Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Naples Pizza Protected By EU, BBC, Words In The News.
Naples pizza protected by EU
Adapted from BBC, Words in the News, 5 February 2010
Reporter: Duncan Kennedy
Part A: Editing-Spelling
There are spelling errors. Write the correct word above the error.
Pizza makers in Naples are celebrating after gaining official European Union recognition. It’s the end of a battle that began 25 years ago and is aimed at protecting Neapolitan pizzas from imitations.
For 25 years pizza makers in Naples have been trying to get their product protected, and now it is, being 1. grented a TSG, or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed label by the EU. The head of the pizza makers’ association said the 2. tridemark was a great honour. The EU ’s agriculture commissioner said Neapolitan pizza was now part of Europe’s 3. food haritage.
It means that all 4. pezzerias aspiring to supply the real thing are, in future, supposed to be 5. vatted by a special commission that will check standards. They include using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese.The Italian farmers’ association says that half of Italy’s 25,000 pizzerias currently use the wrong ingredients, like east European cheese or Ukrainian flour.Italy now tops EU chart for products that are protected. It has 180, more than Spain or France. Protected status enables producers to not only 6. baost about their exclusavity but also 7. charge a pramium. And now pizza makers from Naples will get their slice of the action.
Part B
Write TRUE or FALSE.
1. Pizza makers tried to patent their product. _______
2. The pizza is granted a TSG. ______
3. The pizza trademark is highly valued. ______
4. Neapolitan pizza is part of Europe’s cuisine. _______
5. A special commission checks standards of pizza made in England. _______
6. Three quarters of Italy’s pizzerias used incorrect techniques, including ingredients. ________
Part C: Vocabulary
Match the WORDS with the correct MEANINGS. Draw lines to match WORDS and the MEANIGS
WORDS MEANING
1. to get their product protected a. put the price of something up because it is in some way special
2. granted b. express pride in the uniqueness of their product
3. head c. checked or examined something carefully to make sure it is acceptable or suitable
4. trademark d. genuine ( not fake) things( here, Neapolitan pizzas)
5. food heritage e. food belonging to the culture of a particular society which exists from the which is important historically
6. pizzerias f. name or a symbol which is put on a product to show that it is made by a particular producer and cannot be used legally by any other producer.
7. the real thing g. given
8. vetted h. to have the same thing that they make ( here, pizzas) given special tratment
9. boast about their exclusivity i. boss or leader of an organisation
10. charge a premium j. places ( restaurants, cafes, etc) which make and sell pizzas to customers.
Part D Reading for Ideas
1. What is your favourite food?
2. Are food sold in the food court and hawker centres in Singapore healthy for consumption?
3. What is a healthy diet?
Part E: Contextual Clues
Underline the definition of the word given in bold.
1. The picture on the old television set was fuzzy so the outline of the people in the film was blurry and unclear.
2. No one liked the condescending man who always behaved as though he was superior to those around him.
3. I knew that James was in a pensive mood for he sat alone quietly and thoughtfully and looked a little sad.
4. Toby was a sincere man who said only what he truly meant and believed in.
5. Jane was an impetuous girl who often acted without thinking.
6. The ruthless dictator was harsh and cruel towards those who disobeyed him.
ANSWERS
Part A
1. granted 2. trademark 3. food heritage 4. pizzerias 5. vetted 6. boast about their exclusivity 7. charge a premium
Part B
1. true 2. true 3. true 4. true 5. false 6. false
Part C
1. h 2. g 3. I 4. f 5. e 6. j 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. a
Adapted from BBC, Words in the News, 5 February 2010
Reporter: Duncan Kennedy
Part A: Editing-Spelling
There are spelling errors. Write the correct word above the error.
Pizza makers in Naples are celebrating after gaining official European Union recognition. It’s the end of a battle that began 25 years ago and is aimed at protecting Neapolitan pizzas from imitations.
For 25 years pizza makers in Naples have been trying to get their product protected, and now it is, being 1. grented a TSG, or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed label by the EU. The head of the pizza makers’ association said the 2. tridemark was a great honour. The EU ’s agriculture commissioner said Neapolitan pizza was now part of Europe’s 3. food haritage.
It means that all 4. pezzerias aspiring to supply the real thing are, in future, supposed to be 5. vatted by a special commission that will check standards. They include using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese.The Italian farmers’ association says that half of Italy’s 25,000 pizzerias currently use the wrong ingredients, like east European cheese or Ukrainian flour.Italy now tops EU chart for products that are protected. It has 180, more than Spain or France. Protected status enables producers to not only 6. baost about their exclusavity but also 7. charge a pramium. And now pizza makers from Naples will get their slice of the action.
Part B
Write TRUE or FALSE.
1. Pizza makers tried to patent their product. _______
2. The pizza is granted a TSG. ______
3. The pizza trademark is highly valued. ______
4. Neapolitan pizza is part of Europe’s cuisine. _______
5. A special commission checks standards of pizza made in England. _______
6. Three quarters of Italy’s pizzerias used incorrect techniques, including ingredients. ________
Part C: Vocabulary
Match the WORDS with the correct MEANINGS. Draw lines to match WORDS and the MEANIGS
WORDS MEANING
1. to get their product protected a. put the price of something up because it is in some way special
2. granted b. express pride in the uniqueness of their product
3. head c. checked or examined something carefully to make sure it is acceptable or suitable
4. trademark d. genuine ( not fake) things( here, Neapolitan pizzas)
5. food heritage e. food belonging to the culture of a particular society which exists from the which is important historically
6. pizzerias f. name or a symbol which is put on a product to show that it is made by a particular producer and cannot be used legally by any other producer.
7. the real thing g. given
8. vetted h. to have the same thing that they make ( here, pizzas) given special tratment
9. boast about their exclusivity i. boss or leader of an organisation
10. charge a premium j. places ( restaurants, cafes, etc) which make and sell pizzas to customers.
Part D Reading for Ideas
1. What is your favourite food?
2. Are food sold in the food court and hawker centres in Singapore healthy for consumption?
3. What is a healthy diet?
Part E: Contextual Clues
Underline the definition of the word given in bold.
1. The picture on the old television set was fuzzy so the outline of the people in the film was blurry and unclear.
2. No one liked the condescending man who always behaved as though he was superior to those around him.
3. I knew that James was in a pensive mood for he sat alone quietly and thoughtfully and looked a little sad.
4. Toby was a sincere man who said only what he truly meant and believed in.
5. Jane was an impetuous girl who often acted without thinking.
6. The ruthless dictator was harsh and cruel towards those who disobeyed him.
ANSWERS
Part A
1. granted 2. trademark 3. food heritage 4. pizzerias 5. vetted 6. boast about their exclusivity 7. charge a premium
Part B
1. true 2. true 3. true 4. true 5. false 6. false
Part C
1. h 2. g 3. I 4. f 5. e 6. j 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. a
Child Directs Air Traffic At JFK, BBC, Words In The News
Child direct air traffic at JFK
Adapted for BBC, Words in the News, 5 March, 2010
Reporter: James Gordon
US officials are investigating how a child was apparently allowed to direct planes at JFK airport. Pilots heard the voice of a surprisingly young boy instructin them from air traffic control.
JFK Airport in new York is one of the largest airports in the country, handling nearly a thousand take-offs and landings a day. But just after 8pm on the 16th of February, there was somebody else in the control tower directing air traffic and giving instructions to pilots.
Recording from air traffic control:
Boy: JetBlue 171 clear to take off.
Pilot: Clear for take off JetBlue 171.
The boy was speaking to an airbus A320 heading for Sacramento. The child’s father, who us a certified controller, brought his son to work and then put him to work as well.
Recording from air traffic control:
Boy: JetBlue 171 contact departure.
Pilot: Over to departure JetBlue 171. Awesome job.
The young boy continued directing pilots for several take-offs, pilots appearing to be more amused than worried.
The federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Americas’ airports, hasn’t released the names of the controllers involved, as well as his supervisor. Both have been relieved of their duties.
Some are saying the incident is being blown out of proportion since the youngster was repeating standard, routine directions to pilots with the adults, presumably, alongside him. It’s been revealed the controller in question brought his daughter in the following evening.
The FAA has released a statement saying, “This lapse in judgment not only violated the FAA’s own policies but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable.”
Part A: Write TRUE or FALSE.
