Unit 2 Working the land grows what is called super hybrid rice. In 1974.he became the first agricultural pioneer in the worle to grow rice that has a high output. This special strain of rice makes it possible to produce one-third more of the crop in the same fields. Now more than 60% of the rice produced in China each year is from this hybrid strain. Born into a poor farmer's family in 1931,Dr Yuan graduated from Southwest Agriculture College in 1953. Since then. he has devoted his life to finding ways to grow more and more rice. As a young man. he saw the great need for increasing the rice output. At that time, hunger was a serious roblem in many parts of the countryside. Dr Yuan searched for a way to increase rice harvests without expanding the area of fields. In 1950, Chinese farmers could only produce five and a half billion tons of rice. Last year, however, nearly twenty billion tons of rice was produced. These increased harvests mean that 22% of the worlds people are fed from just 7% of the farmland in China. Dr Yuan is now circulating his knowledge in India, Vietnam and other less developed countries to increase their rice harvests. Thanks to his research, the UN is trying to rid the world of hunger Using his hybrid rice farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before You might guess that Dr Yuan, who is now rich and famous, is satisfied with his life. However, cares little about spending the money on himself or leading a comfortable life. Indeed, he believes that a person with too much money has more. rather than fewer troubles. So he gives millions of wuan to equip others for their research in agriculture. He also doesnt care about being famous. He feels it gives him less freedom to do his research, And he would rather keep time for his hobbies Although he can no longer play his violin, he still listens to violin music. His other hobbies include playing mah-jong, swimming and reading. He used to walk to his rice fields twice a day, but now he prefers to ride his motorcycle Wishing for things. however, costs nothing. Long ago, in a dream, Dr Yuan saw rice plants as tall as sorghum. Each ear of rice was as big as an ear of corn and each grain of rice was as huge as a peanut. Dr Yuan awoke from his dream with the hope of producing a kind of rice that could feed more people. Now Dr Yuan has another dream: to export his rice so that it can be grown all over the world. As Dr Yuan proves, one dream is not always enough, especially for a person who loves and cares for his people Comprehending 1 Think about each statement and tick the correct boxes True False I Dr Yuan is more a farmer than a scientist 2 Dr Yuan's kind of rice is the most suitable for Chinas farmland Dr Yuan would rather work than relax 10
Unit 2 Working the land 4 Dr Yuan has dreams when he is asleep and also when he is awake 5 Dr Yuan enjoys a simpler life than most rich and famous people 口口 2 The following sentences are taken from the reading passage. Explain what the underlined words mean I He wants everyone to call him a farmer, for thats how he regards himself 2 In many ways. he is one of them. and he has struggled for the past five decades to help them 3 At that time. hunger was a serious problem in many parts of the countryside 4 Using his hybrid rice farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before 5 Wishing for things. however, costs nothing 3 Answer the following questions Why did Dr Yuan want to increase the rice output when he was young? How does he help rid the world of hunger? 3 What kind of life is Dr Yuan leading 4 Use a few words to describe Dr Yuans personality. Learning about Language Discovering useful words and expressions 1 Find words and expressions that mean the same from the text Alternative expressions Words and expressions from the text darkened skin from spending too much time in the sun need for food make something or somebody free of become larger in size, number or amount make information and ideas known to many people live a(particular kind of )life prefer to because of ry extremely hard to achieve somethin send things to foreign countries for sale
Unit 2 Working the land 2 Complete the passage with words and expressions from the previous sections Wang Ping was a teacher in an agricultural college who wanted to hat organic farming methods were better for the soil than using chemical fertilizer. She realized that Chinese farmers use methods they understood and a comfortable She herself was more concemed to China poorly grown vegetables. So she started her own organic farm. Because of her hard work the grain Wang Pings reward was to get from the many hours she had spent in the sun Find a word from the reading passage to replace the underlined word I We all agree that it is an a very good place for a summer holiday 2 Neither of us is pleased with the way he behaved in the public 3 The scientists are doing some research to develop a new type of wheat. 