课标人教实验版 高三 Module 9 Unit 4

Listening

1. How would you describe each plant? What do you think is unusual about each plant? 2. One of the pictures shows pitcher plants and another shows “living stones”. Which picture shows which plant? The name of the plant in the other picture is Rafflesia. Listening on P36

Look carefully at the photos of the plants and answer the questions. living stone

Rafflesia

pitcher plants

Pitcher plant

Now listen to Mark, Gordon and Andrea telling their class about these plants. Which student talks about which plant? PlantABC Student’ s name Name of the plant Mark Pitcher plant Living stones or Lithops Gordon Rafflesia arnoldii Andrea

Listen to the other students’ reactions to Mark, Gordon and Andrea’s descriptions of the plants. Write down the expressions they use. Expressions of wonder: That’s amazing! What fantastic plants! Wow! How interesting! I think it’s fantastic!

Expressions of disgust: Oh, yuck! That’s disgusting!

UNUSUAL PLANT TH: Today Mark, Gordon and Andrea are going to tell us about some unusual plants. Mark, do you want to go first? M: Sure. Today, I want to talk about an insect-eating plant called a pitcher plant. Listening text

Here’s a photo of it. Look at this part here. It’s shaped like a pitcher. It’s actually a leaf even though it looks like a flower. It’s really clever---the insects are attracted by the sweet smell coming from what they think is a flower. But it’s a trap.

Once an insect goes down into the pitcher, it can’t get out as there are small hard hairs pointing downwards that prevent it from escaping. In the end, the insect falls down into a pool of liquid at the bottom of the pitcher and gets digested by the plant.

S1: That’s amazing! S2: What fantastic plants! TH: Gordon. G: These are the plants I’m going to talk about. They’re often called “living stones”, but even though they do look a bit like stones, they are in fact plants.

S3: Wow! S4: How interesting! G: Their scientific name is Lithops and they come from South Africa and Nambia. The body of a lithops is actually a pair of leaves that have become rounded like a stone. This is because this plant lives in very

hot and dry places. When the leaves are shaped like this, not much water is lost from the plant. Another interesting thing about these strange plants is that they’re the same colour and appearance of the soil and stones around it. This makes them less obvious to animal looking for food.

TH: Thanks, Gordon. Andrea. A: I’m going to tell you about Rafflesia arnoldii, a plant that has a flower about one metre wide. In fact, it’s the largest flower in the world. Rafflesia arnoldii doesn’t have any leaves, stems or roots. It doesn’t need them as it’s a parasite. It gets this food by

living on another plant. You might think that this flower should smell wonderful but it actually looks and smells like rotting meat! S2: Oh, yuck! S1: That’s disgusting! S3: I think it’s fantastic!

A: Me too. Anyway, it attracts insects that eat dead animals but instead of getting a feed, the insects pick up its pollen and spread it to other Rafflesias, Rafflesia arnoldii grows in the jungles in Indonesia but as the forests are being cut down, it’s becoming very rare.

TH: Thanks Andrea and thanks everyone. Those plants are certainly fascinating.

Listening on P75

Pre-listening 1. In which parts of the word would you find tropical rainforests? Tropical rainforests occur in three major regions: Asia, Africa and Central and South America.

2. Why do you think rainforests are being cut down? As populations increase, people need more land to live on. There are also mining companies which destroy forests in their search for minerals.

3. Why do you think tropical rainforests are important to the world? Because there are about 10 million species of plant and animal in the world. More than half of these live in the tropical rainforests. The rainforest could provide us with cures for diseases.

Also, rainforests absorb a lot of rain so that there’s a constant supply of clean water running into rivers and lakes.

Number the topics below in the order in which you hear about them. □ the area of the earth’s land covered by tropical rainforest □ reasons why rainforests are being destroyed □ the rate of rainforest destruction □ some consequences of rainforests being destroyed □ the best way to make money from rainforests

Are these statements true or false? Correct the false statements. 1. Rainforests cover 14% of the earth’s land surface. 2. More than half of the rainforests have disappeared. F 6% T

acres of rainforest are destroyed every day. 4. In 40 years’ time we might not have any rainforests left on earth. 5. People can make more money from harvesting rainforest plants than from cutting down the rainforests. F Over 150 acres of rainforest are destroyed every minute.. T T

THE DESTRUCTION OF TROPICAL RAINFORESTS Ed Walker (E) is interviewing Dr Anne Butler (A) about the destruction of tropical rainforests. LISTENING TEXT

E: Anne, we hear a lot these days about how quickly tropical rainforests are disappearing. A: Yes, that's right. Rainforests now cover only 6% of the earth's land surface. They used to cover about 14%, so more than half of the world's tropical rainforests have

been destroyed, and that's in less than 50 years. Over 150 acres of rainforest is lost every minute in Asia, Africa, Central and South American. E: That's unbelievable.

A: Yes, it's frightening. The last remaining rainforests could be gone in less than 40 years. E: But why is this happening? A: Well, there are a number of reasons. As populations increase, people need more land to live on. Forests are cut down to plant crops or to start farms.

The wood is sold for firewood or building materials, furniture and paper, for example. And there are also mining companies which destroy the forests in their search for minerals. E: I suppose people have to make a living.

A: Yes, but you know, people can make more money by harvesting things like fruits, nuts and oils, as well as plants that can be used in medicine than by cutting down the forests. E: Oh really? I didn't know that. Now, could you outline some of the reasons why it’s not a good idea to destroy rainforests?

A: Sure. You must have heard about the rich animal and plant life in tropical rainforests. Well, there are about 10 million species of plants and animals in the world. More than half of these live in the tropical rainforests. So, destroying rainforests means that thousands of these species are dying out before we’ve even realized it.

E: I’ve heard too that the rainforest could provide us with cures for diseases. A: Yes, there are certainly many new drugs waiting to be discovered. Another problem is that the destruction of forests contributes to global warming.

Also, rainforests absorb a lot of rain so that there's a constant supply of clean water running into rivers and lakes. If the trees are cut down, the rain isn't absorbed and there is flooding.

E: So, what can individuals do to help slow down the destruction? A: That's a good question... Wade out)