Read the text below and answer questions.

Indian Hongkonger breaks down barriers

[1] 33-year-old Jeffrey Andrews was born in Hong Kong into an Indian family. He believes he
has a very unique role in Hong Kong. ”I’m a bridge between the local population, the ethnic
minorities, the refugees because people see me a ‘Hong Kong-jan’ but also you are Indian on the
look, but you’re also English speaking, so it’s a very unique position I am in,” says Jeffrey.

[2] “Growing up in Hong Kong was not easy, because I faced quite a bit of discrimination. I went
into segregated schools. You know, you never studied with local Chinese. Some of my Indian
friends didn’t think I was Indian enough. Local Chinese friends did not think I was Chinese. So I
always questioned who I was. I was supposed to be a negative statistic in society. I was so close to
jail, but thankfully someone came. A social worker came and saved me, and here I am,” says
Jeffery.

[3] Jeffrey became a community worker for the refugee charity, Christian Action. They help
refugees from a base in Hong Kong’s notorious Chungking Mansions. In Jeffrey’s opinion, people
hate Chungking. Many people say so much negative stuff, but nowhere else in Hong Kong, they’ll
greet you in the morning, no matter who you are: “Good morning! Would you like some tea?”

[4] In 2011, Jeffrey started a four-year social work programme, the city’s first to accept ethnic
minorities. He was thankful that he became the first Indian local-trained social worker because he
got to mix his role as an ethnic minority but also advocate for refugees. Every day in Christian
Action, they serve three meals a day to over 80 refugees. They also run classes and programmes
together with international schools and churches. “Many refugee clients ask, ‘Jeff, Hong Kong is so
racist, why?’ And then I go, ‘Hold on, Hong Kong people are not racist. It’s just that sadly, we
don’t have enough cultural sensitivity,” Jeffrey recalls.

[5] To try and help with this problem, Jeffrey organises cultural-sensitivity courses across Hong
Kong. “Yeah, so we’re going to an elite school in April, and we did that last year. And now they
want us back again with more stuff,” Jeffrey says to his colleague, “It was like two days last year,
but I think it was too short. Make it five this year.”

[6] Looking at his personal experience, Jeffrey says, “I think Hong Kong needs to question itself.
Why are we calling ourselves a world-class city? Why are we calling ourselves Asia’s World City?
Sadly, I believe Hong Kong right now, we are so divided. But I’m hopeful. The people I meet, the
local Hong Kong people I meet, many of us are very like-minded. Keep going. Don’t give up on
our Hong Kong. Don’t give up on our Hong Kong.”
1. Where did Andrew spend his childhood years?
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2. Why did Jeffrey question his identify when he was young?

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3. What does the sentence “I was supposed to be a negative statistic in society” suggest
about Jeffrey’s past?
A. He was a troubled teenager.
B. He was very bad at maths.
C. He wanted to go back to India.
D. He was sickly as a child.

4. Does Jeffrey believe Chungking Mansions deserves its bad reputation, and why?

________________________________________________________________________

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5. Which group of people is most likely to seek help from Christian Action?
A. the elderly homeless
B. runaway teenagers
C. ethnic minority refugees
D. all of the above

6. According to Jeffrey, what is one common misconception refugees have about Hong
Kong being a racist city?
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

7. What does “more stuff” in paragraph 5 most likely refer to?

A. elite schools
B. refugees
C. charity programmes
D. cultural-sensitivity courses
8. Why does Jeffrey think Hong Kong needs to question its status as Asia’s World City?

________________________________________________________________________

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Use only ONE word for each blank. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct.
9. What does Jeffrey Andrews hope to achieve?
He hopes to break (i) _________________ barriers and stereotypes about
(ii) _________________ and educate (iii) _________________ about the diverse
communities that exist within the city.