互動英語教室(9) - Let's go to an atelier (2)

 

After the interview, Sun and Chrissy shared the joy of painting with Lily and Louise as a way to relax and express what they had in themselves. Lily and Louise closely observed (觀察) the uses of colour and learned the basic principles. Lily had great fun while sketching (素描) though she ended up in using the eraser (橡皮擦) a lot. They both agreed that they could rapidly (迅速地) polish (磨鍊) their talent (天資) and skills (技巧) with a teacher’s guidance.

Louise was impressed by the drawing on a wall in the garden. Sun told them that drawing on walls had always been enjoyed greatly by his students. He encouraged (鼓勵) his students to draw whatever they could think of in their mind. This free-form (自由) style reminded Lily of graffiti (塗鴉)…

Chrissy: Did you enjoy yourselves?

Louise: Sure! I like the drawing on the wall.

Sun Ho: My students love to draw on walls.

Lily: I heard that drawing on walls is very common in the States. It’s “gra”, “gra” , “gra” …(Lily couldn’t recall the term)

Chrissy: Do you mean “graffiti”?

Lily: Oh! Yeah!

Chrissy: Graffiti means "to write". Now it refers to writing, drawing, or symbols (符號) applied to any surface without the permission (允許) of the property (物業) owner. Graffiti is often related to hip hop culture and can occur anywhere such as on railroad (鐵路) boxcars (貨車) and subways (隧道). People use a variety of materials such as automotive car paint (車油), spray paint (噴漆), crayons (炭筆) and permanent ink (不脫色墨水). Never draw any graffiti without permission from property owners. But now, you can create graffiti legally (合法) here!

Sun gave Lily and Louise a small paint brush and taught them how to paint on walls. He also showed them some common graffiti fonts and encouraged them to use more colours and be creative most importantly.

Chrissy mentioned that what made street graffiti so different from other forms of visual (視覺) culture was that the production of the image was unauthorised (未被授權的). Lily suddenly thought of Tsang Tsou-choi (曾灶財), also known as "The King of Kowloon". She told Chrissy that Tsang was a local poor man who scrawled (亂塗) on lamp-posts (燈柱), walls and phone boxes. Basically, his script could be found throughout Hong Kong. He was also known for the Chinese calligraphy (書法) he invented. He later became famous around the world after some of his works were displayed (展出) at the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition (威尼斯國際藝術雙年展) in 2003. Lily and Louise both thought that his unique art had become a part of the city's collective memory (集體回憶) after his death.

Lily and Louise discussed with their chef editor (總編輯) and decided to write an article about “painting and creativity” for the coming issue.

Questions:

1)     What are the benefits to learn painting with a teacher’s guidance?

2)     Are graffiti legal?

3)     Where can you find graffiti usually?

4)     What kinds of materials are used to draw graffiti?

Answers:

1)     We can rapidly polish our talent and skills with a teacher’s guidance.

2)     No.

3)     Walls, railroad boxcars and subways.

4)     Automotive car paint, spray paint, crayons and permanent ink.

Actress: Chrissy, Louise, Lily, Sun Ho

Director: C.P.

Article: Lily

互動英語教室 (8) - Let's go to an atelier (Part 1)

 

Lily and Louise are one of the many journalism (新聞系) graduates (畢業生) wandering what to do in the future. Since the economy is dipping into recession (衰退期), graduates with less experience are hard to find newsroom (新聞編輯部) jobs. At the very least, Lily and Louise are able to work across print and broadcast, and have acquired the necessary skills to write feature stories (專題故事). Lily has built on what she has learned at journalism school by taking a photograhy course. Recently, they find a great deal of freelance work for a newly established art magazine.

Knowing that many jobs in journalism are not officially advertised, Louise is very enthusiastic about social networking (人際網絡). Her friends are taking a painting class in an atelier (畫室) in Central, whose owner Mr Sun Ho is a graduate of the University of Paris. She immediately asks for his contacts and lines up an interview with him.

Lily showed up a half hour late to the interview because she was busy buying some fruits. Louise was very cross at her. Chrissy, the assistant to Mr Ho, greeted them at the door.

Chrissy: Hello, I am Chrissy. The assistant to Mr Sun Ho. You must be Louise and Lily from Hong Kong Arts magazine!

