霽翔《大匠無名》

    去過故宮大修現場的人，就會發現這裡和外面工地的勞作景象有個明顯的區別︰這裡沒有起重機，建築材料都是以手推車的形式送往工地，遇到人力無法運送的木料時，工人們會使用百年不變的工具——滑輪組。故宮修繕，尊重著「四原」原則，即原材料、原工藝、原結構，原型制。在不影響體現傳統工藝技術手法特點的地方，工匠可以用電動工具，比如開荒料、截頭。大多數時候工匠都用傳統工具︰木匠畫線用的是墨斗、畫籤、毛筆、方尺、杖竿、五尺；加工製作木構件使用的工具有錛、鑿、斧、鋸、刨等等。

    最能體現大修難度的便是瓦作中「苫背」的環節。「苫背」是指在房頂做灰背的過程，它相當於為木建築添上防水層。有句口訣是三漿三壓，也就是上三遍石灰漿，然後再壓上三遍。但這是個虛數。今天是晴天，乾得快，三漿三壓硬度就能符合要求，要是趕上陰天，說不定就要六漿六壓。任何一個環節的疏漏都可能導致漏雨，而這對建築的損壞是致命的。

    「工」字早在殷墟甲骨卜辭中就已經出現過。《周官》與《春秋左傳》記載周王朝與諸侯都設有掌管營造的機構。無數的名工巧匠為我們留下了那麼多宏偉的建築，但卻很少被列入史籍，揚名於後世。

    匠人之所以稱之為「匠」，其實不僅僅是因為擁有了某種嫻熟的技能，畢竟技能還可以通過時間的累積「熟能生巧」，但蘊藏在「手藝」之上的那種對建築本身的敬畏和熱愛卻需要從歷史的長河中去尋覓。

    將壯麗的紫禁城完好地交給未來，最能仰仗的便是這些默默奉獻的匠人。故宮的修護注定是一場沒有終點的接力，而他們就是最好的接力者。

Operator Precedence

explicitly: clearly or directly, so that the meaning is easy to understand

The unary plus operator does not change the value of the operand. It is primarily used explicitly indicate that a number is positive.

The unary minus operator negates the value of the operand, effectively multiplying it by -1.

int x = 5, y;

y = ++x; // x increases to 6, then y gets 6

std::cout << "Pre-increment: x = " << x << ", y = " << y << std::endl;

x = 5; // Reset x

y = x++; // y gets 5, then x increases to 6

std::cout << "Post-increment: x = " << x << ", y = " << y << std::endl;

Dot operator is used when accessing members of an object directly.

Arrow operator is used when accessing members through a pointer to an object.

When a function does not return any value, it is declared with void.

The subscript operator is used to access elements in arrays, vectors, or other indexed data structures. It allows direct indexing and retrieval of values stored in a sequential collection.

Direct indexing refers to accessing【電腦】存取（資料）elements in an indexed data by using their exact position, or index, without needing to search for them.

#include <iostream>

int main() {

    bool isRaining = false;

    if (!isRaining) {  // Negates 'false', making it 'true'

        std::cout << "Enjoy the sunshine!" << std::endl;

    }

    return 0;

}

#include <iostream>

int main() {

    int num = 42;

    int* a = &num;  // Pointer 'a' stores the address of 'num'

    std::cout << "Value of num: " << *a << std::endl;  // Dereferencing 'a'

    return 0;

}

In C++, the difference between a and *a depends on how a is defined, especially if it is a pointer.

In C++, sizeof is an operator that returns the size (in bytes) of a data type or object. It helps determine memory usage for variables, structures, arrays, and pointers.

Dynamic memory allocation in C++ allows you to allocate memory at runtime, instead of compile-time. This is useful when you do not know the exact amount of memory your program needs in advance.

Compile time occurs before execution and runtime occurs during execution.

A pointer-to-member is a special type of pointer that holds the memory address of a class member function or a variable, rather than an instance of the class itself.

#include <iostream>

class MyClass {

public:

    int value = 42;

};

int main() {

    MyClass obj;

    int MyClass::*ptr = &MyClass::value;  // Pointer to member variable

    std::cout << "Value using pointer-to-member: " << obj.*ptr << std::endl;  // Access using object

    return 0;

}

int num = 5;

int result = num <<2;

Here, 5 << 2 shifts the bits two places left:

00000101 (5) → 00010100 (20)

The ternary conditional operator in C++ is a shorthand for an if-else statement.

#include <iostream>

int main() {

    int a = 10, b = 20;

    int max = (a > b) ? a : b;  // If 'a' is greater, assign 'a', otherwise 'b'

    std::cout << "Maximum value: " << max << std::endl;

    return 0;

}

>>= equivalents to a = a >> b

The comma operator is used to evaluate multiple expressions in sequence, but it only returns the result of the last expression.

#include <iostream>

int main() {

    int a = (10, 20, 30); // Only '30' is assigned to 'a'

    std::cout << "Value of a: " << a << std::endl;

    return 0;

}

+= equivalents to a = a + b

pitfall: a danger or difficulty, especially one that is hidden or not obvious at first

Microsoft Copilot

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

辦公室用計數機

Most basic commercial calculators, especially the simple four-function ones, do not follow operator precedence (such as multiplication before addition). Instead, they perform calculations in the exact order the user enters them, following left-to-right evaluation.

Microsoft Copilot

Responsibility and Accountability

At its core, responsibility is about the duty or task assigned to someone, while accountability is about being answerable for how those responsibilities are executed.

Responsibility:

- Definition: Being responsible means that you have a duty to perform a particular task or make sure something gets done.

- Nature: It describes the assignment of work or roles. This duty can be shared among several people. For example, in a team project, multiple members might be responsible for various parts of the project.

- Focus: It is task-oriented. It is about the action you are supposed to take.

Accountability:

- Definition: Accountability goes a layer deeper --- it is the state where someone is answerable for the outcome of the tasks assigned.

- Nature: This often applies on an individual level. Even if many people share responsibility for aspects of a project, one person (or a select few) might be held accountable for the overall result.

- Focus: It is result-oriented. It means you are expected to justify your actions and the eventual outcomes, which can sometimes include facing consequences if results are not achieved.

A simple metaphor: Responsibility is like being handed parts of a construction project --- each person builds a piece of the wall. Accountability is like the foreman who must stand behind the integrity of the whole structure. Even if several people are responsible for various parts, someone has to ensure that when all the pieces come together, the structure holds up.

This differentiation is especially crucial in work or leadership settings. While responsibility might be distributed to make sure every aspect of a job is covered, accountability is what ensures that there is clarity on who must answer for the final outcome. If mistakes happen or if results fall short, the accountable person is expected to take ownership of those outcomes, whether positive or negative.

Another angle to consider is that while responsibilities might be delegated (委託), accountability often remains with the person in the leadership role. This means they have to monitor progress, guide the team, and ultimately own the results --- good or bad.

Delving (探索) further, consider how these concepts interact in day-to-day life. When planning a project, you might divide up tasks (responsibility) among your team members. However, as the project leader, you might be the one held accountable if deadlines are missed or if the quality is not up to standard.

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Live Life in Crescendo

bother: (often used in negative sentences and questions) to spend time and/or energy doing something

dichotomy: a division or contrast between two groups or things that are completely opposite to and different from each other

If somebody does something anew, they do it again from the beginning or do it in a different way.

deathbed: the bed in which somebody is dying or dies

thrilled: very excited and pleased

cog: one of a series of teeth on the edge of a wheel that fit between the teeth on the next wheel and cause it to move

obligation: the state of being forced to do something because it is your duty, or because of a law, etc.

instinctively: by using instinct (= a natural quality that makes somebody/something behave in a particular way) rather than thought or training

destiny: what happens to somebody or what will happen to them in the future, especially things that they cannot change or avoid

stack up: ​to keep increasing in quantity until there is a large pile, a long line, etc.

bald: having little or no hair on the head

crescendo: a slow steady increase in how loudly a piece of music is played or sung

diminuendo: ​a slow steady decrease in how loudly a piece of music is played or sung

whimper: to make low, weak crying noises; to speak in this way

    No matter what your age or position in life, if you live by the 7 Habits, you are never finished contributing. You are always seeking something higher and better from life --- the next fascinating challenge, greater understanding, more intense romance, more meaningful love. You may get satisfaction from past accomplishments, but the next great contribution is always on the horizon. You have relationships to build, a community to serve, a family to strengthen, problems to solve, knowledge to gain, and great works to create.

    無論你目前的人生階段或年齡如何，只要你秉持《高效能人士的七個習慣》的原則，你就永遠有不斷貢獻的機會。這代表著你的人生永無止境，持續追求更高的目標與品質。

    儘管你可能對過往的成就感到驕傲和滿足，但這正是一個開始，因為總有下一個更具挑戰性的目標等著你去實現。這反映了一種不斷追求卓越、勇於迎接新挑戰的心態。

    你可以在各個層面上發揮影響力：發展人際關係、服務社群、強化家庭關係、解決現實問題、追求新知及創造顯著的成果。這些都是你持續成長和貢獻的重要方面。

horizon: the limit of your desires, knowledge or interests

startle: to surprise somebody suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

殊道同歸

conquer: to defeat somebody, especially in a competition, race, etc.

reveal: disclose, display

offense: the feeling of being upset or angry at something that somebody has said or done

ego: your sense of your own value and importance

flattering: making somebody look more attractive

humble: showing you do not think that you are as important as other people

modest: not talking much about your own abilities or possessions

guru: a person who is an expert on a particular subject or who is very good at doing something

disdain somebody/something: to think that somebody/something does not deserve your respect or interest

disciple: follower

due: a thing that should be given to somebody by right

diligence: careful work or great effort

dividend: great advantages or profits

earnestly: in a very serious and sincere way

indulge: to allow yourself to have or do something that you like, especially something that is considered bad for you

criterion: a standard or principle by which something is judged, or with the help of which a decision is made

astounded: very surprised or shocked by something, because it seems very unlikely

affirm: ​to state clearly that something is true

trustworthiness: the quality of always being good, honest, sincere, etc. so that people can rely on you

implicitly: in a way that is suggested without being directly expressed

sequential: following in order of time or place

embody: to express or represent an idea or a quality

steward: ​a person who helps at a large public event, for example a race or public meeting, by keeping order, showing people where to go, etc.

whatsoever: not at all; not of any kind

commend: to praise somebody/something, especially publicly

timeless: not appearing to be affected by the process of time passing or by changes in fashion

prosper: to develop in a successful way; to be successful, especially in making money

    It is because principles like fairness, honesty, respect, vision, accountability, and creative cooperation govern our lives... How we apply a principle will vary greatly and will be determined by our unique strengths, talents, and creativity, but, ultimately success in any endeavor is always derived from acting in harmony with the principles to which the success is tied.

