareness of crime prevention will be increased, which would reduce
thieves’ ease of breaking into our building, thereby reducing property
To begin with, there is no doubt that fasting is not suitable for
loss.
students because students will not have enough energy to concentrate
on their lessons if they fast. Recent research shows that students who
skip breakfast more frequently have lower attention spans than those
Any other matters who eat earlier. This means that students’ academic results will be af-
fected by fasting because students find it difficult to concentrate when
Regarding the safety of patrol members, it is advisable that they
they feel hungry. Hunger can have negative effects on their learning
are equipped with low-lethal weapons, including electric guns. In this performance. Thus, fasting is definitely not a suitable choice for stu-
way, the patrol members can protect themselves in case they are at- dents.
tacked by burglars who are likely to be equipped with knives. In addi-
tion, with the low-lethal weapons, the Group could help the police In addition, another reason why students should not try fasting is
force to catch the thieves. that intermittent fasting is not safe because students will become un-
healthy if they do not get enough nutrients. In some serious cases, it
can be life-threatening as fasting could cause serious problems for stu-
dents’ physical health. For instance, adolescent development may be
impeded if students lack nutrition during puberty. Though students
may look thinner after fasting, it is not a healthy kind of look. In fact,
they are sacrificing their health for the sake of having a better body
shape and appearance. Therefore, fasting is surely a dangerous and
unhealthy way to lose weight quickly.

55 56
 Some people hold the view that fasting can lead to weight loss in a Proposal - Allowing senior secondary students to use laptop or
short period of time because it changes how the body processes carbohy- tablet computers in their English lessons
drates. But is this true? Absolutely not. In fact, this idea is just an illusion.
Dehydration will give students the wrong signal that they are thinner than By Chong Siu Kit (F.5C)
before. Moreover, there is no actual accurate data on the effectiveness of
fasting for weight loss. There are actually many other safe and effective
ways to lose weight such as exercising. Doing sports is an effective way Dear Mr Green,
to reduce weight, increase strength in muscles and improve concentration.
Therefore, students have other means than fasting to lose weight.
The use of laptops and tablet computers during lessons is becoming
more popular in this day and age. Recent research has shown that al-
To sum up, fasting is not safe or suitable for students. It can bring lowing students to use these devices in English classes can enhance
negative effects to students’ physical and mental health. There is no doubt students’ learning experience. Therefore, I am writing to propose that
that the disadvantages of fasting outweigh its advantages. Hence, I am for our senior secondary students can be allowed to use tablets in English
the motion that ‘Students should not be encouraged to try fasting’. classes. The benefits are detailed below:

Thank you for listening. (1) Boosting students’ learning effectiveness

Using tablets in English classes can enhance students' learning effec-
tiveness. During English lessons, one teacher has to face around thirty
students, so usually the teacher cannot answer every question from eve-
ry single student. However, with the help of tablets, students can try to
solve their individual problems themselves first, such as looking up
words in an e-dictionary. As a result, teachers can have more time to
take care of students with more serious problems. This can ease the
burden on the teacher. Also, students can instantly access online refer-
ence sources with their tablets. Without tablets, students can only sit
and wait for a teacher to come and help solve their problems. This is a
total waste of time. Lesson time is short, so students should make good
use of it by problem-solving more advanced language-based materials.

57 58
(2) Promoting self-directed learning I hope this proposal meets your approval. I would welcome the
opportunity to discuss my suggestion with you in more detail.
Using laptops in English classes can help promote more self-directed
learning processes. Take writing as an example. Some students may
have a lot of different ideas but they are unable to express their ideas Yours sincerely,
effectively and clearly. Meanwhile, some students have no idea about
the topic or do not know how to elaborate their points to make their Chris Wong
writing more comprehensive. With tablets, students can find and adapt
a lot of useful information to extend and enrich their work. They can
also collaborate with their classmates. This reduces students’ reliance
on teachers. Students can choose learning materials that are aimed at
their level and work at their own pace. This practice encourages learn-
er diversity.