1. A little girl was in the control tower in the evening of 16th February. _______
2. The child was talking to the pilot of an airbus heading for New York. ______
3. The child’s father was not a certified controller. __________
4. The child directed only one pilot for take-off. ________
5. Pilots who heard the boy giving instructions were alarmed. _________
6. The FAA regulates America’s airports. ________
7. The pilot and supervisor were suspended from work . ________
8. The controller had his son and his daughter with him at work the next evening. _______
Part B: Matching.
Match each of the following sentences with the words given below.
A. the control tower B. pilots C. an Airbus A320 D. amused
E. his supervisor F. relieved of their duties
G. is being blown out of proportion
H. lapse in judgment I. violated J. distractions
1. Things that stop people from paying attention and concentrating on what they should be doing.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Broke the rules or guidelines.
___________________________________________________________________
3. Unexpectedly bad decisions.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Had their jobs taken away, are no longer allowed to work
___________________________________________________________________
5. The high building in an airport from where instructions are given to help people takeoff and land airplanes safely.
__________________________ _________________________________________
6. People who fly airplanes.
___________________________________________________________________
7. A type of airplane.
____________________________________________________________________
8. Thought of something funny.
____________________________________________________________________
9. His manager, the person who makes sure that he does his job properly, gets training to do it and that his behavior at work is acceptable. ____________________________________________________________________
10. Is being made to seem much more serious than it actually is. ____________________________________________________________________
ANSWERS
Part A
1. false 2. false 3. false 4. false 5. false 5. true 7. true 8. true.
Part B
1. distractions 2. violated 3. lapse in judgment 4. relieved of their duties
5. the control tower 6. pilots 7. an Airbus A320 8. amused
9. his supervisor 10. is being blown out of proportion.
Adapted for BBC, Words in the News, 5 March, 2010
Reporter: James Gordon
US officials are investigating how a child was apparently allowed to direct planes at JFK airport. Pilots heard the voice of a surprisingly young boy instructin them from air traffic control.
JFK Airport in new York is one of the largest airports in the country, handling nearly a thousand take-offs and landings a day. But just after 8pm on the 16th of February, there was somebody else in the control tower directing air traffic and giving instructions to pilots.
Recording from air traffic control:
Boy: JetBlue 171 clear to take off.
Pilot: Clear for take off JetBlue 171.
The boy was speaking to an airbus A320 heading for Sacramento. The child’s father, who us a certified controller, brought his son to work and then put him to work as well.
Recording from air traffic control:
Boy: JetBlue 171 contact departure.
Pilot: Over to departure JetBlue 171. Awesome job.
The young boy continued directing pilots for several take-offs, pilots appearing to be more amused than worried.
The federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Americas’ airports, hasn’t released the names of the controllers involved, as well as his supervisor. Both have been relieved of their duties.
Some are saying the incident is being blown out of proportion since the youngster was repeating standard, routine directions to pilots with the adults, presumably, alongside him. It’s been revealed the controller in question brought his daughter in the following evening.
The FAA has released a statement saying, “This lapse in judgment not only violated the FAA’s own policies but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable.”
Part A: Write TRUE or FALSE.
1. A little girl was in the control tower in the evening of 16th February. _______
2. The child was talking to the pilot of an airbus heading for New York. ______
3. The child’s father was not a certified controller. __________
4. The child directed only one pilot for take-off. ________
5. Pilots who heard the boy giving instructions were alarmed. _________
6. The FAA regulates America’s airports. ________
7. The pilot and supervisor were suspended from work . ________
8. The controller had his son and his daughter with him at work the next evening. _______
Part B: Matching.
Match each of the following sentences with the words given below.
A. the control tower B. pilots C. an Airbus A320 D. amused
E. his supervisor F. relieved of their duties
G. is being blown out of proportion
H. lapse in judgment I. violated J. distractions
1. Things that stop people from paying attention and concentrating on what they should be doing.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Broke the rules or guidelines.
___________________________________________________________________
3. Unexpectedly bad decisions.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Had their jobs taken away, are no longer allowed to work
___________________________________________________________________
5. The high building in an airport from where instructions are given to help people takeoff and land airplanes safely.
__________________________ _________________________________________
6. People who fly airplanes.
___________________________________________________________________
7. A type of airplane.
____________________________________________________________________
8. Thought of something funny.
____________________________________________________________________
9. His manager, the person who makes sure that he does his job properly, gets training to do it and that his behavior at work is acceptable. ____________________________________________________________________
10. Is being made to seem much more serious than it actually is. ____________________________________________________________________
ANSWERS
Part A
1. false 2. false 3. false 4. false 5. false 5. true 7. true 8. true.
Part B
1. distractions 2. violated 3. lapse in judgment 4. relieved of their duties
5. the control tower 6. pilots 7. an Airbus A320 8. amused
9. his supervisor 10. is being blown out of proportion.
Gold For Canada As Olympics Ends, BBC, Words In The News
Gold for Canada as Olympics End
Adapted from BBC, Words in the News, 1 March 2010.
Reporter: Ian Gunn
The flame was put out and the organizers were praised as the Olympic games in Vancouver came to a close. But the real excitement was provided by Canada’s men’s ice-hockey team winning the final gold medal of the games.
The ceremony was marked by Canadians making gentle fun of themselves. In a nod to a glitch in the opening ceremony, part of the Olympic cauldron which couldn’t be lit two weeks ago was set alight to kick off the closing. The ceremony also featured a comic parade of Canadian stereotypes including Mounties, canoes and moose-antler hats for members of the audience.
In his closing remarks IOC ( International Olympics Committee) President Jacques Rogge called the games ‘excellent’ and ‘very friendly’ and said the Canadian organizers had done an outstanding job.
The head of Vancouver’s organizing committee received a deafening cheer from the 60,000 spectators as he acknowledged Canada’s ice-hockey team that won the final gold medal of the games shortly before the ceremony. John Furlong also said the games had lifted the Canadian mood in a way no one could have anticipated.
The Canadian officials handed the Olympic flag to organizers of the next Winter Olympics in Sochi who invited the world to Russia in 2014 with simultaneous performances inside the Canadian stadium and from Sochi itself.
Part A: Write TRUE or FALSE
1. During the ceremony, the Canadians were laughing and smiling at things about themselves. __________________
2. There was a small problem in the opening ceremony . ___________________
3. There was a parade of Canadian police officers. ____________
4. Jacques Rogge was the President of Canada. __________
5. Head of Vancouver’s organizing committee received a cold welcome from the spectators. _____________
6. The ice-hockey team won a silver medal. ______________
7. The audience wore moose-antler hats. ___________
8. The next winter games will be held in Sochi. __________
9. Sochi is in Russia. _____________
10. The next winter Olympics is in five years’ time. _________
Part B: Vocabulary Matching
Match the sentences with the words given below.
A. making gentle fun of themselves B. a nod to
C. a glitch in D. cauldron
E. to kick off F. Mounties
G. moose-antler hats H. a deafening cheer
I. lifted the Canadian mood J. anticipated
1. an acknowledgment of, in recognition of.
__________________________________________________________
2. smiling or laughing at things about themselves that others find funny.
__________________________________________________________
3. a small problem or fault.
__________________________________________________________
4. to start, to begin
_________________________________________________________
5. hats that have flat horns on them like those of a large type of deer found in
North America.
_________________________________________________________
6. Canadian police officers who are well known for their colourful uniforms and their use of horses rather than motor vehicles.
_________________________________________________________
7. expected, predicted
________________________________________________________
8. an extremely loud sound made by a crowd of people to show that they are very pleased.
________________________________________________________
9. made the Canadians feel happier
_______________________________________________________
10. very large, round metal pot that is used on fires, here, to hold the Olympic flame.
_______________________________________________________
ANSWERS
Part A
1. true 2. true 3. true 4. false 5. false 6. false 7. true 8. true 9. true 10. false
Part B
1. a nod 2. making gentle fun of themselves 3. a glitch in 4. to kick off 5. moose-antler hats 6. Mounties 7. anticipated 8. a defeaning cher 9. lifted the Canadian mood 10. cauldron
Adapted from BBC, Words in the News, 1 March 2010.
Reporter: Ian Gunn
The flame was put out and the organizers were praised as the Olympic games in Vancouver came to a close. But the real excitement was provided by Canada’s men’s ice-hockey team winning the final gold medal of the games.
The ceremony was marked by Canadians making gentle fun of themselves. In a nod to a glitch in the opening ceremony, part of the Olympic cauldron which couldn’t be lit two weeks ago was set alight to kick off the closing. The ceremony also featured a comic parade of Canadian stereotypes including Mounties, canoes and moose-antler hats for members of the audience.