Louise: I am Louise. Nice to meet you

Lily: I am Lily . Nice to meet you

Chrissy: Come on in!

Mr. Ho is devoted (專心致力) into art education and has been giving painting classes to children and adults. Lily was attracted to the paintings by his students in the atelier and thus, couldn’t stop taking a lot of photos. His students are not only technically good at painting but also have individuality (個人風格) and expression.

Chrissy: He is Mr Sun Ho, owner of this atelier. He studied in Paris and is now teaching painting to children and adults.

Sun Ho: Enchanté! (meaning “Nice to meet you” in French)

Louise: Mr Ho, can you tell me the different types of paintings and techniques?

Sun Ho: monochrome drawing (單色畫) and colour painting (彩色畫) are the two major catogories of paintings.

Chrissy: We use charcoal (木炭) sticks (條) for monochrome drawing and oil colour, acrylic colour (丙烯酸顏料), pastel (粉蠟筆) and poster colour for colour painting. Here is the art kit.

Chrissy showed the art kit to Louise and Lily and pointed to the acrylic colour set and some paint brushes (畫筆).

Chrissy: In front of you is the easel. I am holding a palette knife (畫刀) and you are going to draw on the canvas (帆布).

Sun Ho: What do you want to draw?

Louise: How about fruits?

Sun Ho: Let’s learn still life (靜物) drawing today.

Chrissy: Mr Ho is going to demonstrate how to draw straight and curved lines.

Sun Ho: Red, Yellow and Blue are the three primary colours (三原色).

A palette (調色板) is a very useful tool but can also cause trouble. Lily was so careless that she sat on a palette! They learned the basics techniques of still life drawing in this occasion and were advise to practise at home by picking easy objects to draw. Chrissy reminded them to avoid (避開) drawing oddly (奇怪) shaped (形狀) objects as beginners. Homely fruits, vegetables and gift boxes are all good choices!

Questions:

1)     What are two major types of drawings?

2)     What is the tool for monochrome drawing introduced in the video? How about colour painting?

3)     What did Lily and Louise draw on in the video?

4)     What are the three primary colours?

By Lily Poon

Special thanks to Atelier Sun Ho

Actresses: Chrissy, Louise and Lily

Director: C.P. Chan
Crew: Grammy and Sharon

互動英語教室(7) - It had all been a dream...

Lily and Louise just finished a video shoot (拍攝) for an upcoming “Quick and Easy Recipes” show on Italian cuisine. Louise couldn’t wait to leave when she thought of the dinner with her best friend from London. Lily was left alone to enjoy this fully refurbished (翻新了的) apartment(公寓). She was a great admirer (讚賞者) of English literature. She had installed herself on the sofa and started reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Lily was in a state of exhaustion (精疲力竭) after such a long day and fell asleep (睡著). After a while, she woke with a start (驚醒) and saw a little boy who looked like Daniel. Yet she was not very sure if he was the little boy whom she had been acquainted (認識的), but not very long ago. Looking at him, she felt that he was a little bit different. He was warmly dressed in a black pullover as if he had exposed to cold air. They entered into a conversation (對話)

Lily: You must be Daniel!


Daniel: Lily, welcome to the Wonderland.

Lily: “Lily in Wonderland”? Impossible! I should have met a rabbit instead of a kid! Has the story line been changed?

In spite of Lily’s agitation (不安), Daniel seemed extremely pleased.

Daniel: Follow me.

Although Lily was a bit sceptical (懷疑), she followed him into a hole in the middle of the bathroom. Suddenly, Daniel stopped and shouted at a lady.

Daniel: The Queen!

Daniel greeted the Queen and ran away. Lily could scarcely (幾乎沒可能) believe her eyes, and was almost scared at seeing her.

Queen: I am the Queen. What’s your name?

Lily was confused and mumbled (含糊地說) to herself.

Lily: Oh, no! I should be meeting the Chesire-Cat or the flamingo (紅鸛) but not the Queen.

Lily pretended to be delighted and introduced herself to the Queen. She was always off doing daring (大膽) things that often got her in trouble. She mocked at (嘲笑) the Queen’s outlook and even bursted into giggles (傻笑) afterwards. The Queen was outraged (憤怒).

