Unit 2 Women of achievement Listening

Pre-listening on Page14 valley competitor determined pour carrots cucumbers 河谷，山谷 竞争者 有决心的；坚决的 倒；浇 胡萝卜 黄瓜

pumpkins attack spread like wildfire sigh solid 南瓜 攻击, 袭击 像野火般蔓延， 迅速传开 攻击,　袭击 像野火般蔓延， 迅速传开 叹息 坚实的

Listening 1 Farming Practices Mr. Jone’s farm Mr. Smith’s Crops grown Fertilizer Carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins Carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins chemical natural

Farming Practices Mr. Jone’s farm Mr. Smith’s farm Other plant nutrition Results water water solid and healthy inside empty inside

Why do you think the results from the two farmers are so different? Because Mr. Smith used natural fertilizer and kept his soil healthy, which helped his plants fight the disease and grow healthily. 2

A. This is a story about two farmers who hated each other. Look at the summaries of the story. Decide which is correct and explain why the others are wrong. 3 A. This is a story about two farmers who hated each other. F The two farmers did not hate each other though they competed with each other.

B. This is a story about a competition and how one farmer cheated. There was a competition but neither farmer cheated. F

C. This is a story about one farmer who worked hard to produce healthy crops and the other who did not. Both farmers tried their best to produce the healthiest crops. F D. This is a story about two ways of farming and how successful they were against disease. T

Listening text Once there lived two excellent farmers in a very rich valley. They grew wonderful crops. Their farms lay next to each other but instead of being happy together they were competitors. Neither would agree that the other did anything right when

it came to farming practices it came to farming practices. As soon as they heard of the local harvest competition, they were both determined to win. Mr. Jones went immediately to the shops to buy as much chemical fertilizer as he could. He poured it around his carrots, cucumbers and pumpkins, watered

them every day and watched over them. However, Mr them every day and watched over them. However, Mr. Smith planted the same crops instead gave them natural fertilizer. He also watered his crops and watched them grow because he wanted to win the competition as much as Mr. Jones. But a new dangerous insect

began to attack vegetable crops began to attack vegetable crops. It spread like wildfire through the country until it came to the farms of Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith. Mr. Jones was very worried. He put even more chemical fertilizer round his plants and watched them carefully. At the same time Mr. Smith gave his

plants more water and more natural fertilizer and watched them closely too. Luckily, both farms seemed to have escaped the disease. Six weeks later the competition day arrived. Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith both picked their crops and made them look beautiful. They waited for

the judges to come by. To their surprise, each judge carried a knife the judges to come by. To their surprise, each judge carried a knife. They took the best example of Mr. Jones’ and Mr. Smith’s carrots, cucumbers and pumpkins and cut them in half. As they did so a sigh went up from those watching. Mr. Jones’ carrots, cucumbers and

pumpkins were all empty inside but those of Mr pumpkins were all empty inside but those of Mr. Smith were solid and healthy. So Mr. Smith won the prize and Mr. Jones could not understand why. Do you know why?

Listening on Page 48

Listening Put these stages of turning fertile land into a desert in order. Fertile farmland. ( ) Soil is blown away. ( ) Plants die. ( ) Land becomes dry. ( ) Not enough water. ( ) Soil turns to sand. ( ) 1. 1 5 4 3 2 6

B They make the soil brown. C They keep the water in the ground. 2. Listen to the tape again and answer the questions. 1 Why do we need to grow plants to keep our farmland fertile? There may be more than one reason. A They stop the soil blowing away B They make the soil brown. C They keep the water in the ground. D They look pretty.

2 How do we know that in the desert in north Africa used to be farmland. A It looks as if it used to grow crops. B There used to be lots of rain. C There used to be a lake there. D It produced wheat in the first century AD. 3 How does Leng Jianli turn the desert back into farmland? A She lets animals live in the desert. B She waters the sand. C She plants trees in the sand. D. She puts more soil on the desert.

3. Answer this question. What advantages do you think there are in turning desert back into farmland? Firstly, there is more land that can be used to grow food; Secondly, the desert can be stopped from expanding.

Listening text Do you think deserts have always been there? Is it possible for farmland to become a desert? Can deserts become farmland again? These are important questions that need some answers.

Deserts have not always been there Deserts have not always been there. Possibly a desert was once land where plants grew. For example, one of the biggest deserts in the world in North Africa was a corn growing area in the first century BC. All the bread for the city of Rome came from wheat grown in North Africa. Now we know this area is a desert. But how did this happen?

Well, farmland can become a desert. If there is little rain, plants die. The land gets so dry that no more plants can grow. The soil is blown away by the wind and the dry land turns into sand. As a result, deserts take the place of the farmland. This has happened in many parts of the world including China.

But deserts can become farmland again if grass or trees are planted in the sand. In one part of China an area of desert is turning back into farmland. When Leng Jianli, a girl in Xinjiang, married a farmer she started planting trees in the desert near her farm. She missed the trees of her hometown.

She made up her mind to plant trees in the desert near her farm She made up her mind to plant trees in the desert near her farm. She missed the trees of her hometown. She made up her mind to plant trees in the desert with her husband. They grew trees, bushes and other plants that need a little water. They carry water from far away and take very good care of them.

They have been working very hard for many years. Now they are old They have been working very hard for many years. Now they are old. Few people knew what they do until a few years ago. A satellite was making a map of the world. As it flew over western China it found a green place.

That was the farmland where Leng Jianli and her husband were growing their new trees. They were showing how it is possible to turn a desert area back into fertile farmland again. Her work shows it is possible for one person to change the environment.

SEE YOU