(3) Promoting learning efficiency

Allowing students to use tablets in English classes promotes learning
efficiency. Students always lose their class notes or papers that they
put in their books. In addition, it takes most students a longer time to
jot notes down by hand, compared to typing. If students could use tab-
lets, they could type out notes, compositions and assignments and
share notes. The software installed in their device can not only help
students check their spelling and grammar, but also reduce the number
of copying errors. Subsequently, students do not need to spend extra
time double-checking the accuracy of their notes.

In conclusion, it is clear that allowing senior secondary students to use

tablets in English classes brings lots of learning benefits. We live in
the 21st century, and it is difficult to keep adhering to old methods of
learning when each day brings so many new software and hardware
innovations. Using tablets is more appealing to young people who val-
ue their freedom and time. This will prove to be extremely effective.

59 60
 School magazine article — Taking an active role at school It can be clearly seen that taking on leadership roles at school is ad-
vantageous for students’ future ranging from their career prospects to
By Leung Hoi Ching (F.5D)
their social lives. As a team leader, they must cooperate and communi-
Why don’t you take an active role at school? cate well with their teammates. It is absolutely a valuable learning oppor-
tunity for them to cooperate with their teammates in order to accomplish
a mission together effectively and efficiently, which is conducive to their
As we all know, Hong Kong is an examination-oriented society. collaboration with their colleagues at work in the future. Furthermore,
Therefore, most students, if not all, merely focus on their academic they may meet some like-minded friends in their team and enlarge their
results. Unfortunately, seldom do those students notice that generic social circle as well. Apparently, it is beneficial to their social skills and
skills and Other Learning Experience are equally vital to their person- social life. What is also noteworthy is that conflicting with co-workers
al growth and career prospects. Obviously, taking an active role at are unavoidable as every individual has their own ideas and preference.
school offer a precious opportunity for all students including you and To learn how to compromise with different parties and even their oppo-
me to gain abundant experience outside the classroom and hone a nents, their problem-solving skills and communication skills can certain-
number of lifelong skills that apply to board aspects of life. ly be enhanced. Equipped with these skills, they can fulfill their duties as
a leader and give new momentum to their teammates. Therefore, they
can make some pragmatic decisions and express their opinions without
Some may wonder if remarkable exam grades are equivalent to
hesitation in the workplace. More importantly, taking on the leadership
an omnipotent permit to every path in life. The answer is absolutely
roles at school, students can bolster their confidence and self-esteem as
not. Even if the high achievers perform brilliantly at school, there is
well. It is patently obvious that taking an active role at school is benefi-
no guarantee that they are going to be admitted to their best-loved uni-
cial to students’ career prospects and even their lives.
versity, offered their dream jobs or even lead a successful life. When
they need to apply for a place at the university or a job, the interview-
ers will consider not only their academic results, but also their com- It goes without saying that communication skills are crucial and in-
munication skills and other learning experience. For instance, leader- dispensable in our daily lives. Good communication skills can help us
ship skills and social skills are necessary for certain types of jobs, express our opinions smoothly and accurately. Without a doubt, it gives
such as manager trainee and tour guide, but hardly can these skills be us a huge advantage at university or at work if we can freely and appro-
reflected from exam grades. What’s more, interviewers cannot see the priately share our thoughts with others. A case in point is that it can be
candidates’ enthusiasm and potential from a few pieces of academic the optimum solution to avoid controversy and disagreement with others.
reports. Conversely, during the interview, if they master several out- Not to mention that it can help us build up an enviable reputation and
standing generic skills and show some of their favorable personal improve your employment too. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say
qualities including patience, perseverance and proactiveness, their that communication skills should be perceived as a necessity in our lives.
chance of getting the job is no less than those who pass public exam
with flying colours. Therefore, some specific job-related skills, fa-
vourable personalities and work experience could not be neglected In conclusion, there are numerous advantages of taking on an active
when applying for university or a job. role at school. Not only can it give you a myriad of chances to interact
with various people, but you will also learn how to deal with different

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situations. The skills and experience you gain can benefit you not only at Debate Speech — Fasting
work but also for the rest of your life. Just take a look at the noticeboards
By Ip Tsz Siu Sylvian (F.5E)
of different student organisations in the corridor and see if there are any
positions you are interested in. Give it a shot - You won’t regret it!
Good morning judges, principal, teachers, and my fellow school-
mates. The motion for today debate is ‘Students should not be encour-
aged to try fasting’. The word ‘fasting’ means wilfully restraining your
intake of food and drink for a certain period of time. We, the affirmative
team, believe that fasting is in fact doing more harm than good to stu-
dents.