    我們的生活和成功是由一些基本原則所決定，例如誠實、尊重、遠見、負責與創造性的合作。這些原則正如《高效能人士的七個習慣》中所提出的核心價值，作為我們行動的基石，影響著我們的決策和行為。

        每個人都有獨特的才能、優勢和創意，因此我們在實踐這些原則的方法也會各有不同。然而，無論採取何種方式，最終成功都建立在與這些基本原則和諧一致的行動之上，也就是說，只有當我們的行為與內心信守的價值觀相匹配時，才能真正實現卓越的成就。

accountability: the fact of being responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked

profound: very great; felt or experienced very strongly

aspiration: a strong desire to have or do something

endeavor: an attempt to do something, especially something new or difficult

stark: unpleasant; real, and impossible to avoid

denominator: the number below the line in a fraction showing how many parts the whole is divided into

unleash: to suddenly let a strong force, emotion, etc. be felt or have an effect

notion: an idea, a belief or an understanding of something

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

隨波逐流的弊端

encompass: to surround or cover something completely

frankly: in an honest and direct way that people might not like

humility: the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people

virtue: behavior or attitudes that show high moral standards

undergird: to form the basis or foundation of

sacred: DJ[ˋseikrid] connected with God or a god; considered to be holy

indigenous: (of people and their culture) coming from a particular place and having lived there for a long time before other people came there; relating to, belonging to or developed by these people

implication: a possible effect or result of an action or a decision

mores: the customs and behavior that are considered typical of a particular social group or community

assert yourself: to behave in a confident and determined way so that other people pay attention to your opinions

codependency: a situation in which two people have a close relationship in which they rely too much on each other emotionally, especially when one person is caring for the other one

literally: exactly

shorthand: a quick way of writing using special signs or abbreviations, used especially to record what somebody is saying

    You will find that the root of most issues people are dealing with is "Is it popular (acceptable, political), or is it right?" When we prioritize being loyal to a person or group over doing what we feel to be right, we lose integrity. We may temporarily gain popularity or build loyalty, but downstream, this loss of integrity will undermine even those relationships. It's like bad-mouthing someone behind their back. The person you are temporarily united with through bad-mouthing someone else knows you would bad-mouth them under different pressures and circumstances.

    人生大部分問題的根源在於抉擇：究竟應該追求流行（受歡迎、政治正確）還是堅守正確（依據內心價值與道德）？當我們為了忠誠於某個人或團體而犧牲自己的判斷與原則時，就會失去誠信。雖然這樣可能暫時獲得人氣或建立短暫的歸屬感，但最終會侵蝕這些關係，因為對方會意識到在其他條件下你也可能做出同樣的不當行為，就如同你在背後講別人壞話一樣。《高效能人士的七個習慣》正是提倡以原則為基礎，堅持做正確事，而不是隨波逐流與暫時的迎合，這樣才能建立長久且信任的人際關係。

undermine: to make something, especially somebody’s confidence or authority, gradually weaker or less effective

bad-mouth somebody: to say unpleasant things about somebody

interweave: ​to twist together two or more pieces of thread, wool, etc.

temporize: to delay making a decision or giving a definite answer, in order to gain time

falter: to become weaker or less effective

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

普通話水平測試用朗讀作品

     對於中國的牛，我有著一種特別尊敬的感情。

    留給我印象最深的，要算在田壟上的一次「相遇」。

    一群朋友郊遊，我領頭在狹窄的阡陌上走，怎料迎面來了幾頭耕牛，狹道容不下人和牛，終有一方要讓路。它們還沒有走近，我們已經預計鬥不過畜牲，恐怕難免踩到田地泥土裡，弄得鞋襪又泥又濕了。正踟躕的時候，帶頭的一頭牛，在離我們不遠的地方停下來，抬起頭看看，稍遲疑一下，就自動走下田去。一隊耕牛，全跟著它離開阡陌，從我們身邊經過。

    我們都呆了，回過頭來，看著深褐色的牛隊，在路的盡頭消失，忽然覺得自己受了很大的恩惠。

    中國的牛，永遠沉默地為人做著沉重的工作。在大地上，在晨光或烈日下，它拖著沉重的犁，低頭一步又一步，拖出了身後一列又一列的鬆土，好讓人們下種。等到滿地金黃或農閒時候，它可能還得擔當搬運負重的工作；或終日繞著石磨，朝同一方向，走不計程的路。

    在它沉默的勞動中，人便得到應得的收成。

    那時候，也許，它可以鬆一肩重擔，站在樹下，吃幾口嫩草。偶爾搖搖尾巴，擺擺耳朵，趕走飛附身上的蒼蠅，已經算是它最閒適的生活了。

    中國的牛，沒有成群奔跑的習慣，永遠沉沉實實的，默默地工作，平心靜氣。這就是中國的牛！

節選自小思《中國的牛》

    本人對老師這項職業有尊敬之心，盧老師的教學認真、盡心盡力，是其他老師的榜樣。我有幸與她見過三次。第一次是在香港中文大學講座、簽書活動。其他人只有簽名，在 Karl 的幫助下，小思在我的書籍上寫了鼓勵的字句。第二次是歷史博物館禮品店，她幫襯我買香港舊地圖。第三次是在戲曲中心禮品店，她本想教我引進某些書籍，但她估計不關我的事。的確，我只是替更看舖。

回音壁

關於電影《宋家皇朝》中反覆出現的「回音壁」，許多影迷討論認為這指的正是北京天壇內那處著名的回音壁。

天壇不僅以其宏偉的建築群聞名，其內部獨具匠心的聲學設計——即那段能產生奇妙迴響效果的牆體，也一直是人們津津樂道的話題。在這面回音壁前，只要輕聲細語，聲音就會在空間中多次反彈，營造出神秘而震撼的效果。電影巧妙地引用了這一景觀，不僅增強了視覺與聽覺的沉浸感，也隱喻了歷史迴響與文化傳承的深層意蘊，使得觀眾在欣賞影片之餘，也能體會到那種跨越時空的情懷。

這種映射手法讓人不由自主地聯想到傳統與現代、個人情感與歷史洪流之間的連結。

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Connected Museum

Stay Connected: The Hong Kong Palace Museum

Winter 2024

Louis Ng

Director of Hong Kong Palace Museum

Located at the western tip of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) opened in July 2022 after five years in the making. Over 900 spectacular works, displayed at seven opening exhibitions, were gems (精品) on loan from the Palace Museum collection in Beijing. Since its opening, the museum has taken new curatorial (管理者的) approaches to present twenty-one thematic (主題的) and special exhibitions, featuring its own growing collection and new works by Hong Kong artists, as well as priceless loans from the Palace Museum and significant collections around the globe.

The HKPM has welcomed nearly 2.8 million visitors from home and abroad. Through a dynamic mix of learning programs, we have offered a wide range of resources for local and global visitors to study and appreciate Chinese and world art and culture. Today, the museum is home to a growing collection of diverse works, ranging from metalwork to ceramics, furniture, textiles, and modern and contemporary paintings, all acquired through donation. Thanks to the hard work of our staff and the incredible support of our visitors, donors, friends, patrons (贊助人), partners, sponsors and many other stakeholders, the museum has become a must-see cultural landmark and an indispensable (不可或缺的) platform for learning, community engagement, collaboration (合作) and creativity in Hong Kong.

With the mission of advancing dialogue among world civilizations and building international partnerships, the museum utilizes cross-cultural approaches to curation (策展) and interpretation for local and global audiences.

With a Hong Kong perspective and a global vision, the museum embraces new curatorial approaches to present the finest objects from the Palace Museum and other important cultural institutions around the world. Cosmopolitanism (世界性) is a defining feature of Qing (1644-1911) court culture. While the Forbidden City in Beijing is a repository (存放處) of more than 1.8 million treasures of Chinese art, a significant portion of its collection came from Japan, Korea, India, Europe and other parts of the world. We present the art, culture, and history of the Forbidden City in a global context. The exhibition titled "Entering the Forbidden City: Architecture, Collection, and Heritage" in Gallery 1 displays a number of spectacular (壯觀的) works documenting China's vibrant (精彩的) contacts with the world.

Another example of our cross-cultural approach was the special exhibition titled "Grand Gallop (騎馬奔馳): Art and Culture of the Horse", on view in 2022. It brought together over 100 artworks from the Palace Museum related to horses in China. These works were juxtaposed (並列) with thirteen works on loan from the Louvre (羅浮宮), featuring horses from France and other countries. These meaningful dialogues highlighted the importance of the horse around the globe and celebrated Hong Kong's position as a center of art and cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.