In his closing remarks IOC ( International Olympics Committee) President Jacques Rogge called the games ‘excellent’ and ‘very friendly’ and said the Canadian organizers had done an outstanding job.
The head of Vancouver’s organizing committee received a deafening cheer from the 60,000 spectators as he acknowledged Canada’s ice-hockey team that won the final gold medal of the games shortly before the ceremony. John Furlong also said the games had lifted the Canadian mood in a way no one could have anticipated.
The Canadian officials handed the Olympic flag to organizers of the next Winter Olympics in Sochi who invited the world to Russia in 2014 with simultaneous performances inside the Canadian stadium and from Sochi itself.
Part A: Write TRUE or FALSE
1. During the ceremony, the Canadians were laughing and smiling at things about themselves. __________________
2. There was a small problem in the opening ceremony . ___________________
3. There was a parade of Canadian police officers. ____________
4. Jacques Rogge was the President of Canada. __________
5. Head of Vancouver’s organizing committee received a cold welcome from the spectators. _____________
6. The ice-hockey team won a silver medal. ______________
7. The audience wore moose-antler hats. ___________
8. The next winter games will be held in Sochi. __________
9. Sochi is in Russia. _____________
10. The next winter Olympics is in five years’ time. _________
Part B: Vocabulary Matching
Match the sentences with the words given below.
A. making gentle fun of themselves B. a nod to
C. a glitch in D. cauldron
E. to kick off F. Mounties
G. moose-antler hats H. a deafening cheer
I. lifted the Canadian mood J. anticipated
1. an acknowledgment of, in recognition of.
__________________________________________________________
2. smiling or laughing at things about themselves that others find funny.
__________________________________________________________
3. a small problem or fault.
__________________________________________________________
4. to start, to begin
_________________________________________________________
5. hats that have flat horns on them like those of a large type of deer found in
North America.
_________________________________________________________
6. Canadian police officers who are well known for their colourful uniforms and their use of horses rather than motor vehicles.
_________________________________________________________
7. expected, predicted
________________________________________________________
8. an extremely loud sound made by a crowd of people to show that they are very pleased.
________________________________________________________
9. made the Canadians feel happier
_______________________________________________________
10. very large, round metal pot that is used on fires, here, to hold the Olympic flame.
_______________________________________________________
ANSWERS
Part A
1. true 2. true 3. true 4. false 5. false 6. false 7. true 8. true 9. true 10. false
Part B
1. a nod 2. making gentle fun of themselves 3. a glitch in 4. to kick off 5. moose-antler hats 6. Mounties 7. anticipated 8. a defeaning cher 9. lifted the Canadian mood 10. cauldron
Sunday, February 21, 2010
JOLLY JUMBO- decribing people
Name ________________________ Class _____________ Date ______________
Feb 8, 2010 , STRAITS TIMES
Vocabulary and Grammar( Tenses, punctuation) Worksheet
Title: Jolly Jumbo
Good service, good food and GM Ang Kiam Meng's personal touch keep customers happy at Jumbo's restaurants
By huang lijie
Apart from its six seafood outlets, Mr Ang has added new dining concepts to the Jumbo Group. -- ST
PART ONE: GRAMMAR: TENSES
Seafood restaurateur Ang Kiam Meng is the last person you expect to 1. ________( be+concern) about what to wear for a photo shoot.
Yet the 47-year-old general manager of the Jumbo Group of restaurants, clad in a long-sleeved white shirt and dark trousers for an earlier office meeting, turns up for the interview at his semi-detached home off MacPherson Road, asking: What should I wear? Something casual or formal? Maybe both so you 2. ____________(be) a choice?
He 3. __________(pick) out a black Mandarin-collar shirt and a company T-shirt, and
4. ___________(change) outfits quickly during the photo shoot.
Those who do not know him better might think he is vain. But his friends will tell you such behaviour is typical of the unassuming man, who 5. __________( considerate) and
6. ___________(focus) on getting the job done well.
Indeed, he 7. ___________(skip) lunch after his previous meeting ran late, so that the interview can proceed as scheduled. He 8. __________(quell) hunger pangs during the three-hour conversation by 9. __________(nibble) on Nonya kueh.
He is decidedly low-key for someone whose six Jumbo Seafood restaurants in locations such as East Coast Parkway and Dempsey Hill, posted a combined revenue of $51 million last year.
The three-storey home where he 10. ___________(live) with his four children, aged between 10 and 20, and wife Jacqueline, 47, assistant general manager of the Jumbo Group, shows his preference for restraint.
The red cotton sofa set 11. __________(spell) comfort, not designer furniture. The glass dining table 12. __________(decorate) with sea shells. Family photos grace the walls of the living room.
His parents, Madam Nyeo Sai Joo, 70, and Mr Ang Hon Nam, 72, live next door while two of his younger sisters live opposite. He says: 'We 13. _________(be) a close-knit family and living on the same street allows us to take care of one another.'
The down-to-earth air extends to his favourite pastime - basketball. He 14. _______(perk + preposition) when talking about his recreational basketball team, the 88ers, which 15. _________(be) formed in 1988. The group is made up of friends and it used to meet weekly at community clubs until recently, when the members' heavy work commitments took a toll. Now, it meets once a month.
PART TWO: VOCABULARY
He also runs and pounds the pavement of his neighbourhood at least once a week, covering about 4km each time. It helps him relax and sort out his 1. (thoughts/ motives/money)
Besides Jumbo Seafood, the group also runs hotpot restaurant Jpot at VivoCity, Claypot Fun, a claypot rice restaurant in East Coast Parkway, and Yoshimaru Ramen Bar in Holland Village and East Coast Parkway. It also has shares in two Singapore Seafood Republic restaurants with 2. (headquarters/booths/outlets) in Shinagawa and Ginza in Tokyo.
He says: 'I always think of the business from the customer's point of view and what I would like if I were the 3. ( client/ student/customer).'
This is why he prices Jumbo Seafood's signature chilli crab and black pepper crab between $36 and $42 per kg, instead of the usual $44 per kg that other restaurants charge. He says: 'Chilli crab and pepper crab are our main draws and we believe in giving customers the best
4. ( quantity/ object/value) for their money.'
With this in mind, he 5. ( projected/launched/organized) the Jumbo Rewards card in 2004. Anyone can sign up for the card, which offers members a 10 per cent discount on meals and a 5 per cent 6. (rebate/incentive/gifts) that may be used to pay for subsequent meals or redeemed as dining-shopping 7. (vouchers/cheques/cash). About 17,000 cards have been issued so far.
Even the corporate calendar given to regular customers comes with discount 8.(coupons/letters/credits) for a special dish every month at each of its restaurants.
Mr Han Jin Juan, 57, managing director of Palm Beach Seafood Restaurants and a shareholder of Claypot Fun, Yoshimaru Ramen Bar and Singapore Seafood Republic, says: 'Kiam Meng is very hands on. Every time he opens a new restaurant, he is always around to help
9. (in/under/out) and serve customers. Not all restaurant owners as successful as him will go to this extent.'
As the president of the Restaurant Association of Singapore, which represents 2,000 restaurants, Mr Ang has done things differently.
He has been 10. (called/announced/nominated)to the post for two two-year terms since 2006 and says: 'When I took over, the association was fighting to stay afloat financially. So I made sure its day-to-day operations, such as organising activities for members, are financially self-sustaining. It is now financially stable.'
He developed the association's training centre into the Singapore
11. (Handicraft/Baking/Culinary) Institute in 2007. The institute teaches Asian culinary skills and it is supported by enterprise development agency Spring Singapore and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.
His willingness to share trade information with its members, even if some are direct business competitors, helped to strengthen the industry too. For example, he tells members about reliable suppliers and contractors he has encountered.
He says: 'I regard other restaurateurs as friends because when the industry is faced with challenges, it is easier for us to come together and solve problems.'
This is why he has had no trouble working with other restaurants such as Palm Beach Seafood and Seafood International on new dining eateries.
He adds: 'We have our own market segments and we
12. (substitute/complement/compete) one another. Palm Beach caters to a corporate crowd, Seafood International is into fine-dining and Jumbo is more for the masses.'
Mr Han of Palm Beach Seafood says: 'He is very helpful and willing to share information that will benefit the industry. As a business partner, he is also very focused and detail-oriented.'
PART THREE: GRAMMAR
Yet, Mr Ang is an accidental restaurateur. Born the eldest of five children to a housewife mother and taxi driver father, he spent his early years living in an attap house in Aljunied.