First of all, fasting can disrupt the physical growth of students. It is

universally acknowledged that students need to ingest food with high nu-
tritional value for growth. However, the practice of fasting, would ob-
struct teenagers from absorbing nutrients essential for their development.
Consequently, they may have problems like malnutrition. Take bone de-
velopment in teens as an example. If students do not take in sufficient
calcium in their everyday diet, they will be susceptible to bone-related
diseases like rickets. Hence, fasting undoubtedly obstructs the normal
growth of students.

Secondly, it is beyond doubt that students nowadays are under im-

mense pressure from various sources. With this in mind, let me introduce
my next point: Fasting can increase students’ stress levels. Picture this, a
student coming home with a heavy school bag, feeling extremely ex-
hausted. However, he or she cannot eat because they are fasting. Does
that sound sensible? You know, students have to deal with loads of
homework every day, not to mention tests and dictation. Imagine if par-
ents also encouraged them to follow a strict diet plan which restricted
them from eating or drinking freely. Doubtless, it would raise their stress
level. This could, in turn, damage their mental wellness instead of fortify-
ing their mental toughness. Students following a strict fasting routine are
fighting against both overwhelming pressures and workload from school
and added hunger and exhaustion.

63 64
 Some naysayers claim that fasting helps boost students’ cognitive Article — E-payment apps
performance as they have fewer things to worry about. However, this is
absolutely wrong. Unlike meditation and yoga, fasting challenges stu-
dents in terms of their minds and biological needs. Meditation requires By Leung Ho Chuen, Matthew (F.5E)
people to free their minds and be present in the moment whereas fasting We are moving towards a cashless society. Here is why.
requires people to starve themselves for an extended period of time. If
students practice fasting, they may think of the food they love eating In this day and age, e-payment has attracted our attention. It emerged
while doing productive tasks at home or in school. Very likely, they will in the 1990s when the Hong Kong MTR company started to issue Octopus
be distracted from their studies. Therefore, how can fasting improve stu- cards. Since then, the ways we can settle payments electronically, have in-
dents’ cognitive sense? creased. Now we can grab-and-go just with a single tap of our phones. This
allows us to pay without cash and brings us myriad benefits. Stepping well
into the 2000s, we have certainly seen a rise in the popularity of different
To sum up, it is crystal clear that students should not be encouraged payment apps such as PayPal, Alipay and Apple Pay. E-payment is now
to try fasting. Therefore, today’s motion should stand. Thank you for lis- inevitable thanks to the development of technology. Let’s explore this un-
tening. stoppable trend and figure out why it is so popular.

In the past five years, people around the globe suddenly started using
cashless payment apps. The number of users has skyrocketed. We can use
these apps to pay transport fares, purchase items and do just about any
transactions we want. According to a recent research, there were more than
5 billion accounts registered in e-payment apps during 2021, compared to
around 1 billion in 2016. Thanks to the countless benefits they bring, more
and more people prefer using these apps to making cash payments. More
and more people pay by using their e-wallets, so they no longer take out a
big, heavy wallet from their handbags. Furthermore, e-payment apps are
also accepted in most stores nowadays. It is obvious why e-payment is
gaining popularity.

