奥运会与北京市发展 由于筹办奥运会在城市基础设施、生态环境、电子技术等方面提出大量的建设性需

American Thanksgivings

According to tradition, the first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the English Pilgrims who had founded the Plymouth Colony, now in the state of Massachusetts. The an important part of American colonial history, there is no evidence that any of the participants thought of the feast as a thanksgiving celebration. Two years later, during a period of drought, a day of fasting and prayer was changed to one of thanksgiving because rains came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed among New Englanders to annually celebrate Thanksgiving after the harvest.

Colonial governments and, later, state governments took up the Puritan custom of designating thanksgiving days to commemorate various public events. Gradually the tradition of holding annual thanksgiving holidays spread throughout New England and into other states. During the American Revolution (1775—1783 ) the Continental Congress proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving following the American victory at the Baffle of Saratoga in 1777.U.S. President George Washington proclaimed another day of thanksgiving in 1789 in honor of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and many other states soon did the same. Most of the state celebrations were held in November, but not always on the same day.

In 1863, during the American Civil War (1861—1865 ), President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day in order to bolster the Union's morale. After the war, Congress established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but widespread national observance caught on only gradually. Many Southerners saw the new holiday as an attempt to impose Northern customs on them. However, in the late 19th century Thanksgiving's emphasis on home and family appealed to many people throughout the United States. As a distinctly American holiday, Thanksgiving was also considered an introduction to American values for the millions of immigrants then entering the country.

During the 20th century, as the population of the United States became increasingly urban, new Thanksgiving traditions emerged that catered to city dwellers. The day after Thanksgiving gradually became known as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. To attract customers, large retailers such as Macy's in New York City and Gimbel's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began to sponsor lavish parades. By 1934 the Macy's parade, featuring richly decorated floats and gigantic balloons, attracted more than one million spectators annually.

le through specialized operators (some of them Aboriginal owned) which give travellers rare and unforgettable insights into indigenous Australian art and culture.

plane or so comfortable as by train.

eliver an outstanding Olympic Games in 2008, that this will be a wonderful event for China and for the world, and that it is already serving to strengthen the very close relations between Australia and China. My own association with the Beijing Games began with Beijing's bid. For me, and for a number of Australians, the opportunity to support and assist the bid was far more than simply an interesting professional exercise. It was an opportunity to do something important. //

We believed then, and we believe now, that hosting the biggest and best people-to-people event on the world's calendar will give further momentum to the process of modernization in China and the friendly integration of China with the world community. The purpose of the Games is of course not geopolitical; it is to conduct a celebration of sport and culture. But, as we know from our own experience with both the Melbourne Games in 1956, when Australians reveled in that first historic opportunity to welcome the world to our shores and Sydney in 2000, when we were able to show the world the dynamism of modem Australia, the Games can and do leave a wider and powerful legacy. //

So it will be for China in 6 years time. The legacy will in part be of a tangible kind—world—class venues and other civic buildings, the Olympic Green, increased trade, investment and business relationships. Beijing's plans for these tangible legacies are impressive both in their ambition and in the determination of the organizers to bring them to fruition. But perhaps even more important in the long run will be the intangible legacy of the 2008 games. I refer here to the heightened consciousness of the importance of the environment, already a high national priority in China but one which is certain to be reinforced by the commitment to the Green Games. //

An enduring memory for me from the days of the Beijing bid is the sheer delight of people in China, especially young people, at having the chance to play host to athletes, officials and visitors from around the world, to welcome them to China, to show them China and to build new friendships. International relations are not only about the conduct of political and economic affairs between governments and businesses. It must also be underpinned by the sort of deep international understanding that can only come from closer and closer relationships between peoples. //

The Olympic Games are the most successful and popular embodiment of internationalism ever invented by human beings. During these glorious days, we will show how we can, at our best, transcend all differences of country, race and religion and truly embrace the common humanity that binds us all together. The participation of 1.3 billion people in that great goal can have profound and enduring benefits for our Asia-Pacific region and for the world. The Olympics are therefore coming to China at exactly the fight time in terms of the changes underway in China itself and in terms of China's engagement with the region and the world. //

进步也在多方面带来了新挑战，例如信息安全、数码环境中知识产权及私稳保护、媒体交汇趋势下的适当监管模式方面。领先的数码经济体系需抓住机遇，接受挑战，才能稳居世界前列。//

多年来，香港在信息通讯技术应用方面取得了显著进展，既提高了我们的竞争力和效率，同时也为社区提供了更方便简易的服务。“数码21”信息技术战略于1998年首次出台，是香港信息通讯技术发展的蓝图。我们一直定期更新这项战略，以囊括科技和社会经济的种种变化。//

为提高香港作为领先数码城市的地位，社会各界，包括政府、信息通讯技术产业、其他业界、学术界及公众均须通力合作。因此，在制订“数码21”信息技术战略的整个过程中，我们一直进行充分的公众谘询，力求以平衡的视角考量香港未来信息通讯技术发展的方向。//

经公众谘询后，2008年“数码21”信息技术战略现已出台，包括以下五个重点范畴：推动数码经济；推广先进科技及鼓励创新；将香港发展为科技合作及贸易的枢纽；促进新一代公共服务；建立共融的知识型社会。//

随着信息社会的来临，建立完善的信息基础设施与关键的实体基础设施一样，对于支援及促进经济发展至关重要。我深信香港稳固的信息通讯技术基础，有助我们向前迈进。由于香港市民对信息通讯技术很在行，并且各种相关产品及服务的价格颇具竞争力，因此香港宽带上网和移动电话服务的普及程度位居全球前列。//过去几年里，我们已建立了一个坚实的电子政府。我们会继续努力，力求让公共电子服务更便于使用。在主要政府办公场所安装 Wi-Fi无线上网点、为市民提供免费宽带上网服务的倡议进一步显示了政府提高社区信息通讯技术使用能力的决心。同时，我们也会不遗余力，使信息通讯技术惠及年青一代及社会中的弱势群体。//

内地经济的迅速发展，尤其国家“十一五”规划强调的科技发展，为香港带来了无限机遇，让香港有机会成为促进香港、内地和海外信息通讯技术企业合作的枢纽。卓越的专业和金融服务、健全的保护知识产权制度，以及先进的基础设施如数码港和科技园，均令香港能够发挥这一独特作用。//

在现今时代，世界级的城市必须懂得如何利用科技。商务及经济发展局非常重视工商界和公民在这方面的期望与需要，并会致力于推动香港信息通讯技术的进一步发展。//

(节选自香港商务及经济发展局官员的讲话)