【明報專訊】Winter is getting closer and closer. It is the time when many animals hibernate to conserve energy. However, nature continues to be a source of pleasure even though the weather is cold. The blooming begonias (秋海棠) certainly give our city a touch of vibrancy and grace.

The begonia show is now on view at Hong Kong Park(香港公園). Visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of about 300 begonias before 14 January 2018.The begonia is the sixth largest genus (屬) of flowering plants and is common in tropical and subtropical regions. Four of the 1,800 species have been identified as native to Hong Kong. One of them, the Begonia Hongkongensis(「香港秋海棠」), can be seen in the show.

Besides watching flowers, you can also learn more about the plant in the show with display boards containing information about the plant's characteristics, cultivation and reproduction.

(Sources: MingPao, www.info.gov.hk)

■English highway﹕Even though

"Even though" is similar in meaning to "although", but with a stronger tone.

e.g. I love my sister even though I sometimes fight with her.

■Game １

(Answers on next text)

Begonias are monoecious (雌雄同株異花), meaning that they have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Bill is reading about the structure of the flower, but Eason has changed the spelling in the labels. Help Bill to spell them correctly, and match them with the correct flower.

S / T / E / N / A / M (雄蕊)

C / P / E / R / L /A (雌蕊)

■Game ２

MoMo would like to buy some begonias. She wants to buy a pot of yellow ones, a pot of pink ones and a pot of white ones. How much are they?

■Glossary

hibernate (v) 冬眠

vibrancy (n) 活力

immerse (v) 投入

cultivation (n) 種植方法

[Smarties' Power English 第202期]