Green Life Pioneer
FoundationNatural resources are limited. Save water and electricity, recycle, keep ourselves and our surroundings clean, and be a green life pioneer.
- Natural resources are limited; cherish every bit.
- Switch off lights and water, bring your own bottle, and use both sides of paper.
- Rinse and sort paper, cans and bottles into recycling bins.
文體小知識：說明文把一件事講得清清楚楚。這一篇教你用小行動愛護地球，做個綠色生活小先鋒。
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1The Earth is our home, but natural resources are not endless. Water, electricity, paper and wood all come from nature; every bit used means one bit less, and some took millions of years to form. The Chinese people have always valued diligence and thrift. Our ancestors taught us to cherish what we have and never waste — a virtue passed down through generations.
2Green living starts with small habits: switch off lights and air-conditioning when you leave a room; do not let the water run while brushing your teeth; write on both sides of the paper before recycling it; bring your own bottle to school instead of buying boxed drinks. Rinse bottles and cans and flatten paper, then sort them into recycling bins so they can become new materials again.
3School is our second home, so we practise green campus life there too. Care for the flowers, grass and trees; do not pick flowers or walk on the grass. Use the school's green facilities, such as sorting bins and sensor taps, with care. Take only as much lunch as you can finish, and pick up any litter you see and put it in the bin.
4A green life is also a clean life. Put rubbish in the bin and never litter, or pests and germs will come. Wash hands the right way: wet your hands, rub on soap, then scrub the palms, the backs, between the fingers, the fingertips, the thumbs and the wrists for at least twenty seconds before rinsing and drying. Clean and green — that is a true Green Life Pioneer.
1Summary 重點摘要
Natural resources are limited. Save water and electricity, recycle, keep ourselves and our surroundings clean, and be a green life pioneer.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Things nature gives us, such as water, trees and coal; they are limited.
Collecting used things so they can be made into useful materials again.
Switching off lights and air-conditioning when not needed.
Using less water, such as turning off the tap while brushing teeth.
A Chinese virtue of working hard and cherishing what we have.
A bottle for water; bringing your own makes less rubbish.
Dropping rubbish on the ground instead of in the bin; it is wrong.
A clean and green school kept by everyone's effort.
Keeping our body and surroundings clean, such as washing hands properly.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know that resources are limitedWater flows when you turn the tap, and lights come on with a switch — it seems endless, but it is not. Clean water, trees, coal and oil are natural resources; every bit used means one bit less, and some took millions of years to form. Hong Kong is small and most of our water comes from the Dongjiang River, so the government asks everyone to save water in dry summers. When we know how precious resources are, we treasure them — not wasting a drop of water, a unit of electricity or a sheet of paper. That is step one of green living.
- Step 2: Save power and water every daySaving electricity and water is easy to do with our own hands. When leaving the classroom or your room, remember to switch off lights, fans and air-conditioning; open windows on cool days and use the air-conditioner less. Turn off the tap while brushing teeth and soaping; take shorter showers; use water from washing vegetables for plants or flushing. Check that everything is switched off before you leave school. These little acts, done every day, save a lot in a month — lower bills and less burden on the Earth.
- Step 3: Bring your own bottle, use both sidesMaking one plastic bottle uses oil and water, so throwing it away after one use is very wasteful. Bring your own bottle to school and fill it at the drinking fountain — green and money-saving. When writing or drawing, fill both sides of the paper before putting it in the recycling box; use leftover paper for drafts and crafts. Bring your own bag when shopping and use fewer plastic bags. Every disposable item we refuse means less rubbish on the Earth and more resources reused — a green habit we can keep every day.
- Step 4: Sort rubbish and recycleRubbish can be sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable. Waste paper, aluminium cans and plastic bottles can be recycled — put them in the bins at estates or on streets, or bring them to recycling stations, where they are turned into new products. Rinse bottles and cans first and flatten paper; tissues, dirty plastic bags and food waste cannot be recycled and belong in the rubbish bin. Learning to sort makes less rubbish, wastes no resources, and lightens the load on our landfills.
- Step 5: Care for a green campusSchool is where we learn and play, so we keep it green and clean together. Care for the flowers, grass and trees — do not pick flowers, shake trees or step into flower beds; use the school's green facilities, such as sorting bins, sensor lights and water-saving taps, with care. Take only as much lunch as you can finish and do not waste food; pick up any litter you see and put it in the bin. When everyone does their part, the campus stays tidy and beautiful, and we learn responsibility and teamwork too.
- Step 6: Keep personal and environmental hygieneA green life is also a clean life. Always put rubbish in the bin and never litter, because rubbish attracts pests and rats, spreads disease and blocks the drains. Wash hands the right way: wet your hands, rub on soap, and scrub the palms, the backs, between the fingers, the fingertips, the thumbs and the wrists for at least twenty seconds, then rinse and dry. Wash before eating and after the toilet. A clean self and a clean environment make a healthy body and mind — that is the whole of green living.
5Worked example Example
Example: Wah bought individually wrapped biscuits and a boxed drink at the tuck shop, and dropped the wrappers all over the ground. What did he do wrong, and what is the green way?
- Individually wrapped biscuits and boxed drinks create a lot of rubbish; the wrapping is thrown away at once and resources are wasted.
- Dropping the wrappers on the ground is littering — it dirties the campus and may block drains and attract pests.
- The green way: bring your own bottle instead of a boxed drink, and choose simply packed snacks such as bread or fruit.
- Deal with the wrappers properly: rinse cartons and bottles into the recycling bins, and put non-recyclables in the rubbish bin.
- Answer: Wah should not buy so much individually wrapped food, and he must never litter. He can bring his own bottle, choose simply packed snacks, and sort the wrappers for recycling or put them in the bin — that is being a Green Life Pioneer.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Why should we save water and electricity?
Q2What should we do with used plastic bottles?
Q3Whose virtue is diligence and thrift?
Q4How long should we scrub when washing hands?
Q5Why must we not litter?
8Recap Recap
- Natural resources are limited; cherish every bit.
- Switch off lights and water, bring your own bottle, and use both sides of paper.
- Rinse and sort paper, cans and bottles into recycling bins.
- Care for campus plants, use green facilities, and never litter.
- Wash hands properly for at least twenty seconds — keep both self and surroundings clean.