Content provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] Lee So-yeon, a former shopaholic from South Korea who became a climate activist, used to buy new clothes almost daily. This changed when she saw a winter coat priced at just US$1.50 (HK$11.6) while working in the United States. Looking at the very low-cost padded jacket in an H&M store, she wondered how any piece of clothing could be sold for such a small amount.
[2] The 30-year-old began researching how fast fashion is produced and was shocked by the negative impact hyper-consumerism has on the environment, society and the mental health of the women involved in making and buying inexpensive clothing. “I used to buy one new outfit each [working] day of the week,” Lee shared, noting that each piece from popular high-street stores usually costs less than US$1 (HK$7.8).
[3] Lee discovered that the low prices for clothes are due to the minimal wages paid to the women who sew them, and the business model is also causing severe environmental damage. Lee stopped buying new clothes and has not purchased a single fast-fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago.
[4] Her smaller wardrobe is made up of second-hand clothes that she got from friends and family, including a vintage leather jacket that was her mother’s. Unlike fast-fashion items, which are typically meant to be discarded after only a few uses, each piece in her collection is special because it has its own story and history. Lee stated, “Ultimately, the most eco-friendly clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe.”
[5] Lee organises clothing swaps with her friends and family and has written a book to encourage people to appreciate the stories behind their clothing instead of focusing on short-lived trends. She is involved in a small but expanding global movement that promotes second-hand clothing and helps individuals step away from overconsumption.
[6] For Lee, discovering the details of the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh – one of the worst industrial disasters, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,130 garment factory workers, primarily young women – was a significant moment.
[7] Keeping clothes out of landfills is beneficial, but in South Korea, many people still avoid buying used garments, according to Kim Dong-hyun, who operates a used clothing export factory. “People often don’t look favourably on someone wearing used clothes because they are seen as unwanted items,” Kim said, noting that he has found dirty diapers and food waste in the collection bins.
[8] South Korea is the fifth largest exporter of used clothing globally, and activists argue that many of these garments are discarded in developing countries that do not have the resources to handle them. At Kim’s second-hand clothing facility in Paju, near Seoul, a mechanical claw sorts through large piles of used clothes to be shipped overseas. “Many people treat the clothing collection bin as just a trash can,” Kim said.
Source: Agence France-Presse, February 10
Questions
1. According to paragraph 1, what was the catalyst for Lee becoming a climate activist?
2. Find a word in paragraph 2 that refers to “excessive purchasing of goods and services, often beyond one’s needs”.
3. What does the “epiphany” in paragraph 3 refer to?
4. Based on your understanding of paragraph 4, how does Lee’s current wardrobe reflect a shift in values?
5. According to paragraph 5, Lee’s purpose of organising clothing swaps is a way of …
A. showcasing home-grown labels.
B. disposing of unwanted vintage clothing.
C. promoting sustainable clothing practices.
D. all of the above
6. Who were the majority of the victims in the Rana Plaza tragedy mentioned in paragraph 6?
7. In paragraph 7, Kim talks about the … regarding used clothing in South Korea.
A. recycling process
B. environmental regulations
C. production costs
D. social stigma
8. What improper use of the clothing collection bins has Kim noticed according to paragraph 8?
9. Based on paragraph 9, what is the issue with South Korea’s used clothing export practices?
Answers
1. A US$1.50 winter coat prompted her to question how any item of clothing could be sold so cheaply.
2. hyper-consumerism
3. Lee realising how the fast-fashion business model hurts workers and the environment (accept all similar answers)
4. Lee’s current wardrobe reflects a shift from buying fast-fashion items to valuing items with a unique story and history (accept all similar answers)
5. C
6. young women who worked as garment factory workers (accept all similar answers)
7. D
8. Some people have thrown dirty diapers and food waste in the collection bins.
9. South Korea exports its used clothes to developing countries, which often lack the capacity to process them.
