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ecNews The ELC Newsletter Phases of the Moon This is the first ELC Newsletter of the 2003/2004 academic year. Welcome to all year one students and welcome back to all other students. The ELC has said goodbye to several staff, including Thomas, who was the editor of the Newsletter. Now we have a new team of editors and the message from them is please write something for the newsletter . You can write an article, a poem, anything that you think your fellow students would like to read. Send it to us at [email protected] The main topic of this issue is the Moon. We have an article, a poem, some vocabulary and some facts about the Moon for you. Why did we choose the Moon? Well, because of the Mid-Autumn Festival recently, when we all enjoyed looking at the lanterns, eating moon cakes and seeing the full moon. New Moon - The Moon’s unilluminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon is not visible. Waxing Crescent - ‘Crescent’ describes the Moon’s shape, and ‘Waxing’ means that the crescent is getting larger. First Quarter - One-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is increasing. Called ‘quarter’ because it is one quarter of the way through the month. Full Moon - The Moon’s illuminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon appears to be completely illuminated by direct sunlight. Last Quarter - One-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is decreasing. Waning Crescent - The Moon appears to be partly, but less than one-half illuminated by direct sunlight. ‘Waning’ means that the crescent is getting smaller. Moon Festivals It is easy to forget, in our modern, hi-tech environment, where our cultures have their roots. Once we realise that many festivals around the world are connected to the Moon, we might learn how similar we are. Many traditions from different cultures are related to, or determined by, the Moon or the cycles of the Moon. Most people are aware that Chinese festivals are based on the cycles of the Moon, the Lunar New Year being the most well known. Less obviously, however, festivals in other cultures are also linked to the cycles of the Moon. The commercialisation of our festivals has made this less easy to identify. In many cultures, the first moon in the spring of each year traditionally signifies new beginnings. Christians celebrate Easter, a festival in the western calendar that still follows the lunar cycle and which falls on the first Sunday after the first moon of spring. The same moon is used to determine the end of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar, in which, as with Christians during Lent, Muslims fast. Hindus celebrate this moon with a large bonfire to celebrate the victory of good over evil. In England the last full moon of the year was traditionally celebrated by harvesting the last fruit and seeds to symbolise the death of summer. A festival was held to respect the dead and remember their souls. This festival remains in some cultures in the West as Halloween and the Harvest Festival. Interestingly, this moon is the ninth moon in the Chinese calendar, the ninth day of which is known as the ‘Double-Nine Festival’ [ ], when some Chinese worship their ancestors. http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/ecNews Vol. 8.1 October 2003
Transcript of ecNews - elc.polyu.edu.hk · the restaurant is very quiet or boring. The atmosphere of the Earth...
ecNewsThe ELC Newsletter
Phases of the Moon
This is the first ELC Newsletter of the 2003/2004 academic year. Welcome to all year one students andwelcome back to all other students. The ELC has said goodbye to several staff, including Thomas, whowas the editor of the Newsletter. Now we have a new team of editors and the message from them isplease write something for the newsletter. You can write an article, a poem, anything that you thinkyour fellow students would like to read. Send it to us at [email protected]
The main topic of this issue is the Moon. We have an article, a poem, some vocabulary and some factsabout the Moon for you. Why did we choose the Moon? Well, because of the Mid-Autumn Festivalrecently, when we all enjoyed looking at the lanterns, eating moon cakes and seeing the full moon.
New Moon - The Moon ’sunilluminated side is facing the Earth.The Moon is not visible.
Waxing Crescent - ‘Crescent’describes the Moon’s shape, and‘Waxing’ means that the crescent isgetting larger.
First Quarter - One-half of the Moonappears to be illuminated by directsunlight. The fraction of the Moon’sdisk that is illuminated is increasing.Called ‘quarter’ because it is onequarter of the way through the month.
Full Moon - The Moon’s illuminatedside is facing the Earth. The Moonappears to be completely illuminatedby direct sunlight.
Last Quarter - One-half of the Moonappears to be illuminated by directsunlight. The fraction of the Moon’sdisk that is illuminated is decreasing.
Waning Crescent - The Moonappears to be partly, but less thanone-half illuminated by direct sunlight.‘Waning’ means that the crescent isgetting smaller.
