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Read the following story by Nanticha Ocharoenchai from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

David Yueng, founder of the vegetarian food company Green Monday, hopes to save the world one meatless meal at a time.

SHOCKING REPORT

It’s been almost 18 years since David Yueng became vegetarian. When the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was published in 2006, he described it as a “shocker and eye-opener”, and when the updated IPCC report came out earlier this month stating that eating less meat has a direct impact on controlling climate change, his belief was reaffirmed.

For years, it had become his mission to convince his friends and family to eat less meat, “sneaking in” the message during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“People looked at me like I was an alien,” Yueng recalled, chuckling. “They asked, ‘Don’t you have better things to do with your life?’”

Today, he has spread vegetarianism to over 1,000 restaurants throughout Hong Kong, another 1,000 schools and universities worldwide — covering around 2.5 million students in 30 countries — as well as major corporations through his company Green Monday. With expansion plans for mainland China, Singapore and Macau, Yueng is now working with Blue Lotus, a plant-based cuisine cooking school at the Evason Resort in Hua Hin, to expand Green Monday into Thailand soon.

EARTH DAY BEGINNINGS

From a start-up that launched in 2012 on April 22, or Earth Day, Green Monday has become more than the Meatless Monday concept that inspired it. Through a range of plant-based food programmes, educational campaigns including talks, exhibitions and workshops, as well as food rescue initiatives, it provides organisations and individuals with easy and effective ways in reducing its carbon footprint and improving health through dietary changes.

“Everyday when I wake up, I just feel that we have to do more,” Yueng said.

Named one of the Social Entrepreneurs of 2018 by the World Economic Forum, Yueng hopes to not only reduce meat intake with Green Monday, but also tackle climate change and ensure food security.

AWFUL TO AWESOME

In a country with one of the highest meat consumption per capita in the world, Yueng has been able to change Hong Kongers’ attitudes towards plant-based eating, from awful to awesome, with Green Monday’s “new paradigm of aspirational products”. Back then, vegetarians would have to go to the corner to eat their boring salads. Now, they’re the cool kids in school, hanging out at the hottest spot in town.

“If you just tell people that eating meat is bad for the planet, but then you still keep serving them the same tofu and salad every single day, quite frankly, even I would get bored too,” Yueng admitted.

Vegetarianism used to be seen as a bland, depriving and unsatisfying experience, perhaps mostly for women trying to lose weight. However, Green Monday’s stores, called Green Common, have given it a new face, now welcoming an increasing number of male customers, often with groups of muscly men coming in for its protein shakes with extra chia seeds along with its plant-based Beyond Burger, or the “Tesla of Burgers” as Yueng calls it.

“You cannot ask [the public] for a dramatic shift. People don’t change that way,” he said.

With meat-eating deeply rooted in their culture, Yueng does not expect the people of Hong Kong or any other country to be forced to give up meat entirely. Instead, he simply wants them to eat less meat.

Section 1

Read through the story and answer the following questions. 

1. When was the updated IPCC report published? …………….

2. David is an alien. True or false? …………….

3. He has spread vegetarianism to 1,000 Hong Kong schools. True or false? …………….

4. What is his company called? …………….

5. When is Earth Day? ………….....

6. For how long has David been vegetarian?

a. Nearly two decades. b. More than 18 years. c. Exactly 18 years.

7. What is David’s goal? 

a. To reduce meat eating. b. To fight climate change. c. Both a and b. 

8. Where was David born? 

a. Hong Kong. b. Singapore. c. The story doesn’t say. 

Section 2

Underline one grammatically incorrect word in each of the following sentences. Then, write down the grammatically correct word in the space given. 

9. David has a background in entrepreneurship passed away from his father. ……………

10. He has adopted a sense of compassion for animals from Buddhist. ……………

12. You cannot justly tell people don’t do this and don’t do that. ……………

13. You don’t need to be either against us or without us. ……………

14. Many people are say we have to change. ……………

Section 3

Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

Listed as one of China’s Top 50 Most ….14…. Companies of 2014, Green Monday serves as a platform for catering references, menu consultations and recipe ….15…. . This makes it easier for schools, businesses, government offices, restaurants, malls and hotels to ….16…. their meat consumption, mainly by ….17…. out meat from meals once a week. In 2015, the venture then branched out into Green Common, a chain of one-stop retail stores for meatless, healthy, cruelty-….18…. and fair-trade ….19…. .

14. a. Innovation b. Innovative c. Innovate

15. a. recommendations b. recommended c. recommend

16. a. reduction b. reduced c. reduce

17. a. cutting b. cut c. cute

18. a. ness b. free c. more

19. a. product b. products c. production

Section 4

Write down the noun forms of the following words used in the story in the space given. 

20. vegetarian …………………………

21. shocker …………………………

22. covering …………………………

23. improving …………………………

24. boring …………………………

Answers: 

1. October 2018.    2. False.   3. False.   4. Green Monday.  5. April 22.   6. a.  7. c.    8. c.

9. away; down   10. Buddhist; Buddhism  11. justly; just  12. without; with 13. say; saying 

14. b. 15. a. 16. c. 17. a. 18. b. 19. b.

20. Vegetable/Vegetation.21. Shock. 22. Coverage/Cover. 23. Improvement.   24. Boredom. 

SCORE

21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good.   13-16: Fair.   12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!