The special exhibition, "Odysseys of Art: Masterpieces Collected by the Princes of Liechtenstein (列支敦斯登)", on view in 2022 and 2023, featured not only important works by Old Masters, such as Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), but also Chinese and Japanese porcelains collected by the princes of Liechtenstein, illustrating how Chinese art influenced cultural life in Europe. This exhibition was organized around the theme of how the collection was formed by the princes during a span of four centuries, opening up many points of comparison between European and Chinese rulers as art collectors. In 2023, the HKPM team curated "Cartier and Women", the first major exhibition on the role and influence of women in Cartier's history. The exhibition told the story of how Chinese art has inspired European jewelry-making and how Chinese aesthetics (美學) have influenced women's lifestyles and global fashion.

The museum creates lively dialogues between the past and the present.

The museum is privileged to present many spectacular treasures from the Palace Museum and other major cultural organizations. How do we make these treasures, created in the distant past, relevant to our lives today? Through storytelling and engaging with new technologies, the museum connects these historical objects to lived experiences and encourages visitors to explore, contemplate (深入思考) and create meaningful experiences. The museum has collaborated closely with artists, designers, technology experts and other creative practitioners to open up new ways of experiencing art and culture.

The exhibition, "The Quest for Originality: Contemporary Design and Traditional Craft in Dialogue", in Gallery 5 connects the past and the present through the concept of design. With Stanley Wong, the renowned (著名的) designer, as its artistic director, the show demonstrates the deep interest in innovation, materiality (實體) and function in design shared by people of the past and today.

Since its opening, the museum has commissioned (委託創作) and presented more than 100 multimedia and digital projects for its exhibitions. Hong Kong-based leading artists and designers, such as Chiu Kwong-chiu and Jeffrey Shaw, have been invited to created projects that activate, contextualize and interpret the art objects on display while providing visitors with optimal learning opportunities and multisensory experiences.

In Gallery 7, a space dedicated to the display of newly commissioned contemporary works, we are collaborating with creative talents to experiment with new ways of presenting Chinese art and culture and connecting traditions to the vibrant art scene in Hong Kong today. In 2023, eight Hong Kong artists created new works for the exhibition titled "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Dwelling (住處) in Tranquility (安寧) --- Reinventing Traditional Gardens". Through kinetic, multimedia and sound installations, inspired by their field trips to the Forbidden City and many historical gardens, the artists shed new light on the time honored Chinese garden philosophy and design, as well as Hong Kong's local garden culture.

Supported by our visitors, donors, friends, partners, patrons, sponsors and many other stakeholders, the museum is at heart a resource that belongs to our community. It inspires engagement, fosters dialogue, and promotes creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Today, the museum is home to more than 1600 works of art generously donated by art collectors and artists. The special exhibition, "Radiance (光輝): Ancient Gold from the Hong Kong Palace Museum Collection and the Mengdiexuan (夢蝶軒) Collection", presented over 200 works assembled by the distinguished art collectors, Ms Betty Lo Yan-yan and Mr Kenneth Chu Wai-kee. On view in 2023, this exhibition highlighted the artistic and technical achievements of goldsmithing (金匠) in ancient China and the dynamic connections across Asia over the past 3000 years. A selection of newly acquired works is on display in Gallery 6 in "Passion for Collecting: Founding Donations to the Hong Kong Palace Museum", and exhibition that celebrates the museum's foundational collection built through the generosity of fourteen donating parties. We plan to launch and take on tour a series of exhibitions and learning programs in 2025 and there after, featuring our new acquisitions and promised major gifts, with the goal of broadening the access and impact of our collection. A few other initiatives, such as collection conservation projects, are organized to provide our collection with the state-of-the-art facilities and best care.

Our learning and engagement program has three key areas: the Palace Academy, School and Youth and Community Engagement. The Palace Academy, with its Learning Resource Center, is the largest dedicated museum learning space in Hong Kong. Its rich offerings drew over 500,000 participants onsite and online between July 2022 and August 2024. The HKPM Talk Series offers free public talks by leading experts in and outside of the museum, providing fresh insights into our exhibitions and collection, as well as world cultures. Other offerings include art-making and conservation workshops, movie screenings and performing arts series featuring Hong Kong's top performing art talents and troupes (劇團).

The museum's School and Youth Program combines museum visits with object-based learning, hands-on (親自動手的) workshops and school outreach initiatives to help students immerse themselves in Chinese art and culture. Since the museum opened, we have welcomed more than 120,000 students and teachers who visited the museum in groups from some 700 schools across Hong Kong. We have partnered with the Hong Kong Education Bureau and school teachers to create teachers' resource books, which combine museum exhibition content with the school curriculum. The museum's Student Ambassador Program and Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Program have provided training opportunities and leadership skills to hundreds of secondary school and university students to prepare them as future leaders in the fields of art and culture. The museum's Community Engagement Program has recruited and trained over 700 volunteers and docents (講解員) and offered free tickets and special program to underprivileged communities and people with special needs.

The museum plays an important role in helping position Hong Kong as a global hub for art and culture, and a bridge connecting China and the world.

I have often been asked: How does the Hong Kong Palace Museum differentiate itself from its counterparts in Beijing and Taipei in terms of vision and positioning? Here, I would like to share with you the work we have been doing to build robust local, domestic and international partnerships. The HKPM is strengthening its ties with mainland and international museums and audiences, contributing to the overall strategy of developing Hong Kong as an East meets-West center for art and cultural exchange. We have established professional contacts with many major museums around the world with the goal of establishing a robust network of partners in the fields of travelling exhibitions, research, education, conservation, professional development, and more. In the effort to build a strong global cultural network, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority host the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024 from March 24th to 26th, 2024, as the largest international cultural conference ever staged in Hong Kong. The HKPM signed Memorandum of Understandings with seven leading arts and cultural institutions from across the globe. Our strategic partnerships with the Palace Museum, the Shanghai Museum, the Sanxingdui Museum, and other major museums, have resulted in highly successful exhibitions, including "Gazing at Sanxingdui: New Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan" and "Yuan Ming Yuan: Art and Culture of an Imperial Garden-Palace".

In late 2023, thanks to the generous support of the Bei Shan Tang Foundation, we co-organized with the Palace Museum and the Dunhuang Academy the inaugural International Symposium on Chinese Art conservation, with the aim of formulating a roadmap for this fast-changing field, both locally and globally, and fostering international and inter-institutional collaboration.

In the field of scholarly publication, our strategy is to create the best publications in Chinese art that can be distributed locally, domestically and internationally, with the goal of broadening the reach of Chinese art by working closely with Hong Kong designers, mainland publishers, printing houses and international distributors to leverage local, reginal and international resources. The Sanxingdui exhibition catalogue has three editions in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English.

Looking ahead, the world is undergoing a period of change unprecedented (空前的) in modern history. As important vehicles of culture, history and values, museums are powerhouses that can contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The idea of a "connected museum" captured the distinct identity and role of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in advocating a new paradigm for the interpretation of Chinese art and culture. In this context, the concept of connection has multiple meanings --- to connect the part with the present, increase hyper connectivity, strengthen connections with museums and audiences in Hong Kong and the mainland, and connect Chinese culture with global audiences. The HKPM will stay committed to its vision of positioning and developing Hong Kong as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange.

Source: Arts of Asia

明周文化

【展覽】「天方奇毯」亮相西九故宮博物館 展出逾四百年歷史地毯

地毯，在伊斯蘭文化中有著重要的地位，不少伊斯蘭地區盛產地毯，以地毯編織工藝聞名。香港故宮文化博物館下月將舉辦「天方奇毯——伊斯蘭與世界文明的交織」展覽，將展出逾四百年歷史的地毯，以及約百件伊斯蘭藝術文物，當中包括地毯、瓷器、金屬工藝品、彩繪手稿及玉器等。

「伊斯蘭藝術」所指的是由穆斯林群體所創作、涵蓋宗教和世俗的藝術作品。是次展覽的展品主要來自卡塔爾多哈伊斯蘭藝術博物館，亦有故宮博物院和香港文化博物館的藏品。

這次展覽中展出多塊宮廷地毯，分別來自薩法維伊朗、莫臥兒印度和鄂圖曼土耳其一帶。其中最有歷史的，便是薩法維王朝蘇萊曼沙阿一世「打獵」圖地毯。這張地毯是薩法維王朝贈予法蘭西斯科．莫羅西尼的外交禮物，莫羅西尼是十七世紀晚期威尼斯共和國的領袖，也是當時最傑出的海軍將領之一。

薩法維王朝蘇萊曼沙阿一世「打獵」圖地毯，毯心以大型開光紋作裝飾，其中有源自中國藝術的雲紋及神獸圖案。

另外，展覽中亦有長度接近十六米的凱沃爾基安海得拉巴地毯，是目前全球博物館中其中一條最長的地毯，用於莫臥兒宮廷的儀式活動中。

除了來自伊斯蘭地區的地毯，展覽亦有展出來自清乾隆年間的花瓣紋栽絨地毯。此地毯由新疆地域所生產，當中的花卉圖案多用於裝飾皇帝的宮殿。

香港故宮文化博物館館長吳志華博士說，這次是首度在卡塔爾以外展出以地毯為題的展覽，展品顯示了伊斯蘭世界在歷史上不同時期的藝術和文化，以及其文化如何影響全球社會。

香港公園尤德觀鳥園

由內到外

In navigation, being "off course" means a ship, plane, or other vehicle has strayed from its planned route.

lampoon: to criticize somebody/something publicly in a humorous way that makes them/it look silly

zombie: a dead body that has been made alive again by magic

mediocre: not very good; of only average standard

inmate: one of the people living in an institution such as a prison

penitentiary: a prison

indictment: an official statement accusing somebody of a crime

penance: an act that you give yourself to do, or that a priest gives you to do, in order to show that you are sorry for something you have done wrong

painstakingly: in a way that takes a lot of care, effort and attention to detail

setback: a difficulty or problem that delays or prevents something, or makes a situation worse

bridle: a set of leather bands, attached to reins, which is put around a horse’s head and used for controlling it

equestrian: connected with riding horses, especially as a sport

barn: a large farm building for storing grain or keeping animals in

equine: connected with horses; like a horse

nestle: to sit or lie down in a warm or soft place

baggage: bags, cases, etc. that contain somebody's clothes and things when they are travelling

envision: to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation you intend to work towards

mountaineer: ​a person who climbs mountains as a sport

eloquently: in a way that uses language and expresses your opinions well, especially when you are speaking in public

providence: God, or a force that some people believe controls our lives and the things that happen to us, usually in a way that protects us

couplet: two lines of poetry of equal length one after the other

boldness: the quality of being brave and confident and not being afraid to say what you feel or to take risks

Goethe's couplets:

    Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

    Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Operations in C++

In C++, the percent symbol (%) is the modulus operator, used to find the remainder of a division operation.