The family's fortunes improved after his father started running a garment manufacturing business and they 1. _________(move) into a semi-detached home off MacPherson Road when he was seven.
In school, he 2. ________(be) always among the top of his class. He 3. _________(study) at Maha Bodhi School, Maris Stella High School and the then Hwa Chong Junior College. He was also active in sports and represented his schools in basketball and track and field.
Mr Mark Kuah, 47, owner of an insurance agency who 4. _________(be+know) him since secondary school, says: 'Even though he was a top student, he 5. _________(be+help) those who were weak in their schoolwork. He never behaved like a rich man's son. He was humble and friendly to everyone.'
Mr Ang 6. ________(graduate) with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Texas in Austin in the United States in 1985 and worked as a software engineer with Singapore Technologies.
PART FOUR : EDITING- Tenses. Phrasal Verbs, Infinitives
There are FIFTEEN errors. Write the correct answer on the lines below.
In 1987, his father and nine friends 1. buys in a failed restaurant at the East Coast Seafood Centre and 2. had given it the catchy name Jumbo.
He says: 'My father and his friends used 3. to entertained a lot for business, so they 4. think opening their own seafood restaurant was a good idea. But it was a big mistake because they knew nothing about running a restaurant.'
The manager hired to run it 5. do not do a good job and the business 6. falters briefly. His father and uncle, who were major shareholders, 7. take off the operations and 8. rolled in changes that made sense to them if they were restaurant customers.
Menus, uncommon at most seafood restaurants then, 9. is introduce so that their pricing was transparent. They also treated all diners equally, regardless of the size of the dining group or the amount the party 10. spends.
This combination of good service and good food - their chilli crab 11. was simmering to extract the full flavour of the crab - made Jumbo Seafood popular.
In 1993, his father 12. has feeling it was time to expand the restaurant and asked him 13. to joined the business as he was the eldest son.
He says, “I was 14. half hearted about leaving my software engineering job because I knew nothing about running a restaurant. But I was a bit bored with corporate life and my father 15. needing me.”
His first big task was to open Jumbo's second outlet, but it failed. Lured by good rental, he took over the space of a failed restaurant at the then East Coast Recreation Centre, now called Marine Cove.
But he was not careful with the tenancy agreement, which allowed the landlord to increase the rent 5.6 times when the tenancy was up for renewal after two years.
So the restaurant, despite doing good business, wound up in 1995 without recovering its investment of $1.6 million.
He says: 'It was a very stressful time and I used to jog around my neighbourhood at 1am to try to de-stress. But I am not the sort to quit so I persevered.'
Over the next 12 years, he grew Jumbo Seafood to six outlets. He says: 'We will expand only when we have the manpower and financial ability to grow. We also avoid rushing into prime locations unless the rental price is right.'
He adds: 'The Singapore market for seafood restaurants is limited so we have gone overseas and also opened different dining concepts.'
In 2008, it opened Singapore Seafood Republic in Shinagawa, Tokyo with Palm Beach Seafood, Seafood International and Kriston Food and Beverage after they were approached by Japan's Maruha Restaurant Systems to launch a seafood restaurant that features each partner's signature style of crabs.
The restaurant, which sells about 3,000kg of crabs every month, spawned a second outlet in Ginza, Tokyo last year.
Jumbo also added three new concepts to its group of restaurants last year.
Claypot Fun, a collaboration with other restaurateurs, came about because they love eating claypot rice and saw the potential for this type of cuisine. The restaurant, which cost $80,000 to set up, broke even in six months.
Similarly, its hotpot restaurant, Jpot, was opened to satisfy consumer demand for steamboat. It is on track to recover its $800,000 set-up costs in three years.
Yoshimaru Ramen Bar, started in Japan by Maruha Restaurant Systems, was brought in because of Singaporean's appetite for ramen.
This year, Jumbo will launch a casual seafood restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa in partnership with Tung Lok restaurant, Palm Beach Seafood, Seafood International and Singapore Seafood Republic.
Helping him grow the business are his sister, Mrs Christina Kong, 41, head of corporate affairs and human resources, and brother, Mr Ang Kiam Lian, 37, head of strategic business planning.
The advantage of working with family, he says, is that they are committed to the business, although he acknowledges they have to be careful to maintain a strictly professional relationship at work.
He adds: 'Sometimes, because they are family, I take them for granted. I have overlooked my wife's feelings and been quite harsh with her during discussions in the past. But I have since mellowed.'
Mrs Ang says: 'He has become more understanding and we have learnt how to come to a compromise on issues.'
He says: 'When I first started in this business, I kept wondering if I made the right choice. I struggled a lot and I had so little confidence in myself then, I did not dare to tell people I was a restaurateur.
'But I stuck with it and I have no regrets now, 17 years later.'
PART FIVE: GRAMMAR- PUNCTUATION
Punctuate the following .
1. This is a semi detached house.
2. Mr Tan is the forty year old general manager.
3. He wore a long sleeved shirt and a black bow tie.
4. He wore a mandarin collar shirt.
5. It was a three hour wait.
6. They live in a three storey house.
7. This is a close knit family.
8. His down to earth ideas won the audience to his side.
9. The day to day operations in the restaurant went on smoothly.
10. There are many fine dining restaurants along the beach.
11. He is focused and detail orientated.
12. We like to de stress by going to the Spa Resort at Batam every weekend.
ANSWERS
Part one
1. be concerned 2. have 3. picked 4. changed 5. is considerate 6. focused
7. skips 8. quells 9. nibbling 10. lives 11. spells 12. decorates 13. are
14. oerks up 15. was
Part two
1. thoughts 2. outlets 3. client 4. value 5. launched 6. rebate 7. vouchers
8. coupons 9. out 10. nominated 11. culinary 12. complement
Part three
1. moved 2. was 3. studied 4. was known 5. would help 6. graduated
Part four
1. buys over 2. gave 3. to entertain 4. thought 5. did not do
6. faltered 7. took over 8. rolled out 9. was introduced
10. spent 11. was simmered 12. felt 13. to join
14. half-hearted 15. needed
Part five
1. semi-detached 2. forty-year-old 3. long-sleeved 4. mandarin-collar 5. three-hour 6. three-storey 7. close-knit 8. down-to-earth 9 close-knit
10. day-to-day 11. fine-dining 12. de-stress
Feb 8, 2010 , STRAITS TIMES
Vocabulary and Grammar( Tenses, punctuation) Worksheet
Title: Jolly Jumbo
Good service, good food and GM Ang Kiam Meng's personal touch keep customers happy at Jumbo's restaurants
By huang lijie
Apart from its six seafood outlets, Mr Ang has added new dining concepts to the Jumbo Group. -- ST
PART ONE: GRAMMAR: TENSES
Seafood restaurateur Ang Kiam Meng is the last person you expect to 1. ________( be+concern) about what to wear for a photo shoot.
Yet the 47-year-old general manager of the Jumbo Group of restaurants, clad in a long-sleeved white shirt and dark trousers for an earlier office meeting, turns up for the interview at his semi-detached home off MacPherson Road, asking: What should I wear? Something casual or formal? Maybe both so you 2. ____________(be) a choice?
He 3. __________(pick) out a black Mandarin-collar shirt and a company T-shirt, and
4. ___________(change) outfits quickly during the photo shoot.
Those who do not know him better might think he is vain. But his friends will tell you such behaviour is typical of the unassuming man, who 5. __________( considerate) and
6. ___________(focus) on getting the job done well.
Indeed, he 7. ___________(skip) lunch after his previous meeting ran late, so that the interview can proceed as scheduled. He 8. __________(quell) hunger pangs during the three-hour conversation by 9. __________(nibble) on Nonya kueh.
He is decidedly low-key for someone whose six Jumbo Seafood restaurants in locations such as East Coast Parkway and Dempsey Hill, posted a combined revenue of $51 million last year.
The three-storey home where he 10. ___________(live) with his four children, aged between 10 and 20, and wife Jacqueline, 47, assistant general manager of the Jumbo Group, shows his preference for restraint.
The red cotton sofa set 11. __________(spell) comfort, not designer furniture. The glass dining table 12. __________(decorate) with sea shells. Family photos grace the walls of the living room.
His parents, Madam Nyeo Sai Joo, 70, and Mr Ang Hon Nam, 72, live next door while two of his younger sisters live opposite. He says: 'We 13. _________(be) a close-knit family and living on the same street allows us to take care of one another.'