Queen: Idiot (笨蛋)! Can you do tongue twisters (饒口令)? If not, you should be beheaded (砍頭).

Lily: Your majesty (陛下), I can do one.  
The big black bug bit the big black bear.

The Queen became excited and happy. She continued the second part of the tongue twister.

Queen: but the big black bear bit the big black bug back!

Lily delivered another one:  
How can a clam (蜆) cram (塞進) in a clean cream can (金屬罐)?

Queen replied without hesitation (猶豫): Send toast to ten tense (緊張的) stout (肥胖的) saints' (聖人) ten tall tents (帳篷).

Lily had run out of (耗盡) tongue twisters. She begged (哀求) the Queen to forgive her and let her go. The Queen grew furious (盛怒的) and lost her temper again.

Queen: No. Off with her head!

Lily: Your majesty! I can do another tongue twister.

Queen: Can you do Peter Piper picked a peck (少量) of pickled (醃製的) peppers (甜椒)?

Lily: No….

Suddenly, Lily woke up in a shock and discovered (發現) a deck of (一副) playing cards (撲克牌) with the Ace of Hearts facing upward (向上朝) next to the book. She was so frightened (驚慌) and left the apartment right away. Had it all been just a dream?

Contributor: Louise Chow/ Lily Poon

互動英語教室(6) - Can I cook?

Lily and Louise are the hosts of “Quick and Easy Recipes”. It is one of the highest rated live TV cooking shows that presents the preparation of easy-to-prepare (容易煮的) food. One of the things the audience (觀眾) love about this show is that the hosts showcase (展現) produce from a different country each time and invite a local chef to prepare the items.

Lily and Louise invited a chef to demonstrate (示範) how to make a simple yet tasty pasta. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come because of a car accident. They could not find another chef to cover for him with such a short notice. Louise suggested to Lily that they could cook together. Lily hesitated (猶豫) because she lacked experience and self-confidence (自信心). Daniel, a 5-year-old cook, was in a buoyant (活潑的) mood when he knew that the chef was unable to show up. He volunteered (自發) to teach them how to make a smoked bacon penne pasta (通粉).

Louise: Hey guys! Welcome to “Quick and Easy Recipes” I am Louise.

Lily: I am Lily.

Louise: Today we are going to make a quick and easy smoked bacon penne pasta.

Lily: You need the following ingredients: penne pasta, smoked bacon, olive oil (橄欖油), garlic, parmesan cheese (巴馬乾酪芝士) , salt and pepper.

Lily got so nervous she forgot what to do next. Louise reminded (提醒) her to take out all the utensils (用具).

Louise: chopping board (砧板) , fry pan (平底鍋), tall pan (高身褒) and colander (濾鍋). Now fill the tall pan with water and place it on a high heat (高溫).  Add a little bit of salt and olive oil.

Lily added a large amount of salt to the pasta unintentionally. (非故意地) Louise tried to suppress her anger and continued making the pasta.

Louise: When the water is boiling. Add the pasta and cook for 11 minutes. Now. Place the frying pan on a high heat. Fry the bacons and garlic until brown.

Lily put the unpeeled garlic in the frying pan and forgot to switch off the stove after 11 minutes. Overcooked penne was a sodden (過濕) pile of pasta that was not very appetizing!

Louise: Serve the pasta and bacons on a plate and sprinkle (灑) the parmesan cheese on top.

Daniel could not hold his laughter when he saw them cooking. Lily was annoyed when she saw Daniel laughing at her. She was thinking how to best get revenge on him and finally decided to invite Daniel to taste the pasta!

Smoked bacon penne recipe:

1 package dried penne pasta

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped smoked bacon

3 tablespoons minced (切碎) garlic

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Questions:

1)     Name the ingredients that you will need to make a smoked bacon penne pasta

2)     Name the utensils that you will need.

Answers:

1)      penne pasta, smoked bacon, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

2)      chopping board, fry pan, tall pan and colander

互動英語教室(5) - A vertical garden

文匯報互動英語教室之《餐廳篇》將帶你到中西餐廳學英文!
我的直立式花園!