Bitwise operations in C++ manipulate individual bits within integer data types. These operations are useful for tasks like optimizing memory usage, performing low-level system programming, and cryptography.

&: ampersand

Sets each bit to 1 if both corresponding bits are 1

~(NOT): tilde

Inverts all bits (bitwise complement)

^(XOR): caret

Sets each bit to 1 if only one of the corresponding bits is 1

|(OR)

Sets each bit to 1 if at least one corresponding bit is 1

||: logical operator

0 means false and anything else means true.

! (exclamation sign) for NOT

In C++, the == operator is the equality operator. It is used to compare two values and returns true if they are equal, otherwise, it returns false.

int a = 9;

int* ptr = &a; // Pointer storing the address of 'a'

Pointer Declaration: int* ptr; declares a pointer to an int type.

Address-of Operator (&): Used to get the memory address of a variable.

Dereferencing in C++ refers to accessing the value stored at a memory address using a pointer. This is done using the (prefix) asterisk (*) operator, which allows us to retrieve the actual data held at the memory location a pointer is pointing to.

Microsoft Copilot

Toilet training for adult patients

Toilet training for adult patients is a structured intervention designed to help individuals relearn how to control their bladder and bowel functions. Many adults may require toilet training due to medical conditions such as urinary or fecal incontinence, neurological impairments like post-stroke, physical disabilities, or even cognitive decline as seen in dementia.

One core component of this process is establishing a regular, scheduled routine for toileting. By creating a consistent timetable --- often starting with short, fixed intervals (e.g. every two hours) --- healthcare professionals help patients recognize internal cues and gradually re-establish the mind-body connection necessary for timely elimination. Over time, the interval between toilet visits can be extended as the patient regains control and confidence. This schedule not only minimizes the incidence of incontinence episodes but also enhances the patient's sense of dignity and independence.

In addition to scheduled toileting, bladder retraining or bowel retraining is often implemented. Bladder retraining may include exercises to practice delaying urination until the appropriate time, while pelvic floor strengthening exercises are used to improve muscle tone and control. These methods help the patient improve the physiological aspects of continence even though underlying condition like neurological deficits may persist.

The process of adult toilet training is not just physical but also psychological. It requires encouragement, patience, and a supportive environment --- all of which are vital for the patient to rebuild confidence and overcome the embarrassment that may come with incontinence. Often, a comprehensive continence management program is established, which can include the use of incontinence products or catheterization strategies as necessary, with a long-term goal of restoring normal toilet habits and reducing reliance on such aids.

Overall, toilet training in adult patients is tailored to each individual's specific needs, underlying conditions, and ability to participate in the process. Through consistent practice and personalized strategies, many can significantly improve their continence and quality of life, ultimately leading to greater independence and better overall health outcomes.

Microsoft Copilot and Edited

熟能生巧

profound: very great; felt or experienced very strongly

formality: a thing that you must do as a formal or official part of a legal process, a social situation, etc.

Anwar Sadat was an Egyptian army officer and politician who was president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. He initiated serious peace negotiations with Israel, an achievement for which he shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for Peace with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Under their leadership, Egypt and Israel made peace with each other in 1979.

assassination: the murder of an important or famous person, especially for political reasons

contemplation: ​the act of thinking deeply about something

secluded: (especially of a place) quiet and private

conceive something (formal) to form an idea, a plan, etc. in your mind

awkward: making you feel embarrassed

conviction: a strong opinion or belief

    The author quotes Emerson, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier --- not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased."

    當我們不斷重複做同一件事時，該事最初的困難並沒有消失，只是因為我們累積了經驗與技巧，執行起來變得更輕鬆。

    成功和成長並不來自一次性解決問題，而是來自於不斷地嘗試和學習。每一次的努力都在悄悄地改變我們，讓我們在未來更有信心、更具備實力去面對同樣或更複雜的任務。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries and Encyclopedia Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.britannica.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

查大俠不是浪得虛名

問︰蜂蜜能否(給小龍女)養顏作用？

蜂蜜含豐富的抗氧化物、維生素和礦物質，這些天然成分能夠保濕、促進細胞再生和修復皮膚，因此在外用或內服時，都能對皮膚產生不錯的護理作用。許多面膜會採用蜂蜜，幫助皮膚鎖住水分，減少細紋與乾燥，進而讓膚色看起來更明亮、更健康。

蜂蜜具備抗菌和抗炎的特性，能夠減緩痘痘和皮膚發炎現象，是不少天然護膚產品的理想成分。把蜂蜜與檸檬、牛奶或燕麥搭配使用，不僅能有助於清除老廢角質，還可以讓皮膚吸收更多營養，達到由內而外調理美肌的效果。

然而，每個人的皮膚狀況不同，使用蜂蜜時建議先在小區域內試用，以避免可能的過敏反應。若皮膚較敏感的人，也可以選擇純天然、未經高溫處理的原蜜，這樣能更好地保留其有益成分，發揮養顏功效。不僅如此，持續內外兼顧地使用蜂蜜，還有助於從內部改善身體狀態，進一步反映在皮膚健康上。

除了直接應用，許多人也喜歡飲用蜂蜜水來內調，因為蜂蜜中的營養成分可以幫助調整體內平衡，進而讓皮膚更有光澤。

Microsoft Copilot and Edited

Assignment in C++

An unsigned variable is a type of variable in programming that can only store non-negative values (zero and positive numbers).

int x;   // LHS: 'x' is a variable

x = 9;  // RHS: '9' is the value being assigned to 'x'

Microsoft Copilot

給下一代的二不朽

endowment: a quality or an ability that you are born with

precept: a rule about how to behave or what to think

transcendent: going beyond the usual limits; extremely great

tribe: a social group in a traditional society consisting of people with the same language, culture, religion, etc., living in a particular area and often having one leader known as a chief

surrogate: used to describe a person or thing that takes the place of, or is used instead of, somebody/something else

a person’s descendants are their children, their children’s children, and all the people who live after them who are related to them

reaffirm something to state something again in order to emphasize that it is still true

fascination: a very strong attraction, that makes something very interesting

posterity: all the people who will live in the future

bequest: ​money or property that you ask to be given to a particular person when you die

    The highest and most powerful motivation in doing that is not for ourselves only, but for our posterity, for the posterity of all mankind. As someone once observed, "There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children - one is roots, the other wings."

我們做任何事情的真正驅動力，不應僅僅為了當下的個人利益，而更應該是著眼於未來，為我們的後代創造更美好的條件。這當中蘊含的是一種長遠的思維和責任感，呼籲我們不只關心自己的得失，而是承擔起傳承和影響後代的使命。

具體來說，這裡引用的「根」和「翼」的比喻，意指我們能留給孩子的兩大珍貴遺產：

i)「根」指的是穩固的基礎，也就是堅定的價值觀、傳統、家庭和文化背景。這些都是讓孩子在面對人生風險與挑戰時，有一個可靠的依據和歸屬感。

ii)「翼」 則代表給予孩子展翅飛翔的自由與能力，讓他們能夠突破現狀、探索未知世界，發揮自己的潛能與創造力。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

涼爽

問︰亞洲男士，約1.8M高，67公斤，在室內泳池游水，水溫約攝氏25度，以自由泳慢慢游，每2秒游1米，不停游了45分鐘，試算出身體於水中流失的熱力及因運動所消耗的熱量，大概等於多少碗飯？

下面給出一種大致估算的思路——注意這裡的計算有不少假設，結果僅僅是個估值，只供參考。

【一、估算游泳運動本身消耗的能量】

一般來講，以自由泳慢速游泳（每2秒1米）對應的強度大約屬於中等運動。常用估算法是利用代謝當量 (MET)。對於大約 67 公斤的成年人，慢速游泳的 MET 可能在6左右。依據公式︰

消耗熱量 (kcal) ＝ MET × 體重(kg) × 運動時間(小時)

如果計算45分鐘（0.75小時）的能量消耗： 6 × 67 × 0.75 ≈ 301 kcal

當然，不同資料可能有略高或略低的數值，有人可能會估算到 300～400 kcal。這當中，肌肉產生的機械功只占大約20%左右，其餘的大部分都轉化成熱量，散發到水中。

【二、水中散失的熱力補償效應】

跟陸上運動不同，游泳時身體除了完成機械性推進外，還須額外消耗能量以維持核心體溫。水的導熱性極強，20～25°C的泳池水比我們皮膚的溫度低很多（人體正常約37°C，但游泳時，由於皮膚不斷散熱，表皮溫度可能降至 30°C 左右），也就是說：