The down-to-earth air extends to his favourite pastime - basketball. He 14. _______(perk + preposition) when talking about his recreational basketball team, the 88ers, which 15. _________(be) formed in 1988. The group is made up of friends and it used to meet weekly at community clubs until recently, when the members' heavy work commitments took a toll. Now, it meets once a month.
PART TWO: VOCABULARY
He also runs and pounds the pavement of his neighbourhood at least once a week, covering about 4km each time. It helps him relax and sort out his 1. (thoughts/ motives/money)
Besides Jumbo Seafood, the group also runs hotpot restaurant Jpot at VivoCity, Claypot Fun, a claypot rice restaurant in East Coast Parkway, and Yoshimaru Ramen Bar in Holland Village and East Coast Parkway. It also has shares in two Singapore Seafood Republic restaurants with 2. (headquarters/booths/outlets) in Shinagawa and Ginza in Tokyo.
He says: 'I always think of the business from the customer's point of view and what I would like if I were the 3. ( client/ student/customer).'
This is why he prices Jumbo Seafood's signature chilli crab and black pepper crab between $36 and $42 per kg, instead of the usual $44 per kg that other restaurants charge. He says: 'Chilli crab and pepper crab are our main draws and we believe in giving customers the best
4. ( quantity/ object/value) for their money.'
With this in mind, he 5. ( projected/launched/organized) the Jumbo Rewards card in 2004. Anyone can sign up for the card, which offers members a 10 per cent discount on meals and a 5 per cent 6. (rebate/incentive/gifts) that may be used to pay for subsequent meals or redeemed as dining-shopping 7. (vouchers/cheques/cash). About 17,000 cards have been issued so far.
Even the corporate calendar given to regular customers comes with discount 8.(coupons/letters/credits) for a special dish every month at each of its restaurants.
Mr Han Jin Juan, 57, managing director of Palm Beach Seafood Restaurants and a shareholder of Claypot Fun, Yoshimaru Ramen Bar and Singapore Seafood Republic, says: 'Kiam Meng is very hands on. Every time he opens a new restaurant, he is always around to help
9. (in/under/out) and serve customers. Not all restaurant owners as successful as him will go to this extent.'
As the president of the Restaurant Association of Singapore, which represents 2,000 restaurants, Mr Ang has done things differently.
He has been 10. (called/announced/nominated)to the post for two two-year terms since 2006 and says: 'When I took over, the association was fighting to stay afloat financially. So I made sure its day-to-day operations, such as organising activities for members, are financially self-sustaining. It is now financially stable.'
He developed the association's training centre into the Singapore
11. (Handicraft/Baking/Culinary) Institute in 2007. The institute teaches Asian culinary skills and it is supported by enterprise development agency Spring Singapore and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.
His willingness to share trade information with its members, even if some are direct business competitors, helped to strengthen the industry too. For example, he tells members about reliable suppliers and contractors he has encountered.
He says: 'I regard other restaurateurs as friends because when the industry is faced with challenges, it is easier for us to come together and solve problems.'
This is why he has had no trouble working with other restaurants such as Palm Beach Seafood and Seafood International on new dining eateries.
He adds: 'We have our own market segments and we
12. (substitute/complement/compete) one another. Palm Beach caters to a corporate crowd, Seafood International is into fine-dining and Jumbo is more for the masses.'
Mr Han of Palm Beach Seafood says: 'He is very helpful and willing to share information that will benefit the industry. As a business partner, he is also very focused and detail-oriented.'
PART THREE: GRAMMAR
Yet, Mr Ang is an accidental restaurateur. Born the eldest of five children to a housewife mother and taxi driver father, he spent his early years living in an attap house in Aljunied.
The family's fortunes improved after his father started running a garment manufacturing business and they 1. _________(move) into a semi-detached home off MacPherson Road when he was seven.
In school, he 2. ________(be) always among the top of his class. He 3. _________(study) at Maha Bodhi School, Maris Stella High School and the then Hwa Chong Junior College. He was also active in sports and represented his schools in basketball and track and field.
Mr Mark Kuah, 47, owner of an insurance agency who 4. _________(be+know) him since secondary school, says: 'Even though he was a top student, he 5. _________(be+help) those who were weak in their schoolwork. He never behaved like a rich man's son. He was humble and friendly to everyone.'
Mr Ang 6. ________(graduate) with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Texas in Austin in the United States in 1985 and worked as a software engineer with Singapore Technologies.
PART FOUR : EDITING- Tenses. Phrasal Verbs, Infinitives
There are FIFTEEN errors. Write the correct answer on the lines below.
In 1987, his father and nine friends 1. buys in a failed restaurant at the East Coast Seafood Centre and 2. had given it the catchy name Jumbo.
He says: 'My father and his friends used 3. to entertained a lot for business, so they 4. think opening their own seafood restaurant was a good idea. But it was a big mistake because they knew nothing about running a restaurant.'
The manager hired to run it 5. do not do a good job and the business 6. falters briefly. His father and uncle, who were major shareholders, 7. take off the operations and 8. rolled in changes that made sense to them if they were restaurant customers.
Menus, uncommon at most seafood restaurants then, 9. is introduce so that their pricing was transparent. They also treated all diners equally, regardless of the size of the dining group or the amount the party 10. spends.
This combination of good service and good food - their chilli crab 11. was simmering to extract the full flavour of the crab - made Jumbo Seafood popular.
In 1993, his father 12. has feeling it was time to expand the restaurant and asked him 13. to joined the business as he was the eldest son.
He says, “I was 14. half hearted about leaving my software engineering job because I knew nothing about running a restaurant. But I was a bit bored with corporate life and my father 15. needing me.”
His first big task was to open Jumbo's second outlet, but it failed. Lured by good rental, he took over the space of a failed restaurant at the then East Coast Recreation Centre, now called Marine Cove.
But he was not careful with the tenancy agreement, which allowed the landlord to increase the rent 5.6 times when the tenancy was up for renewal after two years.
So the restaurant, despite doing good business, wound up in 1995 without recovering its investment of $1.6 million.
He says: 'It was a very stressful time and I used to jog around my neighbourhood at 1am to try to de-stress. But I am not the sort to quit so I persevered.'
Over the next 12 years, he grew Jumbo Seafood to six outlets. He says: 'We will expand only when we have the manpower and financial ability to grow. We also avoid rushing into prime locations unless the rental price is right.'
He adds: 'The Singapore market for seafood restaurants is limited so we have gone overseas and also opened different dining concepts.'
In 2008, it opened Singapore Seafood Republic in Shinagawa, Tokyo with Palm Beach Seafood, Seafood International and Kriston Food and Beverage after they were approached by Japan's Maruha Restaurant Systems to launch a seafood restaurant that features each partner's signature style of crabs.
The restaurant, which sells about 3,000kg of crabs every month, spawned a second outlet in Ginza, Tokyo last year.
Jumbo also added three new concepts to its group of restaurants last year.
Claypot Fun, a collaboration with other restaurateurs, came about because they love eating claypot rice and saw the potential for this type of cuisine. The restaurant, which cost $80,000 to set up, broke even in six months.
Similarly, its hotpot restaurant, Jpot, was opened to satisfy consumer demand for steamboat. It is on track to recover its $800,000 set-up costs in three years.
Yoshimaru Ramen Bar, started in Japan by Maruha Restaurant Systems, was brought in because of Singaporean's appetite for ramen.
This year, Jumbo will launch a casual seafood restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa in partnership with Tung Lok restaurant, Palm Beach Seafood, Seafood International and Singapore Seafood Republic.
Helping him grow the business are his sister, Mrs Christina Kong, 41, head of corporate affairs and human resources, and brother, Mr Ang Kiam Lian, 37, head of strategic business planning.
The advantage of working with family, he says, is that they are committed to the business, although he acknowledges they have to be careful to maintain a strictly professional relationship at work.
He adds: 'Sometimes, because they are family, I take them for granted. I have overlooked my wife's feelings and been quite harsh with her during discussions in the past. But I have since mellowed.'
Mrs Ang says: 'He has become more understanding and we have learnt how to come to a compromise on issues.'
He says: 'When I first started in this business, I kept wondering if I made the right choice. I struggled a lot and I had so little confidence in myself then, I did not dare to tell people I was a restaurateur.
'But I stuck with it and I have no regrets now, 17 years later.'
PART FIVE: GRAMMAR- PUNCTUATION
Punctuate the following .