Lily does not care about environmental protection (環保). She uses all kinds of single-use disposable (即棄) plastic products including trash bags (垃圾袋), cups, plates and bottles. Her friends keep telling her that plastic is one of the major toxic (有毒的) pollutants (污染物) and disposal (處置) of plastic products on land makes harm to soil. Unfortunately, she completely ignores all their advice and keeps using plastic products.

Lily is suffering from allergies (敏感) because of the poor quality of the air in her office. She complained to the property management company (物業管理公司) several times but for some reason her efforts didn’t take. She gave up finally. She felt asleep after a busy work day and had a strange dream in which she met Angel of the Forest…

Liz: Would you like to join me for a coffee and cake?

Lily looked at Liz quizzically (疑惑地).

Lily: Who are you?

Liz: I am Liz, Angel of the Forest. Why do you use so many plastic products?

Lily: Why not? They are so convenient. I can just throw them away after a single use. I never wash the dishes. I’d rather spend more time on playing online games.

Liz: Do you know many plastic products contain harmful chemicals?

Lily: I don’t care.

Liz: Oh! You are wasting paper and killing trees for nothing!

Lily: Who cares? I live in Hong Kong, a polluted big city anyway.

Liz: You are wrong. We can make Hong Kong a better place to live.

Lily: Are you sure?

Liz: Yes! Come with me.

Lily followed Liz to a café. She gave Liz an astonished (驚訝的) look when she saw so many beautiful tropical plants in this café. 

 A vertical garden in Hong Kong!

Lily: Oh! Am I dreaming?

Liz: Welcome to The Village. Would you like to join me for a tour?

Lily : Sure! I have never seen so many plants in such a small area before! Amazing!

Liz: Like many other big cities, lack of space is a reality in Hong Kong. We should think of ways to maximize the use of any available space.

Lily: Like how?

Liz: Can you notice anything special about the plants here?

Lily: Some plants grow on the wall.

Liz: You are very smart. This is what we called “vertical gardening” (直立式花園). Plants are not restricted to growing on the ground or in pots, they can also grow on the wall.

Lily: Oh! The green walls! Are there any other benefits (好處)?

Liz: Of course. Plants can lower temperature of the walls and thus cool down the surrounding space.  

Lily: I want to create an attractive garden in my small apartment too. They have a large variety of plants here.

Liz: You are right. Since no soil is used, there are no mosquitos (蚊子) and other insects.

Despite the fact that land is limited in Hong Kong, we can still improve our living place by adding plants to help keep our home and office atmosphere healthier. Vertical gardening, gardening with upright (向上) structures, is ideal for the urban city areas. Walls are often used to create practical (實用) gardening spaces. It is space saving and environmentally friendly.

 A green workplace

Lily has decided to make small moves to keep her home green and clean. She stops using plastic bags and starts building a framework for a small vertical garden at home. She believes that these small things can add up to a better future.

Questions:

1)     Why plastic products are harmful to the environment?

2)     What is vertical gardening?

3)     What are the benefits of having a vertical garden?

4)     What will you do to help protect our environment?

Answers:

1)     Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants and disposal of plastic products on land makes harm to soil.

2)     Plants are not restricted to growing on the ground or in pots, they can also grow on the wall.

3)     You can build a vertical garden in a small area. Since no soil is used, there are no mosquitos and other insects.

By Lily Poon

Special thanks to The Village as our venue provider

If you have any suggestion, please email us! wwpenglishcolumn@gmail.com

互動英語教室(4) - Coffee or tea?

文匯報互動英語教室之《餐廳篇》將帶你到中西餐廳學英文!
本集和大家飲咖啡...

Gary has been working for an Italian company for a few years and was recently promoted (升職) to Assistant Manager in January. He spent the last few months traveling from Hong Kong to Italy for work. His Italian colleagues (同事) are nice enough to introduce him to the Italian culture by taking him to  restaurants, bars and concerts.