To explore why, we need to look at two key aspects: technology and

convenience. To commence with, we have made a huge leap in technology.
Back in 2012, a smartphone was not a necessity. People owned phones with
very basic functions only. As time went by, our demands for smartphones
increased on account of brand-new functions tech companies developed.
Take the NFC function as an example. It allows us to transfer information
wirelessly and enables the transfer of money using smartphones. Since
65 66
when this function came to our attention, people have embraced Yearbook — Graduation Yearbook
smartphones. Additionally, with the emergence of e-payment apps, cus- By Leung Lok (F.6A)
tomers don’t have to carry actual dollars or coins in the transaction pro-
cess anymore. These apps ensure the efficiency of making payments 1.1 Academic Life
while reducing the risk of people being robbed. These advances in tech-
nology bring us a wide variety of benefits.
A wise man once said, ‘Don’t feel upset when it is over, be grateful
because it happened.’ It seems that my secondary school life has passed in
We cannot downplay the role of the recent Covid-19 pandemic in the blink of an eye. Reviewing my six years at Kowloon Secondary
the rise of e-payments. Since humans can experience severe illness or School, the most joyful yet toughest subject I took, was Chemistry. It al-
even death if they catch this virus, it is crystal clear that no one wants to lowed me to learn more about the basic properties of various household
get infected. Unfortunately, shopping in public, touching goods and items in everyday life by teaching us about, for example, detergent.
handling cash are the easiest mediums to catch germs. Consequently, Knowing more about items in the place where we live is truly a wonderful
online shopping, door-to-door deliveries and e-payment apps have at- experience. Our Chemistry teacher likes using authentic examples we can
tracted many new consumers, hence the explosive rise in popularity find in the city to explain abstract concepts. This makes our lessons more
during the last two years. interesting. Although there are many complicated concepts for me to re-
cite and thousands of pieces of homework that stack up like a mountain, I
still find it a very meaningful elective subject.
To sum up, the convenience and benefits e-payment apps bring are
the main reasons for their rising popularity. They can change our life-
styles. In the future, it is expected to see e-payment apps become even 1.2 Student Life
more widespread and common as more functions are developed to im-
prove our quality of life.
Another thing I won’t forget is my lovely 6C class. My class is like a
warm family to me. We have gone through many inter-class competitions
and examinations together. This has deepened our relationships as we are
both companions and rivals. In difficult times, not only will our caring
class teacher back us up when we feel blue, but also our classmates who
celebrate every classmate’s birthday together. The ‘C’ symbol we have
posted in our class photo will be imprinted on my mind forever. Every
time I look at this photo, it reminds me of all the things we have done and
all the precious moments we experienced together. My fellow classmates
and all my inspiring teachers, although we will continue our journey by
taking different paths, I sincerely hope that the memories of being a part
of class 6C can help me to overcome any barriers in the future. Allow me
to propose a toast to you all because I wish you all the very best!

67 68
 Speech — Slow Movement Appreciating life is simple, you can go to a decent restaurant and or-
der the food you like. Spend more time on your meal. Enjoy your dish by
By Mok Cheuk Ki (F.6A)
feeling the texture, savouring the aroma and feeling the satisfaction as it
Good morning principal, teachers and fellow students. My name is goes down your throat. Remember you have all the time in the world.
Chris Wong. I’m honored to have been given this chance to speak to you Taking some time to appreciate the little things in life involves focusing
today. Does the term ‘Slow Movement’ ring a bell with you? Originating our attention on what is pleasurable, nurturing and sustaining in our lives.
in Rome, it promotes the idea of prioritizing quality over quantity and to You will become a much more optimistic person.
treasure the present moment rather than treating everything as the means
to an end. Randomly ask any Hongkonger and you are bound to know
how packed the highways are at 7 a.m. in the morning. Pay a visit to Cen- From a macroscopic view, the ‘Slow Movement’ reduces waste. As a
tral at 7 p.m. in the evening and you will probably see how quickly the saying goes, ‘haste makes waste’. For example, if we focus on the quality
blue collared workers are walking. It is public knowledge that Hong of our work, we can reduce our use of paper and the time we spend on do-
Kong, a modern, vibrant city, has a fast pace of living. This work-oriented ing corrections. We can also reduce waste packaging if we dine out or
way of living often leads to mental illness for the residents who live there. cook our own meal instead of buying pre-cooked food because we are
This is why we should embrace the ‘Slow Movement’. Here are some rushing. This can help save the environment and your money which you
benefits that you can get from slowing down your pace of life. can spend on other things.