1. This is a semi detached house.
2. Mr Tan is the forty year old general manager.
3. He wore a long sleeved shirt and a black bow tie.
4. He wore a mandarin collar shirt.
5. It was a three hour wait.
6. They live in a three storey house.
7. This is a close knit family.
8. His down to earth ideas won the audience to his side.
9. The day to day operations in the restaurant went on smoothly.
10. There are many fine dining restaurants along the beach.
11. He is focused and detail orientated.
12. We like to de stress by going to the Spa Resort at Batam every weekend.
ANSWERS
Part one
1. be concerned 2. have 3. picked 4. changed 5. is considerate 6. focused
7. skips 8. quells 9. nibbling 10. lives 11. spells 12. decorates 13. are
14. oerks up 15. was
Part two
1. thoughts 2. outlets 3. client 4. value 5. launched 6. rebate 7. vouchers
8. coupons 9. out 10. nominated 11. culinary 12. complement
Part three
1. moved 2. was 3. studied 4. was known 5. would help 6. graduated
Part four
1. buys over 2. gave 3. to entertain 4. thought 5. did not do
6. faltered 7. took over 8. rolled out 9. was introduced
10. spent 11. was simmered 12. felt 13. to join
14. half-hearted 15. needed
Part five
1. semi-detached 2. forty-year-old 3. long-sleeved 4. mandarin-collar 5. three-hour 6. three-storey 7. close-knit 8. down-to-earth 9 close-knit
10. day-to-day 11. fine-dining 12. de-stress
Feb 18, 2010 , STRAITS TIMES
READING ARTICLE WITH QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY
Punctual students get a reward
Schools come up with innovative ways to get students to be on time
By Leow Si Wan
What two schools have done
· MAYFLOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Results: About 30 students were arriving late at the start of last year. The number has shrunk by half.
Methods: A combination of rewards, technology, discipline and counselling.
From 2008, the school launched a reward system in which classes with the lowest rates of lateness and truancy, and high participation in school activities, were given certificates to be displayed on their classroom door.
The school seats latecomers outside the general office during morning assembly.
Teachers who encounter such students are required to speak to them about the school's values, such as having a positive attitude and responsibility.
This year, the school introduced a computer system that makes tracking easier.
Details of latecomers are keyed into the system, which teachers can log into from any computer terminal.
Vice-principal Sarawathy Varadaraju said: 'We try to affirm and promote good habits by using peer pressure and class spirit. The students really enjoy the recognition.'
· TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE
Results: More than 80 students were late daily. This was cut to about 20 a day last year, a 75 per cent plunge.
Methods: Like Mayflower Secondary, Tampines enforced monitoring and preached the virtues of being punctual, along with paying attention and participating in lessons.
The students' overall assessment includes being prepared for and being participative during lessons.
To motivate students, those who exhibit good college values are recognised publicly.
The school also now starts its morning assembly at 7.40am, instead of 7.30am, so that students will not be caught in peak-hour traffic.
Principal Helen Choo said: 'Believing in the principle of tough love, the college uses a carrot-and-stick method to develop discipline and instil a good work attitude in students.'
Ping Yi Secondary students boarding the bus provided by the school near the Bedok Interchange. It helps them beat the morning rush and get to school on time.
SCHOOLS which have come up with novel ways to get their students to be on time have managed to shave tardiness rates by between 20 per cent and 75 per cent.
Instead of punishing latecomers, they reward students who are punctual or, in the case of one school, help them be on time by providing buses to ferry them to school from a pick-up point near the bus interchange.
It is not that latecomers are a major problem at these schools, but the teachers save time when all students are present at the start of classes.
Teachers need not waste time tracking the laggards, nor do they need to call the students' parents or set aside time to meet them to discuss their children's problem. Teachers also need not slow down a lesson, or repeat parts of it, for latecomers.
The time saved could go towards better preparations for lessons, and, hence, more effective lessons.
At Mayflower Secondary School, for instance, classes are recognised for punctuality and other achievements with certificates that can be displayed on classroom doors.
The school also uses technology: A computer is used to log the details of latecomers, and teachers can use this to track their students' comings and goings more effectively.
The school, which used to have 30 to 40 latecomers daily, now has half that number.
Vice-principal Sarawathy Varadaraju said: 'The late-coming situation was not worsening, but of course we wanted the number to be lower, so we introduced a multi-pronged approach. And things have since improved tremendously.'
Some schools have organised daily lucky draws to reward those who show up on time, while others offer incentives such as free meals to the most punctual classes or start their morning assemblies later (See report below).
Ping Yi Secondary School in Chai Chee started a shuttle bus service last year to ferry its students to school from a pick-up point near the Bedok bus interchange. A trip costs $30, and about 30 students use the bus service each day.
The service was started when the school realised that its students were jostling with pupils from East Coast Primary School and workers in the nearby factories to get on SBS service 222 - the only one serving the school - at the Bedok Interchange in the mornings.
Principal Shanti Devi said that besides saving teachers time from having to deal with latecomers, improving punctuality also saves parents the hassle of needing to take leave to meet their child's teacher on the matter.
About 40 students used to be late every day. The number has since fallen by 20 per cent.
Ping Yi also holds lucky draws to recognise students who make it on time for the morning assembly. Those whose names are drawn receive vouchers for use at the school's cafe.
Monthly awards are given out for the most punctual classes and classes that improve the most in punctuality.
Teachers also get students to reflect on why they are late, and to commit to arriving on time. Parents are sometimes included in these mini-conferences.
The students now feel more motivated to be on time. Poch Choon Yee, 16, who lives in Pasir Ris, used to be late at least once or twice a month because of the rush for service 222 - despite rising at 4.45am.
She said: 'With the shuttle bus, it is easier. The lucky draw every day also makes coming to school more fun. You never know when you will win.'
Serangoon Secondary School principal Yeo Kuerk Heng sees punctuality as a virtue that needs to be instilled from young, and one that will stand students in good stead when they begin working.
His school hired two teacher aides last year specifically to help form teachers take attendance and follow up on latecomers and absentees. From a dozen latecomers a day, the school now has half that number, and attendance has improved 17per cent.
Principals identified a lack of discipline as being at the root of tardiness.
Said Mayflower Secondary's Madam Sarawathy: 'There are some students who wait for their friends, others who want to skip the first physical education period and those who can't wake up in time. Ultimately, what we want to do through these measures is to instil the right values and attitude in a child.'
Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said such creative measures, instead of punitive ones, were a good move.
He said: 'I don't think it will lead to a sense of entitlement. Rather, it will encourage students to come on time and gradually develop habits of punctuality in them.'
siwan@sph.com.sg
QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the ways schools in Singapore get students to reach school on time?
2. Why are some students often late?
3. Why are some students always punctual or early?
4. What are the qualities of a good student?
5. How does punctuality affect studies and academic results?
6. Are Singapore’s MRT, bus and taxi system efficient and convenient means of transportation?
7. How would you like to be rewarded?
VOCABULARY
Use a dictionary or thesaurus and find the meaning of the following words
1. mini-conferences
2. punctuality
3. instilled
4. ultimately
5. multi-pronged approach
6. hassle
7. laggards
READING ARTICLE WITH QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY
Punctual students get a reward
Schools come up with innovative ways to get students to be on time
By Leow Si Wan
What two schools have done
· MAYFLOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Results: About 30 students were arriving late at the start of last year. The number has shrunk by half.
Methods: A combination of rewards, technology, discipline and counselling.
From 2008, the school launched a reward system in which classes with the lowest rates of lateness and truancy, and high participation in school activities, were given certificates to be displayed on their classroom door.
The school seats latecomers outside the general office during morning assembly.
Teachers who encounter such students are required to speak to them about the school's values, such as having a positive attitude and responsibility.
This year, the school introduced a computer system that makes tracking easier.
Details of latecomers are keyed into the system, which teachers can log into from any computer terminal.
Vice-principal Sarawathy Varadaraju said: 'We try to affirm and promote good habits by using peer pressure and class spirit. The students really enjoy the recognition.'
· TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE
Results: More than 80 students were late daily. This was cut to about 20 a day last year, a 75 per cent plunge.
Methods: Like Mayflower Secondary, Tampines enforced monitoring and preached the virtues of being punctual, along with paying attention and participating in lessons.
The students' overall assessment includes being prepared for and being participative during lessons.
To motivate students, those who exhibit good college values are recognised publicly.
The school also now starts its morning assembly at 7.40am, instead of 7.30am, so that students will not be caught in peak-hour traffic.