Coffee bars are one of the most impressive (印象深刻) places in Italy that Gary has visited. He thinks that Italy is a country of great variety (多元化) and coffee is an important aspect of the diversity (多方面的) of its culture. He is determined (下定決心) to bring the Italian coffee (咖啡) culture (文化) to Hong Kong and be a qualified (合資格) barista (咖啡師) one day. He understands that transplanting (引入) the Italian coffee bar culture to Hong Kong is a big challenge (挑戰) as the local market is dominated (被支配) by a few American brands (品牌). In order to minimize (減低) the risk (風險) of starting a small business, he has been going to different coffee shops in Hong Kong to understand the market before taking any further steps. His research has been aided (協助) immeasurably (不能計算地) by his friends who are coffee lovers. They keep sending him information about the latest (最新) coffee-industry trends in the world.

One day, while he was looking for the right equipment to brew (泡) coffee at home with his friend Louise, a sign (招牌) of a café caught their attention. He immediately has the impression that an attractive sign can increase the sales by attracting customers to see what you are selling. Gary and Louise decided to have a coffee in this café.

A young and polite waitress greeted Gary and Louise.

Waitress: Welcome. How many of you please?

歡迎，你們多少人?

Gary: Two please.

兩位。

Gary: Do you have coffee and cakes?

你們有咖啡和蛋糕嗎?

Waitress: Yes. We serve a large variety of coffee and cakes here.

有的。我們有很多不同種類的咖啡和蛋糕。

Gary: A cappuccino for my friend please.

我的朋友要一柸cappuccino。

Waitress: Sure, sir. How about you?

好的，先生你呢?

Gary: I’d like to have one iced lemon tea.

我想要一柸凍檸檬茶。

Louise was a big fan of cakes. They ordered a piece of cheese cake and a cool, refreshing (提神的) Italian dessert called tiramisu (一種義大利著名甜點，用咖啡及甜酒泡過分層海綿蛋糕，在各層之間塗有巧克力及義大利特產的mascarpone乳酪). She saw a customer having a British breakfast in the café and told Gary that full breakfast was traditionally served at breakfast time but it was also popular at other times.

Louise had never been to Italy and was very curious about Gary’s experience there. Gary introduced the most common types of Italian coffee to her. They were:

Caffè/ Espresso – a small cup of very strong coffee. The foam topped on the coffee is called "crema”.

Caffè latte – Coffee with hot milk

Cappuccino - a shot of espresso in a larger cup with steamed milk and foam

Caffè macchiato - also known as espresso macchiato, is espresso marked with a little milk

The history of coffee in Italy dated back to the 1600s. Coffee was exported from Turkey to Europe, landing for the first time in Venice (威尼斯). The first coffee shop in Venice was opened in 1683. During the latter half of the 17th century, coffee consumption spread to Italy, France, England and Germany. Coffee is now one of the most popular beverages in the world. The Italians like to follow their meals with a dessert and ended with a strong espresso.

Needless to say, Louise was very impressed with Gary’s profound (深入) knowledge (知識) of the Italian coffee culture. Louise told Gary that she saw a wide variety of tea types and flavours in London. The English enjoyed tea with milk and Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka was one of the most popular kinds of tea in England. She was surprised to know that this café served eight different kinds of tea including the Hong Kong-style milk tea!

It’s almost 5 o’clock…

Gary: Can I have the bill please?

我們要結帳。 (即廣東話”埋單”)

Waitress: Sure.

沒問題。

Gary: Do you take credit cards?

你們接受信用卡付款嗎?

Waitress: I am sorry sir, we only accept cash. Thank you!

先生對不起， 我們只接受現金。

Gary not only paid the bill, but he also gave Louise a gift from Italy. She was very surprised and said,’ Thank you! You have become as romantic as the Italians!’

Questions:
1) Can you name some popular Italian coffee drinks?
2) Where is Ceylon tea from?
3) After a meal, what do you say to the waitor when you want to pay?

Answers:
1) Cafe Latte, Cappuccino and expresso
2) Sri Lanka
3) Can I have the bill please?/ Check please.

By Lily Poon

Special thanks to mIN+ café & kitchen 民家 as our venue provider

If you have any idea, please email us! wwpenglishcolumn@gmail.com

互動英語教室(3) - In a French Grocery Store

文匯報互動英語教室之《餐廳篇》將帶你到中西餐廳學英文!
本集和大家到法國小店...

