【明報專訊】Streets carry history, and history is often reflected in street names. Walking along streets on Hong Kong Island, Pat and Bill discovered many street names in Chinese were translated from English.

After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing (《南京條約》) in 1842, Hong Kong officially became a British colony. It reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Many streets in Hong Kong were named after important people in that peroid. For example, Pottinger Street (砵典乍街) in Central was named after Henry Pottinger, the first Governor of Hong Kong. He ran the territory from 1843 to 1844. Also known as Stone Slabs Street (石板街) (since it is a slope paved with stone slabs), it connects Hollywood Road (荷李活道) and Connaught Road Central (干諾道中).

Many streets were named after British royals, merchants and even military vessels. Examples include King's Road (英皇道), which stretches from Tin Hau to Taikoo Shing, was named after King George V (英皇佐治五世), who ruled the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936. Argyle Street (亞皆老街), a thoroughfare in Kowloon West, was named after a 19th-century British merchant ship.

“ Bill: Stop! The stones are decades old! ”

■Mission 1

There is a strange sentence on the drawing board. Can you rearrange the letters of each word to form an idiom about roads?

(see the picture) “ reteh si on aoryl oadr to gernnlia ”

“ Meaning: There is no special road or short cut for learning. ”

■Mission 2

Nathan Road (彌敦道) is one of the busiest roads in Hong Kong! Do you know its history? Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words provided.

build / span / join / explore

Nathan Road is a thoroughfare in Kowloon that connects Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. It 1. _________ Cheung Sha Wan Road (長沙灣道) at its north end and Salisbury Road (梳士巴利道) at its south end. The road was named after Sir Matthew Nathan, the thirteenth Governor of Hong Kong, whose governorship 2. _________ from 1904 to 1907.

Nathan Road is the oldest road in Kowloon. Its first section was 3. _________ in 1861. It was called Robinson Road, until it was renamed in 1909. It is popular with locals and tourists, who hang out and 4. _________ different shops and landmarks along it.

■Mission 3

After a long day Bill and Pat are ready to go back to the base. They want to stop by the supermarket, fast food shop, pharmacy and the post office on their way back. Can you show them the shortest way? (see the picture)

(answers on next text)

■English highway﹕-words and collocations

thoroughfare

A thoroughfare is a main road or a street that opens at both ends.

e.g. Abbey Road is a famous thoroughfare in London where an album photo of The Beatles, an English rock band, was taken in the 1960s.

■Key words

street 街道

colony 殖民地

■Glossary

translate (v) 翻譯

governer (n) 總督╱地方行政長官

slope (n) 斜坡

royal (n) 王室成員

merchant (adj) 商用的

military (adj) 軍用的

vessel (n) 船╱艦

pharmacy (n) 藥房