• 假設皮膚最終是30°C，而水溫25°C，平均溫差約 5°C。

有研究指出，裸露人體在這樣非熱中性水溫中，光是因為散熱（也就是補熱代償）往往需要額外產生的能量大約可達每小時 200–300 kcal。那麼45分鐘大約需要： 200～300 kcal/小時 × 0.75 小時 ≈ 150～225 kcal

（數值的選取會依個體、脂肪量、血液循環等因素有所波動，但這裡用作一個粗略估算。）

【三、合計並換算成碗飯的概念】

若把「運動本身所消耗」（約300～400 kcal）與「水中散失、需要補熱」部分（約150～225 kcal）合在一起，整個45分鐘的游泳活動大致消耗： 300–400 + 150–225 ≈ 450～625 kcal
我們可以取中間值，比如約500–600 kcal。

接下來，再把這個能量換算成「碗飯」：
一般一碗白飯（約150～200克）的熱量大約在200–250 kcal左右。
例如：

• 如果以一碗 250 kcal 計算，600 kcal ≈ 600/250 = 2.4 碗；
• 如果以 200 kcal 為基準，600 kcal ≈ 3 碗。

綜合考慮（以及計算參數本身的不確定性），可以說這45分鐘的室內泳池慢游所「消耗/補償」的能量，大約相當於 2～3 碗飯 的能量，取中間值大約在3碗飯左右。

Microsoft Copilot

《高效能人士的七個習慣》13.05.2025

sabbatical: a period of time when somebody, especially a teacher at a university, is allowed to stop their normal work in order to study or travel

cane: the hard hollow stem of some plants, for example bamboo or sugar

serene: calm and peaceful

revel: to spend time enjoying yourself in a noisy, enthusiastic way

thereafter: after the time or event mentioned

secluded: (especially of a place) quiet and private

envision: to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation you intend to work towards

and so forth: and others or more of the same or similar kind

upbringing: the way in which a child is cared for and taught how to behave while it is growing up

compelling: that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting

self-revealing: marked by self-revelation (disclosure)

tender: easily hurt or damaged

conducive: making it easy, possible or likely for something to happen

implicit: suggested without being directly expressed

leave off: to stop doing something

authentic: known to be real and what somebody claims it is and not a copy

bother: to annoy, worry or upset somebody; to cause somebody trouble or pain

obsession: the state in which a person’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person in a way that is not reasonable or normal

agitation: worry that you show by behaving in a nervous way

resort to: to make use of something, especially something bad, as a means of achieving something, often because there is no other possible solution

utterly: completely

indefensible: that cannot be defended or excused because it is morally unacceptable

whatsoever: ​no, nothing, none, etc. whatsoever not at all; not of any kind

justification: ​a good reason why something exists or is done

upsetting: ​making you feel unhappy, anxious or annoyed

psychic: connected with the mind rather than the body

submerge: to hide ideas, feelings, opinions, etc. completely

divisive: causing people to be split into groups that disagree with or oppose each other

inventory: stock

couch: DJ[kautʃ] a long comfortable seat for two or more people to sit on

loyalty: DJ[ˋlɔiəlti] the quality of being constant in your support of somebody/something

reverence: a feeling of admiring and respecting somebody/something very much

trivial: not important or serious; not worth considering

trivia: ​unimportant matters, details or information

trample: to step heavily on somebody/something so that you damage or harm them/it with your feet

sacred: very important and treated with great respect; that must not be changed or challenged

    Even seemingly trivial things often have roots in deep emotional experiences. To deal only with the superficial trivia without seeing the deeper, more tender issues is to trample on the sacred ground of another's heart.

    不論是一件看似無關緊要的小事，都可能蘊含著豐富而深刻的情感背景，有時甚至連當事人自己也未意識到這其中的重量。當我們僅僅執著於表面上的問題，而未能窺探或理解背後那段可能代表著痛苦、回憶或愛的更細膩部分，就可能在不經意之間傷害到對方的內心。這種無意識的忽視，便像是踩在對方最珍貴、最隱秘的情感領域上，使人感到受到冒犯與冷落。

    在《高效能人士的七個習慣》中，特別強調了「先求了解，再爭取被了解」的原則，這正是對上述思想的生動體現。當我們在與人溝通或合作時，若能穿透表面的瑣碎，真正關注並體認他人的內心需求與情感經歷，就能構建更加互相尊重與信任的關係。這不僅幫助我們建立更深層次的人際連結，也促進了個人的成長與人際間的和諧發展。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

遠攝

問︰如果有輕微手震，200mm 焦距，用腳架是否比較好？

在使用 200mm 這種長焦鏡頭拍攝時，任何輕微的手部顫抖都可能大幅影響照片的清晰度，因為長焦鏡頭會放大相機的震動。即使你的相機或鏡頭內置了防震功能，當你感覺到手震問題時，腳架仍然是最穩定的解決方案。

穩定性保障： 腳架能夠提供穩定的支撐，讓你更安心地使用較低的快門速度，從而捕捉更多光線和細節。

輔助工具： 除了使用腳架，你還可以考慮配合快門線，以進一步減少按下快門時產生的震動。

如果你遇到輕微手震問題，特別是在用 200mm 焦距拍攝時，使用腳架是非常值得推薦的做法。這不僅可以保障圖片的銳利度，還能讓你在創作時更具信心，捕捉到更完美的瞬間。

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

宋盞 Song Jian

釉色︰藍油滴

杯型︰尊杯

"Jian" was a special tea bowl specially used by the emperor in the Song Dynasty. It was called "China's great but subtle utensils". The ancient handcraft was passed down generations all along from Song Dynasty and left poems to express their appreciation for "Jian".

JOEWONGDESIGN

忽驚午盞兔毛斑，打作春甕鵝兒酒

Rewiring their brains

auditorium: DJ[͵ɔ:diˋtɔ:riəm]

aisle: DJ[ail] a passage between rows of seats in a church, theatre, train, etc.

docking station: a piece of equipment to which a laptop, smartphone or other mobile device can be connected, to provide access to a power supply or so that it can be used with a printer, a keyboard, speakers, etc.

cold turkey: if somebody stops taking a drug cold turkey, they stop in a sudden way that produces an unpleasant state

If you have a predilection for something, you like it very much.

    The ancient Greeks' famous saying, "Nothing overmuch" is a good reminder that all things must be done in moderation, including our technology.

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Type inference with auto

soccer: DJ[ˋsɔkə]

Type inference with auto is a feature in C++ that allows the compiler to deduce the type of a variable based on its initializer. Instead of explicitly specifying the type, you can use auto, and the compiler will determine the appropriate type automatically.

In C++ type inference, when using auto, a floating-point literal like 1.0 is inferred as a double by default. This is because, according to the C++ standard, floating-point literals without a suffix (f for float, l for long double) are treated as double.

Float is a single-precision floating-point type, typically storing 7 decimal digits of precision, whereas double is a double-precision type, storing 15-16 decimal digits

The typeid operator in C++ is used to determine the type of an object at runtime. It returns a reference to a type_info object that represents the type of the given expression or type identifier.

The bool type in programming represents a Boolean value, which can be either true or false. It is commonly used for logical operations and conditional statements.

In C++, string literals are enclosed in double quotes (" "). This distinguishes them from character literals, which are enclosed in single quotes (' ').

PKc stands for pointer to const char.

 In C++, PKc is the mangled name for const char*. The breakdown is:

- P → Pointer

- K → Const qualifier

- c → Char type

Microsoft Copilot

先內後外

macaw: a large Central and South American tropical bird of the parrot family, with bright feathers and a long tail

squawk: (of birds) to make a loud sharp sound

shriek: to give a loud high shout, for example when you are excited, frightened or in pain

fume: to be very angry about something

wee: very small in size

downtime: the time when somebody stops working and is able to relax

cabin: a small house or shelter, usually made of wood

indelible: impossible to forget or remove

contagious: exciting similar emotions or conduct in others

sleep in: to sleep late intentionally

spring from: to be caused by something; to start from something

    It is hard to show love (heart) when you are exhausted (body). On the other hand, when you are feeling motivated and in tune with yourself (spirit), you will have better judgment (mind), and find it easier to treat others with respect (heart).

    內在的充實與能量能夠轉化為外在的影響力。如果我們不先關懷自己，缺乏必要的休息與恢復，就難以用真誠與愛心去看待他人；反之，當我們給自己足夠的能量和正面影響時，就會發現自己更有能力作出明智的判斷，並且能夠以一顆平靜而尊重的心去回應世界。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

中西醫協作與藥物相沖

醫管局去年四月起分階段向四間公立醫院的呼吸康復科病人，提供中西醫協作治療服務。截至今年三月底，最先推出計劃的靈實醫院共一百二十名病人參與，獲邀病人當中，約三成病人接受中醫治療。醫管局總行政經理(中醫)黃巧雲稱，連同另外五個協作計劃，包括三個已常規化項目，合共於六十五個服務點提供中西醫協作計劃。

news.mingpao.com

醫管局強調由中西醫專家、藥理學專家及毒理學家等組成的專家小組，會檢視臨床方案內的中藥安全應用，並就中西藥相互作用等方面，制訂臨床指引，給予中西醫團隊參考，確保中西藥不會相沖。

news.rthk.hk

含有人參的中藥可能會增強降血壓藥的效果，而甘草可能會降低某些降血壓藥的療效。滋補類中藥可能影響抗凝血藥的效果，增加出血風險。某些抗生素與滋補類中藥可能加重肝臟負擔。

在同時服用中藥和西藥之前，務必諮詢專業的中西醫師，確保不會產生不良反應。有些中藥和西藥最好分開服用時間，以減少相互影響，例如飯前服用中藥，飯後服用西藥。

Microsoft Copilot

Take a Break

Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

intrigued: very interested in something/somebody and wanting to know more about it/them

exhaustive: including everything possible; very careful or complete

implore: to ask somebody to do something in an anxious way because you want or need it very much

cautionary: giving advice or a warning

renowned: famous and respected

Lend-Lease Act: Passed on March 11, 1941, this act set up a system that would allow the United States to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "vital to the defense of the United States."

wrestling: a sport in which two people fight by holding each other and trying to throw or force their opponent to the ground

    Burnout is increasing. Loneliness is increasing. The amount of time people spend on screens is increasing.