 



Eating out is one of the most common sources of entertainment in Hong Kong. Lily and Sharon seldom cook proper meals at home because they dislike washing dishes. Pizza, spaghetti and fish ball noodles are always on top of their list. One day, they were looking for something different and exciting to do for their friend’s birthday. Lily came up with the idea of hosting a surprise party. Sharon  found this idea fabulous but she had no experience in organising a birthday party at home. Lily suggested having a party theme which could help make shopping easier. Sharon  was worried about finding a suitable venue too. While they were discussing about their plans, they walked past a French grocery store called “Monsieur Chatte”. Sharon  found the food sold in that shop very interesting and decided to take a closer look.

Caroline, the owner of this store, greeted Lily and Sharon. 

Caroline: Hello, may I help you?
你們好, 有什麼我可以幫忙? 

Lily: Yes. Can you suggest some ideas for a birthday party?
你可以給我們一些有關生日派對的建議嗎? 

Sharon: We are looking for something special!
我們想找一些特別的東西啊! 

Caroline: Sure! We are selling French food and beverages. In France, we eat a lot of cheese. Do you and your friends like cheese?
當然可以! 我們售買各式各樣的法國食品和飲品。在法國我們吃很多芝士的。你和你的朋友喜歡芝士嗎? 

Caroline: This is comte and this is camembert. Would you like to try?
這是comte，這是camembert。你們想試試嗎? 

Lily and Sharon: Yes. Thank you.
好的。謝謝。   

This was the first time they had ever tried French cheese. Caroline explained to them that cheese and wine were central elements of the French diet and there were around 400 sorts of Cheese in France. Lily and Sharon had the impression that French food and drinks were very expensive. That’s why Sharon decided to ask for the price of the cheese she liked before buying. She was happy to know that they were affordable.

Sharon: I like this one. How much is it?
我喜歡這種。要多少錢呢?

Caroline: $52 per 100 grams.
每100克52元。

Lily: Can we have 100 grams please?
我可以要100克嗎?

Caroline: No problem.
沒問題。
Sharon was curious to know more about the sausages hanging in the shop.

Lily: Caroline, what are these?
Caroline, 這是什麼?

Caroline: They are French sausages, “sacisson” in French. You can cut them into pieces.
這是法國香腸。你可以把它們切成小塊吃。

Sharon told Caroline that Chinese people also had preserved food and was surprised to note the similarities in French and Chinese cooking philosophies. Sharon found some small cakes in the shop and asked Caroline for more information.

Sharon: Excuse me, Caroline, they look very cute, what are they?
Caroline，請問這是什麼? 樣子很可愛啊!

Caroline: Oh! These are “Cannelé”. They are little cookies from a region in France called “Bordeaux”.
噢! 這是“Cannelé” 。來自法國一個名為” Bordeaux”的地區。

Lily: We want 10 of them. How much do they cost?
我想要10件。一共要多少錢呢?

Caroline: It costs $12 each. The total is $120. Let’s go up to the second floor, we have French wines up there.
12元一件。一共120元。不如一起上二樓，那裡有法國葡萄酒。

Caroline: These are French wines. We usually drink white wines with seafood and red wines with meat.
這是法國葡萄酒。我們一般吃海鮮時飲白酒，吃肉類時飲紅酒。

Caroline: Have you found a place for your friend’s birthday party?
你們找到開生日派對的地方了嗎?

Lily: Not yet.
還未。

Caroline: Would you like to consider having your party here? Our private lounge can be used exclusively for parties. Let me show you the way.
你們會否考慮這兒? 我們的私人會客廳可以用來開派對。
Lily and Sharon followed Caroline to the second floor.

Lily: Oh! The setting is very stylish!
噢! 多麼時尚的裝修啊!

Caroline: It can accommodate 20-25 people.
這裏可以容納20至25人。

Sharon: Is there any minimum charge?
有沒有最低消費呢?

Caroline: Yes. You can consume our food and beverages. Let me send you a proposal tomorrow.
有的。你可以在這兒消費，享用我們的食物和飲品。我明天給你一個建議書吧!

After their visit to this French grocery store, Lily and Sharon find experiencing the food and drinks of a country being the best way to understand its culture. Although there are fundamental differences between Chinese and French food culture, it’s not a bad idea to have something different occasionally!

Special thanks to Monsieur Chatte.

If you have any suggestions, please email us! wwpenglishcolumn@gmail.com