Principal Helen Choo said: 'Believing in the principle of tough love, the college uses a carrot-and-stick method to develop discipline and instil a good work attitude in students.'
Ping Yi Secondary students boarding the bus provided by the school near the Bedok Interchange. It helps them beat the morning rush and get to school on time.
SCHOOLS which have come up with novel ways to get their students to be on time have managed to shave tardiness rates by between 20 per cent and 75 per cent.
Instead of punishing latecomers, they reward students who are punctual or, in the case of one school, help them be on time by providing buses to ferry them to school from a pick-up point near the bus interchange.
It is not that latecomers are a major problem at these schools, but the teachers save time when all students are present at the start of classes.
Teachers need not waste time tracking the laggards, nor do they need to call the students' parents or set aside time to meet them to discuss their children's problem. Teachers also need not slow down a lesson, or repeat parts of it, for latecomers.
The time saved could go towards better preparations for lessons, and, hence, more effective lessons.
At Mayflower Secondary School, for instance, classes are recognised for punctuality and other achievements with certificates that can be displayed on classroom doors.
The school also uses technology: A computer is used to log the details of latecomers, and teachers can use this to track their students' comings and goings more effectively.
The school, which used to have 30 to 40 latecomers daily, now has half that number.
Vice-principal Sarawathy Varadaraju said: 'The late-coming situation was not worsening, but of course we wanted the number to be lower, so we introduced a multi-pronged approach. And things have since improved tremendously.'
Some schools have organised daily lucky draws to reward those who show up on time, while others offer incentives such as free meals to the most punctual classes or start their morning assemblies later (See report below).
Ping Yi Secondary School in Chai Chee started a shuttle bus service last year to ferry its students to school from a pick-up point near the Bedok bus interchange. A trip costs $30, and about 30 students use the bus service each day.
The service was started when the school realised that its students were jostling with pupils from East Coast Primary School and workers in the nearby factories to get on SBS service 222 - the only one serving the school - at the Bedok Interchange in the mornings.
Principal Shanti Devi said that besides saving teachers time from having to deal with latecomers, improving punctuality also saves parents the hassle of needing to take leave to meet their child's teacher on the matter.
About 40 students used to be late every day. The number has since fallen by 20 per cent.
Ping Yi also holds lucky draws to recognise students who make it on time for the morning assembly. Those whose names are drawn receive vouchers for use at the school's cafe.
Monthly awards are given out for the most punctual classes and classes that improve the most in punctuality.
Teachers also get students to reflect on why they are late, and to commit to arriving on time. Parents are sometimes included in these mini-conferences.
The students now feel more motivated to be on time. Poch Choon Yee, 16, who lives in Pasir Ris, used to be late at least once or twice a month because of the rush for service 222 - despite rising at 4.45am.
She said: 'With the shuttle bus, it is easier. The lucky draw every day also makes coming to school more fun. You never know when you will win.'
Serangoon Secondary School principal Yeo Kuerk Heng sees punctuality as a virtue that needs to be instilled from young, and one that will stand students in good stead when they begin working.
His school hired two teacher aides last year specifically to help form teachers take attendance and follow up on latecomers and absentees. From a dozen latecomers a day, the school now has half that number, and attendance has improved 17per cent.
Principals identified a lack of discipline as being at the root of tardiness.
Said Mayflower Secondary's Madam Sarawathy: 'There are some students who wait for their friends, others who want to skip the first physical education period and those who can't wake up in time. Ultimately, what we want to do through these measures is to instil the right values and attitude in a child.'
Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said such creative measures, instead of punitive ones, were a good move.
He said: 'I don't think it will lead to a sense of entitlement. Rather, it will encourage students to come on time and gradually develop habits of punctuality in them.'
siwan@sph.com.sg
QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the ways schools in Singapore get students to reach school on time?
2. Why are some students often late?
3. Why are some students always punctual or early?
4. What are the qualities of a good student?
5. How does punctuality affect studies and academic results?
6. Are Singapore’s MRT, bus and taxi system efficient and convenient means of transportation?
7. How would you like to be rewarded?
VOCABULARY
Use a dictionary or thesaurus and find the meaning of the following words
1. mini-conferences
2. punctuality
3. instilled
4. ultimately
5. multi-pronged approach
6. hassle
7. laggards
Name ________________ Class_____ Date _____
Vocabulary related to Population and Babies
PART ONE: Match the words with the correct meaning.
20 January 2010
Adapted from BBC, Words In The News
South Korean government workers are being told to 'go home and multiply'. Tonight the Ministry of Health, concerned about the country's falling birth rate, will force staff to leave the office early and return to their loved ones.
Reporter:
John Sudworth
Report
Forget that still unwritten report or the backlog of paperwork building up on the desk, on this cold and rainy mid-week night there can be no excuses to stay late in the office. South Korea's Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will be turning off all the lights at 7pm in a bid to force staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. It will repeat the experiment once a month.
The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan, and boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for this government. Staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs.
The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the “Ministry of Matchmaking”, is in charge of spearheading that drive and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. But critics say what is really needed is wide-scale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare that puts many young people off from starting a family.
Jonh Sudworth. BBC News, Seoul
Matching.
WORD/PHRASES ANSWER MEANING
1. the backlog of paperwork building up a. difficult and requiring a lot of responsibility, time and money.
2. birth rates b. encouraging office workers to start having relationships with each other.
3. boosting c. taking charge of the plan
4. staring into the abyss d. steadily increasing
5. rapidly ageing society e. when there are not enough young and fit people to do all the jobs needed to maintain the country’s economy.
6. falling levels of manpower f. when the population of a country is getting older with not enough younger people to take their place
7. spiralling g. looking to a future situation which will be difficult
8. fostering love amongst its bureaucrats h. increasing
9. burdensome i. the number of babies norn in a particular place during a certain period.
10. spearheading that drive g. the large and increasing amount of office documents( letters, reports,etc) that you should have dealt with before but which you still need to deal with
PART TWO: Vocabulary related to Babies and Natural Disaster
Underline the correct word
Earthquake at Haiti, Port-au-Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - – Nurses at Port-au-Prince's General Hospital clapped heartily as they welcomed Monday a baby girl pulled from the 1. (rubble/ monument/ garbage) six days after the earthquake that 2. ( slammed/ struck / felled) Haiti and destroyed her home.
The child, believed to be just 18 months old, was covered with 3. ( mites/ wreckage/ dust) otherwise appeared healthy. No one knew her name and
4. ( survivors/ terrorists/rescuers )believe her family died when her home 5. ( avalanche/collapsed/ excavated)
"This is 6. (horrendous/ alarming/incredible)," said a nurse that held the baby, carefully cleaning her body and giving her water. "She has no 7. ( wounds/ scrapes/injuries). Only a child is able to survive six days in this condition."
The unnamed girl is the second baby to be 8. ( buried/unearthed/ identified) in Haiti in as many days.
Medics at an Israeli field hospital outside the capital have also treated Jean-Louis Brahms, an eight-month-old baby 9. ( buried/ entombed/trapped) for five days under what used to be his house.
The baby's father and older brother 10. ( detained/ arrested/escaped) the house in time and 11.( afflicted/ suffered/ sustained)only minor injuries, but Jean-Louis remained trapped under the rubble for days until a neighbor heard him crying and contacted UN peacekeepers.
The child's mother said she had been back to the home several times. "I waited, called for him, and there was no 12. (exclamations/ questions/answer).
"I could not stay there, I could not accept that he was dead and buried in the rubble, so I left," she said, 13.( laughing/ sputtering/ choking) back her tears.
"When I look at him now I 14. ( wail/ hum/cry) out of happiness and believe in God more than ever," she said. "I had lost all hope of finding him alive."
Jean-Louis was close to 15. (health/ home/death) when he was rescued and had to be revived, said Amit Assa, an Israeli doctor at the field hospital. He only reacted to the antibiotics hours later," said Assa.
"It's 16. ( regrettable/ impressive/ incredible) that he is alive after five days without water, without food and in this heat."
However one of the infant's legs was 17. ( tortured/ plastered/ crushed) and gangrene had set in. "We don't know if we can save it," Assa said.
The Israeli field hospital has 18. ( warned/ shocked/ treated) some 250 victims, the vast majority of the them pulled found in the collapsed 19. (ruins/piles/terraces) of the city. Eighty have been children, mostly dazed orphans struggling to 20. (grasp/marvel/wonder) what has happened.
