Ne

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in

Liberal Studies
Hong Kong Today

Modern China

Globalisation

Public Health

Energy Technology &

the Environment

Personal Development &

ps
Interpersonal Relationships

Kids seen as strangers to mums

Long hours for catering and hotel working mothers

The catering and hotels union says many members who are mums do not spend enough time with their kids. (HKCTU)

EARLY 70 percent of women

working in the catering and
hotel sectors spend an hour
or less with their children each day.
The Catering and Hotels Industries Employees General Union (
) said last Tuesday that 30 percent of 282
women surveyed said they had less than 30
minutes with their children each day. A further
30 percent said they spent 31 minutes to an
hour with their children.
Nine percent spent less than 15 minutes
with their children each day or sometimes
none at all.
The union said most of the women polled
worked 12 hours a day. It is 65 percent higher

than the 40 hours a week suggested by the

International Labour Organization.
About 60 percent of the mothers said the
time they spent with their children was insufficient.
The survey was conducted ahead of
Mothers Day, which falls on 11 May.
A woman said she was ashamed at not
being able to spend more time with her son
and daughter. The dim sum chef, surnamed
Law, said she and her children usually ended
their conversations after one or two sentences. We are like strangers. Its very painful,
Law said. About 82 percent of the respondants
believe the government should set standard
working hours.

Key Idea
Most women working in the
catering and hotel sectors
spend only an hour or less with
their children each day. A study
has found that some even
spent less than 15 minutes
or sometimes none at all with
their children. The mothers
said the time they spent with
their children was insufficient. A
woman said she was ashamed
at not being able to spend more
time with her son and daughter,
who treated her like a stranger.

Monday 5 May 2014

Text : Anvil Ong
Photos : HKCTU, Sing Tao Daily

P03

Vocabulary

Reading Comprehension

M : Meaning

Choose the best answer:

1. Which sectors did the study
cover?
A. catering and education
B. hotel and education
C. catering and hotel
D. education and financial

4. Most of the mothers in the study

said they spent _____ time with
their children
A. enough
B. too much
C. insufficient
D. just enough

E : Example

1 catering (n)
M: providing and serving food
E: A famous Chinese restaurant will provde
catering at the wedding reception.
E: The new law will affect catering businesses
in the country.

2 sector (n)
M: an area of business

2. How many hours did the women

in the study work each day?
A. nine
B. 10
C. 12
D. 24

5. The study was done ahead _____

Mothers Day.
A. as
B. of
C. to
D. no word is needed

E: The members come from various sectors.

3 survey (v)
M: ask people questions in order to find out
about their opinions or behaviour
E: The researchers surveyed the attitudes of all
the people in the room.

3. The International Labour

Organization suggested people
work...

6. It is ____ to see so many people

killed in the sunken ship.

A. 24 hours a week
B. 40 hours a week
C. 30 hours a week
D. 25 hours a week

A. painful
B. hurt
C. injured
D. wounded

Knowledge

E: His mother works in the education sector.

E: The broadcaster surveyed 2,000 viewers

about the new TV programme.

4 insufficient (adj)
M: not enough
E: We found out that we had insufficient funds
to build a new library.
Answers on P12

E: We received insufficient information about

the new plan.

5 ashamed (adj)
This years Mothers Day falls on 11
May, the second Sunday of the month.
Mothers Day is celebrated in about
50 countries around the world, but
sometimes on different days. Fathers
Day falls on 15 June, the third Sunday
of the month. In the US, they also have
Siblings Day on 10 April to honour the
relationships of siblings.

M: feeling guilty or embarrassed about something

one has done or a quality in ones character
E: I am ashamed of what I have done.
E: He should be ashamed for not helping us.

6 conversation (n)
M: a private and informal talk between two or
more people
E: Can I have a conversation with you?
E: They had a long conversation during lunch.

LS in a nutshell

Learning Card

7 painful (adj)
What type of flower is usually
given on Mothers Day?

carnations

M: making one feel very upset, or very difficult

and unpleasant
E: Writing a book report was such a painful
experience.
E: His handwriting was painful to watch.