Unit19 Modern agriculture

Warming up & listening

Task: The students are to read the statistic graph & discuss the changes that the graph shows. Goals: 1) To cultivate the students’ ability to read & analyze the graph. 2) To cultivate the students’ ability of listening for information.

agriculture Task 1 Brainstorming What will you think of when you see the word “agriculture”? Ask the Ss to give as many words about agriculture as possible. agriculture

Task 2: Discussion Ask the Ss: “How many meals do you have every day? Which meal do you think is the most important? Why?” Now let’s have a discussion. (Divide the whole class into 2 groups.) 1 Group 1 & 2: What kind of food did we eat at breakfast, lunch & supper in the past? Group 3 & 4: What kind of food do we eat at breakfast, lunch & supper at present time?

breakfast lunch supper In the past At present Porridge & salted vegetables Noodles Rice & delicious dishes At present Milk, bread, fried bread, etc. Fast food 2 Why do you think people always prefer fast food? (fast; busy) What can we learn from the differences between the food in the past & at present time? (Now people live a better life; people are busier than before, etc.)

Task 3: Now open your books Task 3: Now open your books. Look at the graph on page 43 & answer the following questions. Compared with the farm products from 1986-1990, we produced more grains, cottons … than before. Why do we produce more farm products than before? (we live a better life; make more money; can afford more expensive food than before ) 1 How are people’s eating habits changing over the years? Why do you think this happens? 2 How has agricultural product changed during these years? What do you think caused these changes? 3 What effects do you think the changes in eating habits will have on agriculture or nature?

Task 4: Listening 1) Pre listening Ask the Ss: “What does agriculture depend on?” The Ss will give many different answers. After that, show the answer & the pictures on the screen. (weather, places, water & other natural sources) Question: If we changed the structure of agriculture, what do you think will happen to the nature? (We will produce less or maybe we can’t get any food at all.)

2) While listening 1 Listen to the tape. The passage you hear talks about ( ) history of farming ( ) farmers in America ( ) fishing ( ) protection of nature ( ) farmers in China ( ) pigs ( ) environmental problems ( ) trees ( ) dikes 2 Which of the following sentences are true & which are false? 1 In early times farmers in China moved around & burnt forests. ( ) 2 All farmers in South America burn forests to create farmland. ( ) 3 Flood & droughts are disasters that farmers cannot stop. ( ) 4 Some of the land in China is too wet to grow crops. ( ) 5 Fish farmers damage nature. ( ) T F F T F

3 Listen to the tape & complete the sentences by using your own words. When farming goes against nature, ______________________________ are the result. The earliest farmers ___________nature. Their way of agriculture led to ______________ & _____________. It is an old truth that __________ should not ____________________. The land that Tan & Xiao Zao bought was _________ & could not be used for ____________. Instead they changed the fields into ______. On their farm they kept __________________ & grew _________. all kinds of environmental problems destroyed floods droughts farming go against nature too wet farming fishponds fish/ducks/chickens fruit trees

3) Post listening Suppose you are Tan & Xiao Zao. Because of your successful farming on the field, you are invited to a big meeting that many local farmers will attend. You are asked to give a lecture about your experience telling how you have worked on the nearly deserted field & become a successful farmer.

Homework: 1 Listen to the tape, finish the listening part on WB (p107). 2 Preview the reading passage.