4 The company in Nanjing sold about 20.000 boxes of wine to the UK last year. 5 Would you please tell me whether these clothes are proper to wear at the party Discovering useful structures 1 Find a sentence from the reading passage that means even a poor person can have a wish 2 Rewrite the following sentences using the -ing form as the subject. EXAMPLE: It is necessary to get water from wet to dry places. Getting water from wet to dry places is necessar I It is nice to help people in need of help 2 It is not easy to grow super hybrid rice. 3 It is not difficult to learn more about farming 4 In the countryside it is not as easy to do research as in the city 5 To get rid of hunger is very important in some African countrie 6 It is important to explain this again or we will get confused 3 Join the two halves to make sentences. Pay attention to the ing form used as the bject. Can you find other verbs that take the -ing form as their object? I Dr Yuan likes doing research until a better strain of rice was found 2 He continued talking to rice growers about his work 3 Many city kids look forward to working in the fields 4 Not all students enjoy visiting the countryside. 5 They started meeting the scientist while he was in Beijing last time 6 I remember producing hybrid rice in 1974
Unit 2 Working the land 4All the following phrases can be used with the- ing form. Use them to describe a person you admire care (little) about dream of devote.. to see the need for be afraid of be concerned about be interested in '5 Play a game called"What were you doing when the flood came? " Work in groups of four and take turns to describe an activity. Be sure to use the - ing form of the EXAMPLE: St: I was collecting water for my family.. S: Iwas preparing some food for.. Ss: I was carrying vegetables to the marker S: was building a dan… Continue until enough ideas have been given. Be prepared to tell your ideas to the class Using Languag ORGANIC FARMING What is"organic farming"? It seems a strange name since all crops are organic no matter how they are produced. So all farming must surely be organic farming. However, recently the term"organic farming "has gained another meaning. It also efers to crops growing with natural rather than chemical fertilizers. Of course all farmers use fertilizers to make their soil more fertile but many farmers and scientists believe that some fertilizers are better for people or for the soil than other The fertilizer that organic farmers prefer is natural waste from animals. Putting this in their fields, they argue, makes the soil richer in mineral and so more fertile. It is good for the crops and the soil becomes healthier. This is important because veloping a healthy soil reduces diseases in crops and helps them grow strong and healthy. When farmers use this kind of natural fertilizer they keep the air, soil and water as well as the food supply free from chemicals. However, using chemical fertilizers is a big problem. Firstly. leaving chemicals in the ground for a long time is not good for the soil or the water supply. Secondly. farmers often grow the same crop year after year. As a result, the soil gets exhausted. Thirdly chemical fertilizers kill both helpful and harmful bacteria and pests 13
Unit 2 Working the land Instead, organic farmers insist on changing crops every two or three years. for example. corn or wheat followed by peas or soybeans. These put the minerals back into the soil, making it rich and healthy and ready to grow crops that need rich and fertile soil like corn or wheat. Or they plant some crops that use the surface of the soil and others that need a deeper level of soil, for example. peanuts followed by root vegetables. Some organic farmers prefer planting grass between crops to prevent wind or water from carrying away the soil. But whatever they grow they make sure that what is left in the ground after harvesting becomes a natural fertilizer for the next years crop 1Answer the following questions after reading the passage I What is organic farming? 2 What problems are caused by using chemical fertilizers? 3 Why do organic farmers grow peas or soybeans after corn or wheat 2 What are the advantages of organic farming? Find the information in the passage Advantages of organic farming Reasons I Farmers use natural waste from animals. I This makes the soil richer in minerals and so more fertile 2 3 3 Write a summary of this passage. Step I Read this passage quickly to find its main idea Step 2 Exchange your idea with your partner and then write it down Step 3 Write your summary Step 4 Share your summary with your partner and give each other comments Listening 1 Read the questions before you listen to the story. Then fill in this chart. Farming Practices Mr Jones farm Mr Smiths farm Crops grown ertilizer Other plant nutrition Results 14