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

en.wikipedia.org

www.archives.gov

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

居屋補地價

居屋補地價是指在香港政府推出的居屋計劃中，購房者在以優惠價格購得政府資助的房屋時，需要額外繳付的一筆費用，用以補償土地由最初優惠轉為市場價值後產生的差額。

簡單來說，政府以較低的「土地出讓價」或優惠方式提供土地，從而降低居屋的售價，令中低收入家庭負擔得起住房。然而，隨著市場環境和土地價值不斷上升，原本的優惠價格與實際市場價值之間會出現落差。為了平衡這種落差，確保公共土地資源得到合理補償，同時避免房地產市場因過度優惠而引起炒作，政府要求購房者在購買居屋時需繳付一筆額外費用，即居屋補地價。

具體而言，居屋補地價的計算主要根據當前土地或房屋的市場價值與政府當初讓步價格之間的差距，以及按一定比例核定。這筆補充費用能夠在一定程度上反映市場變化，防止居屋購得後短期內迅速升值套利，同時也幫助政府收回部分優惠政策所減免的土地價值損失。

這種機制不僅是房屋政策的補充調節手段，也是香港土地政策的一部分，旨在平衡社會福利與市場公平。

Summarized from Microsoft Copilot

逆滲透海水化淡

將軍澳海水化淡廠工程項目是香港政府（由水務署主導）打造的一項先進基建工程，目的是利用逆滲透技術將海水轉化為符合飲用標準的淡水，以分散對傳統淡水來源的依賴，從而提升城市供水的彈性與長遠穩定性。

這項工程採用逆滲透海水化淡技術，其流程通常包括三大步驟：首先經前處理去除海中懸浮物及污染物；接著利用高壓將預處理後的海水推送通過具極微孔徑的逆滲透膜，實現水與鹽分的分離；最後再進行後處理和消毒過程，確保出水完全符合飲用水質標準。這種技術不僅成熟穩定，同時也是全球水資源管理中的先進方法之一。

在規模和產能方面，該項目分階段實施。首期工程設計的每日供水量約為十三萬五千立方米，且預留有擴建空間，未來有望將最終產能提升至每日二十七萬立方米。這樣的產能安排能夠在常規運作下穩定供水，同時也作為應急時期的後備水源，使香港在面對氣候變化或供水挑戰時更具韌性。

此外，工程在設計和實施過程中也強調節能與環保。例如在能源回收、廢鹽處理等方面均採取先進技術，期望降低整體能耗，同時盡量減少對環境的影響。這不僅符合香港追求永續發展的戰略方向，也為其他沿海城市在海水化淡應用方面提供了寶貴的經驗與參考。

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Type Casting Example

Changing the integer 9 to the floating-point number 9.0 (a double) is necessary to ensure that the division operation results in a floating-point division rather than an integer division. When you divide two integers, C++ performs integer division, which truncates the decimal part and results in an integer. By using 9.0, you ensure that the division is performed as a floating-point operation, giving you a more accurate result. This is important for calculations like converting Fahrenheit to Celsius, where precision is key.

種豆得豆

endowment: a quality or an ability that you are born with

conscience: the part of your mind that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong

delicate: easily damaged or broken

stifle: to prevent something from happening; to prevent a feeling from being expressed

mistake: ​to not understand or judge somebody/something correctly

congruence: agreement with something; the state of being similar to something and not in conflict with it

disparity: ​a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment

sinew: a strong band of tissue in the body that joins a muscle to a bone

​feast (on something): to eat a large amount of food with great pleasure

noble: having or showing fine personal qualities that people admire, such as courage, honesty and care for others

obscene: ​connected with sex in a way that most people find offensive

divine: coming from or connected with God or a god

falsehood: the state of not being true; the act of telling a lie

forfeit: to lose something or have something taken away from you because you have done something wrong

grovel: to move along the ground on your hands and knees

    There is no shortcut in developing conscience. The law of the harvest governs; we will always reap what we sow - no more, no less. The law of justice is immutable, and the closer we align ourselves with correct principles, the better our judgement will be about how the world operates and the more accurate our paradigms - our maps of the territory - will be.

    良知的培養是一個循序漸進的過程，沒有捷徑可走。我們的行為會產生相應的結果，就像農夫播種後，最終收穫自己種下的作物一樣——多寡、品質皆由自身努力決定。

    作者討論了「正確的原則」對於個人成長和成功的重要性。他認為世界運行的方式遵循公平不變的法則，人們越能遵循正確的原則，就越能培養良好的判斷力，理解世界的運作方式，並建立更準確的思維模式。這些思維模式決定了我們如何看待世界，以及如何在生活中做出選擇。

    我們要紮根於正確的價值觀，耐心耕耘，才能真正塑造良知與智慧。這種成長並非一蹴而就，而是持續學習、實踐和反思的過程。此書強調的核心理念之一：真正的成功來自內在的改變與正確的習慣，而非速成的技巧或僥倖。

reap: DJ[ri:p] to cut and collect a crop, especially wheat, from a field

sow: to plant or spread seeds in or on the ground

immutable: ​that cannot be changed; that will never change

diligence: careful work or great effort

deceive: to make somebody believe something that is not true

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Hong Kong Newt

紀錄片《一生螈命》網上公映好評如潮

導演馮漢城感謝五百二十名響應眾籌者

一年前，生態攝影師、影片製作人馮漢城舉辦了《一生螈命——生態影像藝術展》；一年後，同樣是四月，香港瘰螈路殺高峰期，他將曾於展覽展出、奪多個自然界攝影大獎的紀錄片放到YouTube，讓公眾免費觀看。紀錄片公映短短數周，好評如潮，近百人留言，感謝馮漢城與團隊的用心，讓香港人認識這個被忽視的近危物種的生命。馮漢城說，若非一年多前有五百二十人願意參與眾籌計劃，這一切都不會發生，十分感激眾捐款者以及一直關注此議題的公眾。

明周文化

Distance of sound wave propagation

Sound waves with lower frequencies tend to travel longer distances primarily because of their longer wavelengths. Here is a deeper dive into why this is the case:

1. Wavelength and diffraction:

Lower frequency sound waves have longer wavelengths. When a wave encounters obstacles such as buildings, trees, or even variations in atmospheric conditions, a longer wavelength can bend or diffract around these obstacles more easily. This means that low-frequency sounds are less likely to be blocked or scattered, allowing them to travel further without being significantly disrupted.

2. Atmospheric absorption:

The medium through which sound travels - typically air - absorbs sound energy as it propagates. This absorption tends to increase with frequency; higher frequency waves, which oscillate much more rapidly, interact more intensely with air molecules, converting more of their energy into heat. Lower frequency waves, on the other hand, experience less energy loss per cycle due to these interactions. The lower the frequency, the less the absorption, and the further the sound can propagate before it becomes too weak.

3. Scattering and energy loss

Real world examples:

    Animal communication: Elephants and whales, for instance, make extensive use of low-frequency sounds (even infrasound) to communicate over vast distances. Their calls can travel for kilometers, making them ideal for long-range communication.

    Engineering and communication: In underwater communication and certain military applications, extremely low frequencies are exploited because these waves penetrate water or obstacles better than higher frequencies.

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Relationship between plants and fungi

Over millions of years, plants and fungi have co-evolved to form interactions that both mutually beneficial and, in some cases, antagonistic. One of the most well-known examples is the formation of mycorrhizae-specialized associations where fungi colonize plant roots. In these relationships, the fungi extend their hyphal networks deep into the soil, vastly increasing the surface area for water and nutrient absorption. In return, the plant supplies the fungi with carbohydrates produced during photosynthesis. The mutual exchange not only bolsters (enhances) plant nutrition - especially the uptake of essential, but often scarce, minerals like phosphorus - but also enhances the overall resilience of the ecosystem.

While many fungi contribute positively to plant growth, not every fungal interaction is beneficial. Some fungi are pathogenic. The balance between mutualism and pathogenicity in fungal-plant interactions is complex and influenced by various factors, including environmental conditions, soil composition, and the presence of other microorganisms.

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

static_cast

explicit: clear and easy to understand, so that you have no doubt what is meant

In C++, float is a data type used to store floating-point numbers, which are numbers that have a decimal point. It is a single-precision type, meaning it typically occupies 4 bytes of memory and provides about 7 decimal digits of precision.

parentheses: DJ[pəˋrenθisi:z]

In C++, an expression is a combination of variables, constants, operators, and function calls that evaluates to a single value. Expressions are fundamental to programming, as they allow computations and logical operations.

implicit: suggested without being directly expressed

In C++, int32_t is a fixed-width integer type that guarantees a size of exactly 32 bits. It is defined in the <cstdint> header and ensures portability across different platforms.

In C++, uint32_t is an unsigned 32-bit integer type that guarantees a size of exactly 32 bits. It is defined in the <cstdint> header and ensures portability across different platforms.

Unsigned: Can store only non-negative values

An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a software application that provides comprehensive tools for coding, debugging, and compiling programs. It streamlines development by offering features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and integrated debugging.

In C++, a double constant refers to a floating-point constant that is stored as a double type. By default, any floating-point literal without a suffix is treated as a double.

