Unit19

Modern agriculture

It shows thousands of chickens sit in small cages inside a large building.

It shows a farmer is feeding the chickens. Chickens can walk freely in the yard.

Describe the photos.

It shows two bags of chemical fertilizer.

It shows a pile of animal shit.

It shows a farmer working on the land with a buffalo( 水牛 ). The buffalo pulls the plough to work the land.

It shows a tractor. In this picture, the farmers use the tractor to work the land.

It shows dry, poor land. The earth is so dry that nothing can grow there.

It shows a greenhouse, where plants grow in a building made of glass.

In the past, farmers grow crops in the traditional way. Using cattle to plough the field, farmers work most of the day all year around, but they could not produce enough food for the whole population.

At present, they use modern techniques such as chemical fertilizers, greenhouses and so on in their fields to improve agricultural production. Great changes have taken place in agriculture.

Summary

What will you think of when you see the word “agriculture”?

agriculture

farm

irrigation

food

crop

field

plants

farming

grain

farmer

fertilizer

seed

countryside

land

arableland

Match the words with the meanings:

traditional

arable

irrigation

improve

GM

watering

not modern

make better or more

genetically modified

suitable for ploughing

Fast reading Paragraph 1 Since early 1990’s scientists started to

develop new environmental techniques. Paragraph 2 Traditional agriculture in China

only changed a little. Paragraph 3 Many other plants are genetically

modified. Paragraph 4 Many farming techniques have

been modernized. Paragraph 5 Greenhouses are used. Paragraph 6 GM is used.

1.How much does arable land take up in China?

2.How many ways are mentioned to make the land produce more in para.2? What are they?

3.What does new techniques mean?

4.How many unusual ways are mentioned to deal with the shortage of arable land?

Careful reading: Questions:

Only 7 percent.

Fertilisation; irrigation; 2 or more crops are planted each year where possible; more advanced technical

information brought from abroad.

Those that are used to increase agricultural production without harming the environment.

2. Grow vegetables in greenhouses; GM.

Intensive reading (True or False)

1. Although China is a large country, only 7% of the land can be used for farming.( )

2. More advanced technical information was brought in in the 1970’s.( )

3. Long before the early 1990’s scientists started to develop new techniques without harming the environment.( )

4. The biggest problem of Chinese farmers is water. ( )

T

F

F

F

1980’sFrom

shortage of arable land

Post-Reading Modern agriculture has developed through periods according to the text. What was mainly developed in each period?Period 1 : In the

1980s:Period 1 : In the 1980s:

Period 3 :Nowadays:Period 3 :Nowadays:

Period 2 : From the early 1990s:Period 2 : From the early 1990s:

More advanced technical information was brought in from abroad.

Scientists started to develop new techniques to increase agricultural production without harming the environment.

Using the latest technologies to grow vegetables, such as greenhouses, GM.

Choose the best answers.P46-47

1 In China only seven percent of the land is used for farming. This is _______. A because farmers don’t need more land to produce food for the whole population B because China needs more & more land to build cities C because there are not enough farmers to work on the land D because the other land can’t be used for agriculture

2 Fertilisation is a technique that is used to ______. A make poor soil better B make wet land drier C make dry land wetter D grow vegetables with their roots in water instead of earth

Post reading

3 Modern agriculture means finding ways to ___________. A increase irritation & stop using fertilisers B stop irritation & using fertilisers C increase production & be friendly to the environment D produce the same amount while taking better care of nature4 In the sentence “ … they are protected from the wind, rain & insects”, “they” means _______. A greenhouses B roots C vegetables D tomatoes5 In GM “M” stands for “modified”, which means “changed”. What changes is _____________. A the way in which poor soil is made better B the way in which Chinese farmers work on their land C the way in which crops develop from seed D the way in which farmers take care of the environment

Consolidation Listen to the tape and fill in the blanks with proper words according to the passage.

With the development of m_______ agriculture , farmers are realizing more and more the importance of protecting nature. Since the early 1990s, scientists have been trying to develop new t__________ to increase agricultural p_________ and protect the e_____________ at the same time. Some c________ can help to produce better crops but are very h_________to our environment. Some have a very good e______ on removing weeds but they damage crops at the same time. So new techniques should not only help increase production but also be f__________ to the environment. We should depend on high technology and t__________ methods as well to develop our agriculture because food production and taking care of the environment are of the same i__________.

odern

echniquesroduction

nvironment hemicals

armfulffect

riendlyraditional

mportance

Summary

Summary

The text tells us something about the situation of agriculture of our country. For example, its past and present, especially its future. At the same time, we also know that we must take care of the environment while we develop our agriculture. From now on, we should study hard and be ready to make greater contributions to the development of our agriculture.

Discussion How can we develop modern agriculture to

meet the change of people's eating habits without destroying or damaging the environment?

1.Modern agriculture should not go against nature.

2.We can develop Eco-agriculture.

3. Use less chemical fertilizers, pesticide.

4. Protect the soil from being lost. Improve the soil conditions.

5. Grow different plants in different areas.

kind How would you change it?

Why do you want to change it in this way?

Fruit

Vegetable

Animal

watermelongrow them like blocks instead of ball

easy to store, takes less space

Homework: Look up some phrases: be harmful to protect…from… depend on prevent…from… be known as keep…from… stand for stop…from… in other words

Compare traditional & modern farming, focusing on the advantage & disadvantage of modern farming. Then fill the form.

Advantages Disadvantages

Traditional agriculture

Modern agriculture