From a microscopic view, ‘Slow Movement’ can help people Dear fellow schoolmates, please take heed of my words and make the
achieve mental clarity. In today’s modern society, we face many distrac- ‘Slow Movement’ your motto and start leading a slow-paced life. You are
tions and stressors. A hustle bustle mindset and non-stop social media in the flower of youth. You have every chance to blossom. Stop wasting
feeds alone can keep our minds preoccupied and distracted from other time. Say ‘yes’ to the Slow Movement. Thank you!
important matters. However, the ‘Slow Movement’ can help you clear
your mind and focus on the tasks at hand. Do your homework one item at
a time and pay close attention to the quality of your work. This should
boost your results and help you feel less stress.

Alongside mental cleansing, you can also learn to appreciate life.

Following the ‘Slow Movement’ requires you to allocate your time better
by slowing down your pace and scheduling your work into achievable
chunks. There has been a common misconception about the ‘Slow Move-
ment’. People think it is about handing your work in late just to make
yourself feel better and that it is an excuse for laziness. However, sched-
uling your work, maybe doing one task a day, reduces the chances of
making mistakes. Hence, you will spend less time doing corrections, but
more time doing the things you love.
69 70
 Magazine article — Early Days of Vintage Variety Stores Graduation Yearbook — academic life and student life
By Lai Wing San (F.6B) By Lau Tsz Hin (F.6C)
Early Days of Vintage Variety Stores In the blink of an eye, I’ve finished my studies in Kowloon Second-
ary School. Among all the subjects I’ve studied, I can tell you that no oth-
Hong Kong’s Apliu Street is a historic place with many heritage
er subjects can be more unforgettable than Information Communications
buildings. There are countless stores which sell a variety of goods. For
Technology (ICT), which covers a wide range of intriguing topics such as
example, the Vintage Furniture second-hand electronic goods store has
input and output, pascal and different kinds of programming languages.
sold items such as vintage telephones, scrap iron and used furniture since
Looking back into the first ICT lesson I had in F.4, I truly underestimated
the 1980s. The owner of this store has opened the doors for close to thirty
this subject. In the First Exam in F.4, I got the worst result in my class.
years and they think now is a good opportunity for people to feel nostalgic
There is no doubt that I was completely shocked when I looked at my re-
about the glory of times past.
port card. I still remember what Miss Leung, my ICT teacher, said to me,
‘To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed. However, I believe that you can
What is the Vintage Furniture store famous for? gain success though perseverance and diligence. Never give up!’ Even
though I can’t tell how warm I felt, what I can tell you is that her words
Hailed as a shoppers’ paradise, there is no shortage of places in Hong did strengthen my determination to strive for a better result in this subject.
Kong to treat yourself to a little retail therapy. This particular variety store Since then, I have always put ICT on the top of my list. Spending a good
is famous for its antique furniture and decorations. So many tourists are deal of time on ICT, my results of this subject have shown significant im-
attracted by the old-styled shabby look of the furniture or technological provement. It is believed that studying such a challenging arduous subject
gadgets. In particular, some people are impressed by old style antiques like ICT can make one think logically and become a tech-savvy young-
such as vintage pendulum clocks or Victorian-styled dressers. ster. But to me, other than my knowledge of technology, ICT has made
me a person who does not underestimate anything easily. Thank you, Miss
Leung!
Time for the Vintage Furniture Store to Close
However, nowadays, with the advancement of technology, vintage
variety stores do not attract as many customers as they did in the past. A Apart from the fulfilling and enlightening ICT lessons, the time I
great majority of owners of these types of shop claim that there is a higher spent with 6C was also unforgettable. Time flies like an arrow is undoubt-
cost to stay open and that it is much more difficult to manage their stores. edly a cliché to most people, I can truly understand it now though. I still
Therefore, it is time for the Vintage Furniture antique store to close. Sad- vividly remember the first day I met all 4Cers in Form 4. Back then, we
ly, I think a lot of history will be lost too. were one of the classes that performed the worst in terms of academic re-
sults. At that time, our class teacher Mr. Chan wasn’t worried at all. That’s
what he said ‘It’s okay to start late, but the most important thing is to
know where you will end up.’ Another thing he used to highlight in our
class is that the letter ‘C’ in 4C stands for Conscience. Always having a
clear conscience and letting it be our guide, we are always reminded not to
become an unscrupulous or immoral person.