Moon Festivals
It is easy to forget, in our modern, hi-techenvironment, where our cultures have their roots.Once we realise that many festivals around theworld are connected to the Moon, we might learnhow similar we are. Many traditions from differentcultures are related to, or determined by, the Moonor the cycles of the Moon.
Most people are aware that Chinese festivals arebased on the cycles of the Moon, the Lunar NewYear being the most well known. Less obviously,however, festivals in other cultures are also linkedto the cycles of the Moon. The commercialisationof our festivals has made this less easy to identify.
In many cultures, the first moon in the spring ofeach year traditionally signifies new beginnings.Christians celebrate Easter, a festival in the westerncalendar that still follows the lunar cycle and whichfalls on the first Sunday after the first moon ofspring. The same moon is used to determine theend of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar, in which,as with Christians during Lent, Muslims fast. Hinduscelebrate this moon with a large bonfire to celebratethe victory of good over evil.
In England the last full moon of the year wastraditionally celebrated by harvesting the last fruitand seeds to symbolise the death of summer. Afestival was held to respect the dead and remembertheir souls. This festival remains in some culturesin the West as Halloween and the Harvest Festival.Interestingly, this moon is the ninth moon in theChinese calendar, the ninth day of which is knownas the ‘Double-Nine Festival’ [ ], whensome Chinese worship their ancestors.
http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/ecNewsVol. 8.1 October 2003
Although by celebrating our individual festivals, weemphasise the uniqueness of our culture, (Western,Chinese, Indian or Middle Eastern) or our religion(Christian, Muslim or Buddhist), many of our festivalshave their roots in the cycles of the Moon; andthereby demonstrate the similarities between us.
The Moon also has a physical effect on the Earth.One of the main influences of the Moon is on thetides of our oceans. The ocean rises and falls dueto the gravitational pull of the Moon. Even early
man observed that the cycle of the tides wasconnected to the cycle of the Moon, with particularlygreat differences between high and low tidesoccurring during the new moon and full moon phasesof the lunar cycle.
Given these influences, it is no surprise that themoon has given us some interesting vocabulary.Some common expressions are ‘once in a bluemoon’, meaning very rarely; ‘many moons ago’,meaning a long time ago; ‘over the moon’, meaningvery happy. The Moon is also traditionally associatedwith madness, which gives us words like‘moonstruck’, meaning slightly mad, distracted ordreamy, and ‘lunatic’, a crazy person. Then thereis ‘moonshine’, which is illegally made alcohol (socalled because in the U.S. it was made outside inthe country, just using the moon for light).
The influence is not only restricted to the Englishlanguage. The Chinese word, perhaps appropriately,for moon and month, are the same character andword [ ] yuht. Similarly, the English word ‘month’comes from the old English word for moon, mona,as does Monday. The French word for Monday,Lundi comes from the Latin word luna also meaningmoon. This Latin word also gives English theadjective ‘lunar’ meaning ‘of the moon’.
Helen
Helen is from Hong Kong.Before coming to the ELC sheworked as a secondaryschool teacher in Kwun Tong.She wanted a change ofenvironment and heard thatPolyU students were seriousand hard-working. Helen likes
New ELC staff
This year the ELC welcomes five new staff. Herewe introduce two of them for you.
Sandip
Sandip was born in India, butthen lived in Burundi in Africauntil he was seven. After thathe grew up in Montreal,Canada. He started teachingEnglish there and thencontinued teaching in Japan.Before coming to the ELC hewas a NET scheme teacher in a secondaryschool in Yuen Long. Sandip likes reading andlistening to music. His favourite kind of musicis Blues. When we asked Sandip about Indianfestivals based on the Moon he said “I’ll haveto ask my Mother”.
going to the gym, reading and diving. Whenwe asked her for a comment about the Moon,she said she prefers the sun and the sea.
My Frozen MoonBy Carina Ng
Tender breeze slides through my shivering hair.I embrace you and kiss you through the misty air.
Until when will you dare shareYour secret care?
We skipped and danced and bouncedWe saw History hang around.
We know not our present, we know not our pastFor we are too old, for we are too young.
We cried for the Sun, we cried for our eyesFor we could never reach the sparkling Star.
Then aloofness seduced our pure soul,Splitting us from our enchanting whole,
You in the groundless and I on the skyless,To love the Star with our greatest indifference.
Dawdling within the shadows of the elder treeI encounter your partial latent glee
Your dimmy reflections shine on meI know I will never be apart from thee.
