【明報專訊】◆Dr Panda :Hello, sir. Did you vote?

◆Bill : Of course! I wanted to choose someone who can represent me in the District Council.

◆Mo Mo : Please support me!

◆Eason : Vote for me and I'll treat you to dinner!

◆Pat : No way! It's against the law!

Do you know that a very important event is taking place the coming Sunday? It is the District Council election. A District Council election is held every four years for choosing the members of the eighteen District Councils. In the next election, 867 candidates will compete for 363 seats. Successful candidates will begin their term of office on January 1 next year. District councillors (區議員) have a duty to hear residents' complaints and voice their concerns at District Council meetings.

District Councils deal with matters concerning their respective districts. At District Council meetings, councillors report local residents' opinions and complaints about their community and their living environment. Such matters may be about the provision of public facilities and services in such areas as transport, hygiene and security. District Councils are then responsible for voicing such concerns at meetings with government and advise it on any necessary follow-up actions with a view to improving residents' lives and facilitating long-term social development.

■Mission 1

Name the districts represented by the following District Council logos.

(see the picture)

■Mission 2

How familiar are you with the division of the districts? Look at the map of Hong Kong below. Do you know which districts do A, B and C stand for respectively ?

■Mission 3

There are some rules all voters must pay attention to. Fill each of the following blanks with the correct relative pronoun (which / who) and ask your parents to bear them in mind when they vote!

1. Do not accept any advantage _____ may influence your voting decision.

2. Do not use any device _____ allows you to communicate with other voters at a polling station.

3. Do not interfere with other voters _____ are casting their votes.

(answers on next text)

■Key words

District Council election 區議會選舉

candidate 候選人

term of office 任期

■Glossary

represent (v) 代表

community (n) 社區

responsible (adj) 負有責任的

facilitate (v) 促進

communicate (v) 溝通

interfere (v) 干擾

showdown (n) 對決

assassinate (v) 暗殺