Microsoft Copilot

牽一髮動全身

sequential: following in order of time or place

Quadrant II: not urgent but important

conscience: the part of your mind that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong

    The more proactive you are, the more effectively you can exercise personal leadership and management in your life. The more effectively you manage your life, the more Quadrant II (not urgent but important) renewing activities you can do. The more you seek first to understand, the more effectively you can do for synergetic Win/Win solutions. The more you improve in any of the habits that lead to independence, the more effective you will be in interdependent situations. And renewal is the process of renewing all the habits.

作者闡述了個人成長和持續更新的重要性，並強調各種習慣如何互相影響與促進整體效能。

首先，積極主動是基礎。當你主動掌握自己的生活時，你就能更有效地行使個人領導和管理。這種主動權能讓你更有計劃地安排時間和資源，而不是被外在情況所左右。正因為你能夠自主管理，便有餘裕去從事那些「不緊急但非常重要」的活動，它們能幫助你進行自我再增值與成長。

其次，「先求理解，再求被理解」的原則強調了良好溝通的重要性。當你學會耐心傾聽，真正理解別人的觀點時，你就更能夠找到雙贏的解決方案。這不僅促進了彼此間的協同效應，也讓合作變得更加順暢和高效。

此外，只要你不斷提升自己的獨立自主能力，在與他人互相合作時，你就能表現得更好。這意味著，個人的獨立成長是合作與共贏的基石；建立堅實的自我基礎後，你更能在團隊或合作環境中發揮領導力與影響力。

最後，「再生」或「持續更新」則是將所有這些習慣整合起來，使你能夠不斷地提升自我。一個人如果能夠定期進行身、心、智、靈四方面的更新，就能在面對生活與工作中各種挑戰時保持高度的效能與韌性。從積極主動到尋求理解，再到促進自立與互依，每個習慣都是相輔相成的，最終讓我們達到一種持續成長和再生的狀態，這正是書中所強調的核心理念。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

長遠發展的不二法門

rivalry: a state in which two people, companies, etc. are competing for the same thing

politicking: political activity, especially to win support for yourself

mastermind: to plan and direct a complicated project or activity

    The writer has found that the only thrust of some organizations is to make money...We cannot live without eating, but we do not live to eat.

    如果組織只專注於金錢利益，就可能忽略其他極為重要的面向，例如員工的發展、創新、社會責任及長期可持續發展等。而我們個人層面則表達了相似的道理：雖然進食是維持生命的基本需求，但生活的意義絕非僅僅依賴於生理需求的滿足。若僅僅是「為了吃飯而活」，那就缺乏精神、情感、知識與靈性的豐富，而這正是《高效能人士的七個習慣》所提醒我們必須平衡照顧的四個面向──身體、心靈、思維與精神。

gauge: an instrument for measuring the amount or level of something

benevolent: kind, helpful and generous

autocracy: a system of government of a country in which one person has complete power

adversarial: involving people who are in opposition and who argue against each other

hallmark: ​a feature or quality that is typical of somebody/something

ascendancy: the position of having power or influence over somebody/something

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

Backorder

在商業和零售領域，Backorder指的是當某商品目前缺貨時，顧客仍然可以下訂這件商品，並等待商品補貨後再進行配送。簡單來說，當庫存不足以即時供應時，商家會接受預訂，待商品重新進貨後按照順序配送給訂購者。

如果供應商庫存不足、部分商品需要Backorder，通常我司可以考慮分開兩筆交易：對於即時供貨的部分，按時付款並開票；對於Backorder的部分，則待商品實際補出後再進行單獨的開票和付款。這樣既保障了供應商的利益，也有利於我司的資金管理。

問︰當Backorder的貨品補發時，一般來說供應商會否通知我司？還是供應商會直接發貨？譬如供應商隔了很久才發貨，我司已經不需要，這樣我司便會有損失。

供應商在補發backorder貨品前通常會提前通知貴司，確認訂單仍然有效。這個通知可以透過電子郵件、訂單管理系統或專門的溝通渠道進行。提前通知讓貴司有時間評估當前需求，如果貨品補發時已不需要，可進行取消或其它調整，從而避免不必要的庫存積壓與潛在損失。

如果合同中未明確要求供應商在發貨前先通知，那供應商可能會直接發貨。

總結來說，為防範因延遲發貨而帶來的損失，最好在合作協議中約定明確的通知和確認程序。如果現有條款不夠明確，建議與供應商討論並增訂相關條款，確保雙方利益。

Microsoft Copilot and Edited

struct in C++

Basic Syntax Rules

- Case Sensitivity – C++ is case-sensitive, meaning Variable and variable are different identifiers.

- Semicolons (;) – Statements must end with a semicolon.

- Curly Braces ({}) – Used to define blocks of code, like functions or loops.

- Header Files (#include) – Used to include standard or user-defined libraries at the beginning of a program.

- Main Function (main()) – Every C++ program must have a main() function, which serves as the entry point.

In C++, std::string name; declares a variable named name of type std::string. This means name can store a sequence of characters, effectively functioning as a string.

In C++, a struct (short for structure) is a user-defined data type that groups together multiple variables of different types under a single name. It's similar to a class, but by default, its members are public instead of private.

Microsoft Copilot

Influence others

affirm: to state clearly that something is true

absolve: to state formally that somebody is not guilty or responsible for something

poet: a person who writes poems

virtue: behavior or attitudes that show high moral standards

overpower: to defeat or gain control over somebody completely by using greater strength

dismay: a worried, sad feeling after you have received an unpleasant surprise

revert to: to return to the original owner again

deathbed: ​the bed in which somebody is dying or dies

prophecy: a statement that something will happen in the future, especially one made by somebody with religious or magic powers

    Goethe taught, "Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be."

    如果你只把一個人當作他現有的樣子看待，他就會一直停留在那個狀態；反之，如果你相信並看見他能夠變成更好、更理想的樣子，對他予以鼓勵和支持，他就會朝著那個方向成長。

    作者強調期望與認知的重要性。當我們只根據一個人的現狀來評價他時，就無法激發他的潛力；而當我們看到並相信一個人具有更大的可能性，並用那份信心來對待他時，那個人也會被引導去實現自己的潛能，從而達到更好的狀態。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

Unconditional Dedication

jugular: DJ[ˋdʒʌgjulə] the most vital or vulnerable part of something

authentically: in a way that is true and accurate

transcend: to be or go beyond the usual limits of something

monumental: very important and having a great influence, especially as the result of years of work

thy: a word meaning ‘your’, used when talking to only one person

mighty: very strong and powerful

feverish: showing strong feelings of excitement or worry, often with a lot of activity or quick movements

clod: a small piece of earth or mud

ailment: an illness that is not very serious

grievance: DJ[ˋgri:vəns] something that you think is unfair and that you complain or protest about; a feeling that you have been badly treated

devote yourself to: to give most of your time, energy, attention, etc. to somebody/something

rejoice: to express great happiness about something

    N. Eldon Tanner has said, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." And there are so many ways to serve. Whether or not we belong to a church or service organization or have a job that provides meaningful service opportunities, not a day goes by that we can't at least serve one other human being by making deposits of unconditional love.

    這段文字在告訴我們，服務他人不僅僅是一個選擇，而是一種我們作為人類在這個世界上生活必須履行的責任，就像我們支付房租來享受居住權一樣。無論我們是否屬於某個教會或服務組織，或者擁有一份可以帶來意義的工作，我們每天都有機會通過付出無條件的愛來幫助至少一個人。這裡的意思是強調，不論我們的行動大小，每一點善意都是珍貴而有意義的。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot

公道杯

在傳統茶具中，公道杯扮演了調和茶湯、確保分杯公平的重要角色。當茶葉在茶壺中浸泡時，由於局部溫度和濃度的差異，茶湯的風味往往存在微妙變化，直接分杯可能會導致每位品茶者所品嚐到的茶湯風味有所不同。公道杯正是在這種背景下應運而生：先將茶壺內的茶湯倒入公道杯中，並進行充分攪拌，使茶湯達到均衡狀態，然後再分倒到各人的茶杯裡，保證每一杯茶都擁有一致的濃度和口感，這既是對茶藝的講究，也是對客人公平與尊重的體現。

Microsoft Copilot

Enumerations

In C++, an enum (short for enumeration) is a user-defined data type that consists of a set of named integral constants. It is often used to make code more readable and maintainable by giving meaningful names to constant values.

In C++, enum class (also known as scoped enumeration) is an improved version of the traditional enum. It provides better type safety and avoids name conflicts by keeping the enumerators scoped within the enum class.

sparingly: in a way that is careful to use or give only a little of something

squiggle: a line, for example in somebody’s handwriting, that is drawn or written in a careless way with curves and waves in it

Scoped Enumerators: The enumerators are confined to the scope of the enum, so you must qualify them with the enum name (e.g., Color::Red).

Microsoft Copilot

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

活在當下

subject to: to make somebody/something experience, suffer or be affected by something, usually something unpleasant

subtle: not very obvious or easy to notice

imperceptible: very small and therefore unable to be seen or felt

Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities.

grateful: feeling or showing thanks because somebody has done something kind for you or has done as you asked

hone: to develop and improve something, especially a skill, over a period of time

commend: to recommend somebody/something to somebody

wrestle: to fight somebody by holding them and trying to throw or force them to the ground, sometimes as a sport

temptation: the desire to do or have something that you know is bad or wrong

tremble: to shake in a way that you cannot control, especially because you are very nervous, excited, frightened, etc.

miserably: ​in a way that makes you feel very unhappy or uncomfortable

conquer: to succeed in dealing with or controlling something

    Some day, in the years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now... Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process.