71 72
 Speech — Slow Movement
As time goes by, we’re now F.6 students. It goes without saying that
By Wong Hiu Tung (F.6D)
this year is the most critical year in my secondary school life. Astonish-
ingly enough, we’ve got less than 100 days to prepare for the uphill battle Good morning, Principal, teachers and fellow students. My name is Chris
– HKDSE; and less than a week before we say goodbye to each other! Wong and I’m a Slow Movement supporter. I’m here this morning to talk
Having said that, I will never forget the time when we studied together in to you about the Slow Movement’s benefits and what we can do to follow
the classroom and the self-study room. Mr. Chan, do you remember what this lifestyle every day.
you did last summer holiday? Hardly could I forget that you visited my
home to give me a 3-hour private tutorial simply because I broke my ankle
and couldn’t attend the supplementary lessons in summer. You may ask, why do I have to slow down my pace of life? What can I
get from doing so? There are many benefits when you slow down your
daily life. First, there is no doubt that your physical health will be im-
Peter, our greatest monitor, have you finally found out why some proved. Nowadays, people always say that ‘fast’ is always better in the
snacks always came from nowhere in your school bag? It’s us! We were modern world. We need to be in a hurry every minute. We have to work
so worried about your health as you always skip lunch just to save some fast while doing homework and revision. However, we don’t have time to
time for doing revision and homework. Please remember to eat regularly take care of our physical health and well-being. We eat fast food so that
so that you have sufficient energy to conquer the exam! All 6Cers, will we we can save time for doing other things. We sacrifice our health for some-
really meet again under the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui 10 years later thing less important or unnecessary. However, if we can slow down, we
as we promised at our last school picnic? Being a 6Cer makes me not only can prepare healthy meals and take time to enjoy them. Also, we can do
proud, but also grateful. Thank you all 6Cers! Wishing you all the good more exercise. Therefore, we can lead a healthier life.
luck on the exam and may success be with you always!

Moreover, we can have more fulfilling relationships and practice more

empathy. It goes without saying that we are always busy with our own
stuff but ignore our family members and friends. If we slow down our
pace of life, we can discover a new depth of relationships. In other words,
we can re-establish family value and personal networks. We will have
time to cherish and develop our relationships with family and friends. We
can communicate with the people around us more and take time to show
more love and care. Accordingly, our quality of life will be enhanced.

I can see that some of you are looking more interested now. So, what can
you do to follow the Slow Movement in our daily lives? Two suggestions
are Live Slow and Eat Slow. First, I advise that you spend more time re-
laxing through exercise. Go for a walk in a park. Enjoy simple pleasures

73 74
 Feature Article — Store closure
like beautiful views and fresh air, which can calm your mind.

By Tsang Pui Sang (F.6E)

Furthermore, I suggest that you eat slowly. People eat more fast food now
due to the sense of always being in a ‘hurry’ and being part of a
‘craziness’ generated by globalization. Therefore, try eating slowly. For Ping On’s humble beginnings
example, prepare fresh, healthy food like salad and sandwiches at home
instead of dining out. They are much more healthy for us as we can Back in the good old days, my dad used to take me to the Ping On
choose our own cooking methods and pick organic food for ingredients. Restaurant every morning. Holding his calloused hand tightly, I guess it
Take time to taste what you eat. Enjoy the time you spend on preparing was the greatest happiness for me. Every morning, it started with the
meals for yourselves, which will undoubtedly benefit your physical health. beaming smile of the waitresses wearing cheongsam with gold stiches.
“Same as usual!”, my dad would say, opening the lid of a tea pot, and
waiting for help to fill hot water. As a child, a sip of tea was precious gold
To conclude, a slow-paced life is the best way to help you enjoy your dai- to me. With the sound of a radio playing recent horse racing results, rooms
ly life more fully. Finally, I hope you will consider joining the Slow that held the lingering smell of cigarettes and the chattering of diners – all
Movement. Thank you for listening. these represented a typical morning for many Hongkongers.