Even the adults found in the 21. (utter/ some/a bit of )destruction that littered the capital found the reality hard to bear. Perhaps it is better to be young, not to understand the scale of the catastrophe. Related article: Haiti relief surge fails to bring security
A young woman named Rose-Marie had been constantly crying ever since she was rescued from a collapsed restaurant four days after the quake struck. She was having a meal with friends, all of whom died close to her -- and according to the doctors, she does not yet realize that she has survived.
"She just repeats names and 22. (groans/laughed/moans)," said a nurse at the field hospital, as she gently treats Rose-Marie's injuries. "She still believes that she's in the restaurant."
On a nearby cot another survivor, Jacky Desbois, constantly 23. ( remembers/ repeats/ relives) the two days he spent in the ruins of a church.
"It was like being alive inside a tomb," he said. "I believed that God would not abandon me and I prayed, but I felt like I was going crazy. I thought I'd die there and no one would find me.
"Some friends got me out but they broke my leg. Now they have to operate on me, but I'm happy to be alive. I don't care about the leg," Desbois said.
Almost a week after the earthquake, fewer and fewer survivors were being found.
Among those so-called lucky survivors was Marie-France, 22, pulled out late Sunday after having his right arm 24. ( broken/ healed/ amputated). Related article: For thousands, successful healing pivots on amputation
"I didn't know what was going on outside, my only thought was to live," she mumbled, resting at the hospital's intensive care unit and still under the effect of morphine.
Nearby a 70 year-old man said he was trapped for four days in his bakery.
"I had already prepared myself to die. Time was 25. ( futile/ wonderful/ endless). When I was pulled out I did not know if two days or two weeks had gone by," he said.
Source: yahoo.com / 20 Jan 2010
Answers
PART ONE:
1. g 2. I 3. h 4. g 5. f 6. e 7. d 8. b 9. a 10. c
PART TWO
1. rubble 2. struck 3. dust 4. resources 5. rescuers 6. incredible 7. injuries
8. unearthed 9. trapped 10. escaped 11. sustained 12. answer 13. choking
14. cry 15. death 16. increduble 17. crushed 18. treated 19. ruins
20. grasp 21. utter 22. moans 23. relives 24. amputated 25. endless
Vocabulary related to Population and Babies
PART ONE: Match the words with the correct meaning.
20 January 2010
Adapted from BBC, Words In The News
South Korean government workers are being told to 'go home and multiply'. Tonight the Ministry of Health, concerned about the country's falling birth rate, will force staff to leave the office early and return to their loved ones.
Reporter:
John Sudworth
Report
Forget that still unwritten report or the backlog of paperwork building up on the desk, on this cold and rainy mid-week night there can be no excuses to stay late in the office. South Korea's Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will be turning off all the lights at 7pm in a bid to force staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. It will repeat the experiment once a month.
The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan, and boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for this government. Staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs.
The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the “Ministry of Matchmaking”, is in charge of spearheading that drive and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. But critics say what is really needed is wide-scale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare that puts many young people off from starting a family.
Jonh Sudworth. BBC News, Seoul
Matching.
WORD/PHRASES ANSWER MEANING
1. the backlog of paperwork building up a. difficult and requiring a lot of responsibility, time and money.
2. birth rates b. encouraging office workers to start having relationships with each other.
3. boosting c. taking charge of the plan
4. staring into the abyss d. steadily increasing
5. rapidly ageing society e. when there are not enough young and fit people to do all the jobs needed to maintain the country’s economy.
6. falling levels of manpower f. when the population of a country is getting older with not enough younger people to take their place
7. spiralling g. looking to a future situation which will be difficult
8. fostering love amongst its bureaucrats h. increasing
9. burdensome i. the number of babies norn in a particular place during a certain period.
10. spearheading that drive g. the large and increasing amount of office documents( letters, reports,etc) that you should have dealt with before but which you still need to deal with
PART TWO: Vocabulary related to Babies and Natural Disaster
Underline the correct word
Earthquake at Haiti, Port-au-Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - – Nurses at Port-au-Prince's General Hospital clapped heartily as they welcomed Monday a baby girl pulled from the 1. (rubble/ monument/ garbage) six days after the earthquake that 2. ( slammed/ struck / felled) Haiti and destroyed her home.
The child, believed to be just 18 months old, was covered with 3. ( mites/ wreckage/ dust) otherwise appeared healthy. No one knew her name and
4. ( survivors/ terrorists/rescuers )believe her family died when her home 5. ( avalanche/collapsed/ excavated)
"This is 6. (horrendous/ alarming/incredible)," said a nurse that held the baby, carefully cleaning her body and giving her water. "She has no 7. ( wounds/ scrapes/injuries). Only a child is able to survive six days in this condition."
The unnamed girl is the second baby to be 8. ( buried/unearthed/ identified) in Haiti in as many days.
Medics at an Israeli field hospital outside the capital have also treated Jean-Louis Brahms, an eight-month-old baby 9. ( buried/ entombed/trapped) for five days under what used to be his house.
The baby's father and older brother 10. ( detained/ arrested/escaped) the house in time and 11.( afflicted/ suffered/ sustained)only minor injuries, but Jean-Louis remained trapped under the rubble for days until a neighbor heard him crying and contacted UN peacekeepers.
The child's mother said she had been back to the home several times. "I waited, called for him, and there was no 12. (exclamations/ questions/answer).
"I could not stay there, I could not accept that he was dead and buried in the rubble, so I left," she said, 13.( laughing/ sputtering/ choking) back her tears.
"When I look at him now I 14. ( wail/ hum/cry) out of happiness and believe in God more than ever," she said. "I had lost all hope of finding him alive."
Jean-Louis was close to 15. (health/ home/death) when he was rescued and had to be revived, said Amit Assa, an Israeli doctor at the field hospital. He only reacted to the antibiotics hours later," said Assa.
"It's 16. ( regrettable/ impressive/ incredible) that he is alive after five days without water, without food and in this heat."
However one of the infant's legs was 17. ( tortured/ plastered/ crushed) and gangrene had set in. "We don't know if we can save it," Assa said.
The Israeli field hospital has 18. ( warned/ shocked/ treated) some 250 victims, the vast majority of the them pulled found in the collapsed 19. (ruins/piles/terraces) of the city. Eighty have been children, mostly dazed orphans struggling to 20. (grasp/marvel/wonder) what has happened.
Even the adults found in the 21. (utter/ some/a bit of )destruction that littered the capital found the reality hard to bear. Perhaps it is better to be young, not to understand the scale of the catastrophe. Related article: Haiti relief surge fails to bring security
A young woman named Rose-Marie had been constantly crying ever since she was rescued from a collapsed restaurant four days after the quake struck. She was having a meal with friends, all of whom died close to her -- and according to the doctors, she does not yet realize that she has survived.
"She just repeats names and 22. (groans/laughed/moans)," said a nurse at the field hospital, as she gently treats Rose-Marie's injuries. "She still believes that she's in the restaurant."
On a nearby cot another survivor, Jacky Desbois, constantly 23. ( remembers/ repeats/ relives) the two days he spent in the ruins of a church.
"It was like being alive inside a tomb," he said. "I believed that God would not abandon me and I prayed, but I felt like I was going crazy. I thought I'd die there and no one would find me.
"Some friends got me out but they broke my leg. Now they have to operate on me, but I'm happy to be alive. I don't care about the leg," Desbois said.
Almost a week after the earthquake, fewer and fewer survivors were being found.
Among those so-called lucky survivors was Marie-France, 22, pulled out late Sunday after having his right arm 24. ( broken/ healed/ amputated). Related article: For thousands, successful healing pivots on amputation
"I didn't know what was going on outside, my only thought was to live," she mumbled, resting at the hospital's intensive care unit and still under the effect of morphine.
Nearby a 70 year-old man said he was trapped for four days in his bakery.
"I had already prepared myself to die. Time was 25. ( futile/ wonderful/ endless). When I was pulled out I did not know if two days or two weeks had gone by," he said.
Source: yahoo.com / 20 Jan 2010
Answers
PART ONE:
1. g 2. I 3. h 4. g 5. f 6. e 7. d 8. b 9. a 10. c
PART TWO
1. rubble 2. struck 3. dust 4. resources 5. rescuers 6. incredible 7. injuries
8. unearthed 9. trapped 10. escaped 11. sustained 12. answer 13. choking
14. cry 15. death 16. increduble 17. crushed 18. treated 19. ruins
20. grasp 21. utter 22. moans 23. relives 24. amputated 25. endless
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