    未來的某一天，你可能會遇上重大的誘惑或極大的悲痛。然而，真正的考驗並不只存在於將來，而是在當下就已經開始了。也就是說，現在你的每一個選擇、每一個決定，都在鋪墊著未來你是會在極度悲傷或誘惑面前慘遭失敗，還是能夠榮耀地戰勝困境。

    個人的品格並不是憑空而成，而是在每天面對種種挑戰和抉擇時，不斷努力、持續奮鬥中逐漸鍛造出來的。每個看似平凡的現在，其實都在形成你未來的自己。

    我們不要等到重大考驗來臨時才行動，而應該從此刻開始，認真對待生活中的每一次試煉，用堅韌不拔的努力來塑造堅強的人格。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Explained by Microsoft Copilot and edited

核心理念

Begin With the End in Mind means to look out across the coming hours, days, weeks, months, and years with a clear vision of your desired destination—and then to proactively pursue that future.

pursue: to do something or try to achieve something over a period of time

supremely: extremely

uplift: to make somebody feel happier or give somebody more hope

timeless: existing or continuing forever

humanity: people in general

prayerful: involving the act of praying

scriptures: the holy books of a particular religion

bequeath: leave

discord: a combination of musical notes that do not sound pleasant together

unflappable: able to stay calm in a difficult situation

for a time: 曾經

stale: no longer fresh; smelling unpleasant

wane: to become gradually weaker or less important

therein: in the place, object, document, etc. mentioned

inexorable: ​(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed

Zen: ​a Japanese form of Buddhism

serenity: the quality of being calm and peaceful

recommit: to entrust or consign again

inwardly: in your mind; secretly

    The writer believes that a personal statement is very important. If we have a deep understanding of our center and our purpose, we can review and recommit to it frequently. In our daily spiritual renewal, we can visualize and "live out" the events of the day in harmony with those values.

    作者認為個人目標闡述非常重要。如果我們能夠深入了解自己的核心和志向，就能經常回顧並重新堅守致力於它。在日常心靈更新中，我們可以將一天中的經歷具象化，並依據這些價值觀去實踐生活。

    上文主要強調個人宣言或自我承諾的重要性。意思是說，當我們能夠清楚認識自己內心的核心價值和真正的目標時，就會更有能力定期反思與重新確認自己的方向和信念。在日常生活中，我們可以透過「心靈更新」來做到這一點，也就是將每天所經歷的事情具體化，並根據這些核心價值來引導我們的行為和選擇，以確保我們的生活始終和這些理念保持一致。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com

Translated and explained by Microsoft Copilot and edited

內臟外的脂肪

    Adipose tissue is a type of loose connective tissue made up primarily of fat-storing cells called adipocytes. One of its key functions is to protect internal organs by acting as a natural cushion. This cushioning effect helps absorb mechanical shock and reduces the risk of injuries caused by impacts or sudden movements. Essentially, the soft, malleable (有延展性的) structure of adipose tissue provides a buffer, safeguarding delicate organs like the heart, kidneys, and liver against external forces.

    Adipose tissue is found in various locations throughout the body. It exists both as subcutaneous fat beneath the skin and as visceral fat surrounding internal organs. The visceral fat directly enveloping the organs is especially important for cushioning and insulation, illustrating how the body adapts its fat distribution to protect vital structures from physical harm.

Microsoft Copilot and Summarized

香港地形與海嘯機率

    香港的沿海地形確實具備一定的自然屏障效應，但這種防護效果並非萬無一失，也不意味可以完全抵擋海嘯的侵襲。

    首先，由於香港位處較深的水域邊緣，海底的地形與地質結構有助於使來自遠洋的海嘯波浪在接近陸地前逐漸被折射、反射和衰減。加上菲律賓群島、臺灣等地的天然屏障，原本可能發生在深太平洋的海嘯能量往往在到達香港前已大幅削弱，這在歷史記錄與天文台的觀測中也顯示出香港受到直接強烈海嘯衝擊的機率較低。

    然而，這並不代表香港完全免於海嘯風險。若發生極端事件，例如鄰近海域內發生大規模地震或海底滑坡，生成的海嘯仍可能帶來局部或有限範圍的海水暴漲。正因如此，香港天文台持續對海平面進行精密監測，並在必要時迅速發出海嘯警告，以便市民和相關部門做好防災及應變工作。

Microsoft Copilot and Edited

Type aliases

In C++, type aliases are a way to give a new name to an existing type, improving readability and reducing redundancy in code. They can be created using either the typedef keyword (older syntax) or the using keyword (modern syntax introduced with C++11).

unsigned int is a data type in C++ used to represent non-negative integer values. 

versatile: able to do many different things

intimidating: frightening in a way that makes a person feel less confident

In C++, a pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Pointers are a powerful feature that allows you to work directly with memory, enabling dynamic memory allocation, function arguments by reference, and more. However, they should be used carefully, as improper use can lead to bugs like segmentation faults or memory leaks.

Microsoft Copilot

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Moderate exercise at the weekend

inordinate: far more than is usual or expected

racquetball: a game played especially in the US by two or four players on a court with four walls, using rackets and a small hollow rubber ball

skiing: the sport or activity of moving over snow on skis

dissipate: to gradually become or make something become weaker until it disappears

stiff: difficult to bend or move

calisthenics: physical exercises intended to develop a strong and attractive body

pull-up: an exercise in which you hold onto a high bar above your head and pull yourself up towards it

athlete: DJ[ˋæθli:t]

    Ask anyone who does exercise consistently. Little by little, your resting pulse rate will go down as your heart and oxygen processing system becomes more efficient. As you increase your body's ability to do more demanding things, you will find your normal activities much more comfortable and pleasant. You will have more afternoon energy, and the fatigue you have felt that's made you "too tired" to exercise in the past will be replaced by an energy that will invigorate everything you do.

    問問任何一位持之以恆運動的人，有關經常運動對他們的影響。漸漸地，當你的心臟和氧氣運作系統變得更加高效，你的靜止心率就會逐步下降。隨著你提升身體承受更高強度活動的能力，日常生活會變得更加輕鬆愉快。你在下午會感到更多精力，而曾經讓你覺得「太累」而無法運動的疲勞，也會被充沛的活力所取代，讓你每一項活動都充滿動力。

invigorate: to make somebody feel healthy and full of energy

Be proactive is about taking responsibility for our lives. This is the first habit because every other habit depends on our ability to act proactively rather than reactively—to make things happen rather than waiting for them to happen.

profoundly: ​in a way that has a very great effect on somebody/something

    Consistent exercise enhances our oxygen processing system through a series of remarkable adaptations that occur in our cardiovascular, respiratory, and even cellular systems.

Cardiovascular adaptations

When you regularly engage in aerobic activities like running, cycling, or swimming, your heart becomes a more efficient pump. Over time, its muscle fibers strengthen, leading to an increased stroke volume --- meaning your heart can eject more blood with each beat. With a more efficient heart, oxygen-rich blood is delivered more effectively to the muscles and organs that need it. This process is reflected in an improved VO2 max (the measure of how much oxygen your body can utilize during exercise), which is a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness.

Respiratory adaptations

Your lungs and respiratory muscles (like the diaphragm and intercostals) also benefit from consistent exercise. Although the physical size of your lungs may not change dramatically in healthy adults, the efficiency of oxygen exchange in the alveoli improves. Respiratory muscles become stronger, helping you breathe more deeply and effectively. This enhanced ventilation ensures that the oxygen you inhale is better transferred into your bloodstream, where it can be distributed to the tissues that need it most.

Cellular and metabolic adaptations

Beyond the heart and lungs, regular exercise triggers adaptations at the cellular level. One of the most significant changes is the increased number of mitochondria in your muscle cells. These mitochondria become more adapt at using oxygen to produce adenosine triphosphate, Additionally, exercise promotes the development of a denser network of capillaries within muscle tissues, ensuring that oxygen is delivered promptly and efficiently. Increased levels of myoglobin, a muscle protein that stores oxygen, also contribute to these improvements by facilitating oxygen transport within the muscle cells.

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Translated and explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited

明報社評

穩住並加強越南柬埔寨關係 協助減少出口過分依賴美國

    國家主席習近平昨天開始訪問越南、柬埔寨和馬來西亞，雖然這是預先計劃的行程，但在美國發動關稅戰的情況下，穩住周邊國家關係，更添另一層意義。東盟諸國承接中國加工業外溢的格局，是市場驅動使然，不能因為美國採取手段箝制這些國家的出口，而使這個對中國和東盟互惠互利的格局受到損害，中國應該帶動這些東盟國家，將出口向其他市場轉移，既能協助東盟國家擺脫對美國市場的過分依賴，也可鞏固中國與這些周邊國家的關係向縱深發展。

終生學習的價值

tempt: to attract somebody or make somebody want to do or have something, even if they know it is wrong

feverishly: in a way that shows strong feelings of excitement or worry, often with a lot of activity or quick movements

beat: very tired

PC: production capacity

preserve: to keep a particular quality, feature, etc.; to make sure that something is kept

explicitly: clearly or directly, so that the meaning is easy to understand

implicitly: ​in a way that is suggested without being directly expressed

guru: a Hindu or Sikh religious teacher or leader

    This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life --- investment in ourselves, in the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

    我們一生中最強大的投資——投資在我們自己身上，因為這是我們唯一擁有的工具，可用來應對人生挑戰並作出貢獻。我們正是自身表現的工具；要發揮最佳效能，就必須定期在身體、心智、社交與靈性上磨練自己。

    投資在自我成長是我們一生中最有力的投資。它指出，我們自身——包括身體、心智、社交網絡以及內在靈性——是應對各種人生挑戰並創造價值的唯一工具。只有不斷地提升這四個維度，我們才能不斷進步，發揮最大的效能，從而更好地面對生活並貢獻社會。

Stephen R. Covey "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Translated and explained by Microsoft Copilot and Edited