mediums of instruction

Reading Comprehension

Answer the following questions:

1 What does 'dressing dog meat as mutton' refer to in the article?

a. The sale of dog meat as mutton in school canteens.

b. Schools think the fine-tuning policy will intensify the labelling effect.

c. Schools use Cantonese or 'mixed code' to teach instead of English.

2 What reasons have been mentioned in the article by educators fortheir objections to the fine-tuning policy?

i. The many flexible arrangements will add to schools' administrative burden.

ii. Teachers' pressure might be increased as they have to attend extra training in how to use English to teach.

iii. The policy will weaken students' understanding of non-language subjects.

a. i and ii b. i and iii c. ii and iii

3 Why did the mother-tongue policy lead to resentment among parents?

a. Their children were forced to attend CMI schools which they saw as inferior to EMI ones.

b. The government did not consult them before the implementation of the policy.

c. Schools that adopt mother-tongue teaching charge expensive tuition fees.

Word Power

Match the following words with their meanings below

1 laissez-faire

2 resentment

3 conducive

4 stigma

5 segregation

a. division, separation

b. feeling of anger or unhappiness about something that you think is unfair

c. feeling of disapproval that people have about particular illnesses or ways of behaving

d. free-wheeling, with no restrictions attached

e. making it easy, possible or likely for something to happen

Fill in the spaces with the words you have learned

6 With loosening social mores, there's no longer any ______ attached to divorcees.

7 Hong Kong's _______ economic policies have long been regarded as one of the major reasons for its robust economic growth.

8 The dismantling of the historic temple has led to much ________ among the villagers who want it to be preserved.

Think About

1. Do you study in a CMI or EMI school? How will your school be affected by the fine-tuning policy?

2. Do you prefer to learn in Chinese or English? Why?

3. Education Secretary Michael Suen Ming-yeung said he did not encourage schools to use 'mixed code' to teach. He also disapproves of the common practice by local teachers of using English textbooks but conducting lessons in Cantonese. What do you think?

Answers:

Comprehension: 1. c; 2. c; 3. a

Word Power: 1. d; 2. b; 3. e; 4. c; 5. a 6. stigma 7. freewheeling 8. resentment