Moon vocabulary quiz
Match the words and phrases with their definitions
Moon jokes
1 The monster from outer space decidedto go on a trip around the universe, sohe went to the rocket office to book a ticket to the Moon. “Sorry, Sir”, said theattendant, “the Moon is full at the moment.”
2 A: Did you hear about the restaurant on the Moon?B: What’s it like?A: Great food but no atmosphere.
3 A: What kind of insects do you find on the Moon?B: Lunar ticks.
We know it’s difficult to understand jokes in aforeign language, and British humour is strangeto anyone who is not British (that’s what theAmericans say).
Here are some explanations:
1 This is a play on the word ‘full’ – ‘a fullrestaurant’ means there are no places,‘a full moon’ is a phase of the Moon.
2 This is a play on the word ‘atmosphere’.The atmosphere in a restaurant meansthe environment or the feeling of a restaurant. So, ‘no atmosphere’ meansthe restaurant is very quiet or boring. The atmosphere of the Earth means theair around it. The Moon has no atmosphere.
3 This is the same pronunciation. A tick is a kind of insect (often found on dogs).
A lunar tick is therefore a tick found onthe Moon. This is pronounced the sameas ‘lunatic’.
Moon facts and trivia
Other planets also have moons. The largest moon in the Solar System is Jupiter’s moonGanymede.
The first man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969.
Light from the Moon takes a second and a half to reach Earth.
We always see the same half of the Moon because it is rotating at exactly the same rate as itis moving around the Earth. The side we don’t see is called ‘the far side of the Moon’.
The first photographs of the far side of the Moon were taken in 1959 from the Luna 3 spacecraft.
Moon-related vocabulary MeaningsLunar Very rarelyOnce in a blue moon Illegally distilled alcoholMoonstruck A long time agoMany moons ago Very happy, ecstaticMoonshine A crazy personOver the moon Slightly mad, distractedLunatic Connected with the Moon
http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/ecNewsVol. 8.1 October 2003
English Club
September was a busy month for the English Club. Three activities were organised in cooperation withinternational students. These activities included a welcoming party, a City Orientation and a dolphin watchingtrip. Both local and international students had a lot of fun. The English Club will continue its dynamism inOctober and November. In the first and second weeks of October, three series of Cantonese classes will berun for international students. If you are interested in meeting international students and would like to introduceyour home language to them, you are welcome to join this activity as a facilitator.
On 15th and 16th November, the English Club will run a two-day canoe camp in Sai Kung. English-speakingcoaches from the Canoe Union have been invited to coach our students in basic canoeing skills and we shallhave an overnight camp on an outlying island in Sai Kung. Again international students have been invitedto take part in this activity.
If you would like to give yourself a challenge, to meet more friends and to practise English, please join theEnglish Club activities. Details of the activities can be found in our promotional emails and on our websitehttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/EnglishClub.
CILL
For all year one students.Remember CILL has resources
to help with writing essays.We have lists of resources which supplement your
English for Academic Purposes course.
Attention all students who will be takingthe IELTS examination !!
CILL is now offering IELTS workshops.
Get details from CILL or from the CILL websitehttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/ielts/default.htm
The PolyU International Film Society (PIFS)
If you want to watch sophisticated, thoughtful movies,improve your English AND have fun,
then come to our bi-weekly movie screenings.
After we watch the movie, we have a discussionabout it AND a free buffet dinner!
For a perfect evening join PIFS!
For more information visit our website athttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/FilmSociety
See you there!
ENGLISH AWARD SCHEME (EAS)
WIN US$ 1,000 TO STUDY ENGLISHAT YORK UNIVERSITY,TORONTOOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
LOS ANGELES, THIS SUMMER
If you are a full-time PolyU student in a UGC fundedprogramme, you can apply for this award.
HOW TO WINOver the Language Improvement Period
(September 03-March 04) you should undertakea variety of activities to improve your English.
Submit a record of these activities(e.g. in portfolio form) by December 5th 2003.
Application form and more details available from: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/EAS
Like having fun?Want to improve your spoken English?
Fancy a challenge?
Then why not join the English Drama Club?The English Drama Club offers the chanceto take part in a wide variety of activities.
Improvisation, mime, physical activities,vocal games, interpretation.
Make New Friends and Have [email protected]
Friday Evenings 6:30 – 8:00 pm in AG301http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/EngDrama
