Since its launch last year, the course has received favourable reviews from parents and English teachers because of its well-designed curriculum and outstanding teaching quality. It has attracted students from many top secondary schools, including St. Paul Co-educational College, Maryknoll Convent School, La Salle College, Queen's College, Diocesan Girls' School and Belilios Public School.

More than 80 percent of students who have taken the course said it effectively helps them raise their English listening, speaking, writing and reading skills. One of the students, Chow Cheuk-ho, who got an A in this year's HKCEE English exam, says the fact that the course was organised by HKCyber U assures that it is of top quality.

"The teachers are very friendly. The small class size allows the teacher to spend more time on each individual student and their weaknesses in writing. The course helped me improve a lot," says Chow, who studies at N.T. Yuen Long District Heung Yee Kuk Secondary School.

Programme Director Ms. Tong Ka Man says all the teachers are college lecturers and have extensive teaching experience. Apart from the lectures, HKCyberU and Englishtown also provide online English material for students to help them prepare for the exam. The students can practise listening, speaking, writing and reading according to their needs.

"The course not only can help students prepare for the HKCEE exam, but it can also help them gain a better understanding of their own English level and identify their strengths and weaknesses," says Ms. Tong.

The course was designed with reference to the English syllabus for secondary students and past HKCEE exam p apers. Student Chu Hei Man of Marymount Secondary School says having studied the course has been a major reason why she managed to get an A in the HKCEE English exam this year.

"I am most impressed with the teachers' lively teaching methods. I did a project where I had to use English to conduct voxpops on PolyU's campus and then gave a presentation in class. This training has strengthened my confidence in speaking English," Chu says.

The HKCEE English Preparation Course is made up of eight units. Each unit has its own theme, including entertainment, arts, education, mass media, food and health, travel, environmental protection and technology. The material aims to help students boost their English grammar, reading, writing and speaking skills. The course has been redesigned based on the new 2007 HKCEE English syllabus.

香港理工大學轄下的香港網上學府（HKCyberU）夥拍全球最大的網上英語學校Englishtown開辦的「英語會考預備課程」，其中約一成學員在本年度會考取得A級成績。考獲佳績的學生已獲全數發還學費，以作嘉許。

課程自去年開辦以來，其課程內容及師資質素一直廣獲家長及英語科講師好評，亦吸引了多間名校，如聖保羅男女中學、瑪利諾修院學校、喇沙書院、皇仁書院、拔萃女書院及庇理羅士女子中學的學生報讀。

超過八成曾修讀此課程的學生認為，課程能有效提升他們聽、講、寫、讀等四方面的能力。在今年會考英語科考獲A級成績的周卓豪同學表示，HKCyberU開辦課程的質素向來有保證。

就讀新界鄉議局元朗區中學的周同學表示：「老師親切友善，加上小班教學，讓老師有充分時間個別指導學員，針對我在寫作較弱的地方作改善。此課程令我的英語進步不少。」

課程總監唐嘉雯女士表示，所有導師均為學院講師，而且擁有豐富的教學經驗。除面授課堂外，HKCyberU與Englishtown亦為學生提供網上英語教材，協助他們為考試做好準備，而學生也可因應自己的需要，進行英語聽、講、寫、讀練習。

唐女士表示：「此課程不但幫助學生應付會考，更讓他們清楚本身的英語水平以及強弱之處。」

此課程是參照中學英語課程及以往會考試題編制。就讀瑪利曼中學的朱希敏同學認為，課程對她能於今年會考英語科考獲A級成績幫助很大。

朱同學表示：「最深刻的是老師採用生動的教學方式。我曾在理大校園以英語進行街頭訪問，然後在課堂上作匯報，此訓練大大增強了我在英語會話方面的信心。」

英語會考預備課程共分為八個單元，各單元均有不同的教學主題，其中包括娛樂、藝術、教育、大眾媒體、飲食與健康、旅遊、環保及科技。有關教材旨在幫助學生提升英語文法、閱讀、書寫及會話方面的能力。另外，課程已按照2007年新的會考英語課程綱要而重新設計。

As a child, Addy Wong realised that a sweet home is the foundation of people's lives, which led him to pursue a career in real estate. Today, he is the Managing Director of Centaline Property Agency, one of the leading companies in the field.

"When I was little, my father owned a factory that made basketballs. He built houses inside the factory site and sold them to other families. He also managed the buildings well to make sure that people could live comfortably.

"This makes me understand that apartments are not simply hardware, but they give people a sense of security, which is essential for our lives and career developments. That's why I became a property agent," said Mr. Wong, a member of SPEED's School Advisory Committee.

Mr. Wong has overcome numerous challenges throughout his illustrious career. To become a successful property agent, Mr. Wong says it is critical to learn to accept rejections with grace.

"With our job, we are sometimes rejected by clients, and we also have to turn down other people. Learning how to properly deal with rejections is therefore a key skill. It is also important to remain objective, and have good communication skills and independent thinking in order to succeed," he said.

Mr. Wong says continuous learning is essential for advancing one's career. He encourages people to keep studying while working, even though some courses may not necessarily be related to their jobs. He believes that learning in itself will enhance a person's capability and widen his/her perspective. It may even help build closer ties with one's family members.

"It is important to cultivate a keen learning culture within a family. Husbands and wives, or siblings who are pursuing further education can have more exchanges with one another and they can also be a role model for the younger generation," he says.

黃偉雄先生是中原地產代理有限公司董事總經理，亦是SPEED的顧問委員會成員，其家庭背景和喜接觸人的性格令他順理成章加入地產代理行列。「小時家父經營籃球工廠，在廠地興建樓房賣予一些小家庭，並會主動做好管理，務求令大家安居樂業，這不但令我明白樓房不是硬件，而是生活和事業發展所必須的安全感，亦鼓勵性格外向的我加入地產代理行列。」

一份抱負成就了今天的地產代理界名人，多年工作挑戰不斷，黃偉雄先生對挑戰和成功別有一番體會：「我們有時會遭拒絕，亦需拒絕別人，懂得處理別人的拒絕及拒絕別人是很高的修維，而具良好溝通技巧、工作時客觀以及能獨立思考亦是成功的必備因素。」

事實上要達至成功，進修可謂是不可或缺。黃偉雄先生鼓勵進修，進修內容不一定需與工作直接有關，因為進修本身已能提升個人能力、開拓眼界、推助事業發展，亦令家庭生活更融洽：「進修在家庭內推動終身學習的風氣，同樣有進修的夫婦、兄弟姊妹間可多交流，更為年輕一輩樹立良好榜樣。

As a professional, Mr Wong values strong work ethics. "Of course a person has to brush up his professional knowledge, but I think work ethics is of even higher importance because it affects one's values in the long run. I strongly urge young people to uphold ethics in their work and fulfil social responsibilities."

作為專業人士，黃偉雄先生最重視專業道德：「專業知識當然重要，但我會把專業道德放在更高位置，因為道德更能影響個人的長遠價值。我亦鼓勵年輕人踏足社會時持守專業道德，盡社會責任。」

Mr. Addy Wong, Managing Director of Centaline Property Agency Limited and School Advisory Committee Member for SPEED, says: "Continuous learning helps people stay ahead in their careers."
中原地產代理有限公司董事總經理暨SPEED顧問委員會成員黃偉雄先生：「持續進修可令人走在別人的前頭。」