What Ping On is famous for

50 years have gone by, and one thing remained which has unchanged
is Ping On’s tea formula. From a local corner restaurant to a go-to place
for many tourists, the owners of the restaurant have constantly pushed its
boundary in many different ways – replacing the green-and-white checked
floor with lucrative velvet carpet and playing classic jazz music instead of
traditional “Xi Qu” (Chinese Opera). Yet, their tea has been a staple of
their menu. With a special mix and match blend of tea leaves, brewed with
the right temperature of hot water, they have created a unique taste of tea
– bitter yet floral. Even in the sweltering summer, with beads of sweat
draining down people’s cheeks, they are still willing to join a long queue
just to have a sip of this tea – their comfort drink.

Time for the restaurant to close

Borrowed place, borrowed time. The restaurant has become increas-
ingly financially unstable for a long time, and thus will close its doors by
the end of December. Soon, customers might be dining in a chic indoor
75 76
café, or at a grab-and-go boba milk tea shop – who knows? Meanwhile, Feature Article — Store closure
with that being said, there is certainly something we, the loyal customers
By Wu Hiu Ching (F.6E)
of Ping On, can do - visit this memorable restaurant as often as we can
before its final closure for old time’s sake, and remember your glory
days and enjoy laughter with your loved ones. The early days of “FRESH”
Have you ever heard of “FRESH” – a famous restaurant with an
unusual cooking style? This year is particularly special, as it marks the
fiftieth anniversary of the restaurant. Read on to discover the features of
“FRESH” and fulfil your curiosity! Cast back your mind to the times
when “FRESH” was newly opened. It was an overnight success due to
its novelty décor and steadfast menu. Through a blaze of word-of-
mouth publicity, “FRESH” rose to fame in Hong Kong city in the early
1950s. The founders of the restaurant, Chris Wong, and his friends
doubtlessly spared no effort with studying the gastronomy of their food
through Chemistry, Biology and Nutritional Science. Their determina-
tion eventually turned their passion into a profitable career. Many din-
ers hated not being able to leap on the bandwagon and make a restau-
rant reservation. Up to this very moment, a lot of diners are still on a
long waiting list, all hoping to try the unique dishes of ‘FRESH’!

What “FRESH” is famous for

Chefs of “FRESH” use scientific knowledge and techniques in
their cooking with the aim to create playful and interesting dishes for
Hongkongers. It is universally known that delicacies made by these
chefs not only satisfy hunger but also show the beauty of natural re-
sources and ingredients, and the art of cooking. Not to mention that
they bring a new dining experience to citizens as well as the pleasure of
eating, which they put great emphasis on. One of their signature dishes
are the miniature apples that are made to taste like meat. Transparent
ravioli and spaghetti made from vegetables are another case in point.
Utilising the science of cooking leads to seemingly bizarre dishes
which are unexpectedly delicious. Owning to all of this, “FRESH” has
received many awards such as “Michelin-Star Restaurant.’

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Time for the restaurant to close
Unfortunately, “FRESH” is closing due to the economic recession
bought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent interview with chef
Chris Wong, he mentioned that, “It hasn’t been easy as the costs of operat-
ing have been skyrocketing, particularly with reduced customer numbers
due to the global outbreak.’ Chef Wong admitted that they cannot shift
‘any more of the burden onto our dearest customers.’ Sadly, he sighs and
admits that, ‘Whatever I do next in my life, I will always look back on my
glory days here with gratitude.’ Undeniably, a day at the restaurant is by
no means easy, from preparation of ingredients at dawn, to cleaning and
menu experimentation at dusk. All these require hard work, dedication,
and most importantly – the human touch. ‘FRESH’ is offering a 10% dis-
count throughout December to reward their loyal customers. If you can
make the waiting list, this might be your final chance to give this popular
restaurant a try! Go and visit before it closes! You certainly won’t regret
it! Chef Wong is waiting for you.

79