Unit 19 Modern agriculture

Task 1 Brainstorming 1.What will you think of when you see the word “agriculture”? agriculture

Task 2 Pre-reading agriculture Traditional farming Modern farming

raising a few chickens traditional farming a chicken farm modern farming

ordinary fertilizer traditional farming modern farming chemical fertilizer

traditional farming modern farming ploughing the field with cattle ploughing the field with a tractor

traditional farming modern farming a cracking land/ drought green house

AgricultureAdvantagesDisadvantages 1.traditional farming 2.modern farming 1. Causes little pollution. 2. Food is tasty. 3. The cost is small. … 1. Produces less food. 2. Depends on weather completely. 3. Needs many people. 4. The kinds of food are limited. … 1.Produces more food, plants. 2.Weather doesn’t matter much. 3.Uses fewer people 4.The kinds of food are very rich. … 1. Causes more pollution. 2.Food is less tasty. 3.The cost is big. …

1: What was traditional agriculture in China like? 3: What is the biggest problem of Chinese farmers? How do Chinese scientists solve it? Task 3 Fast reading 2: What effects do modern techniques have on agriculture in China now? 4: What should future agriculture depend on? 5: What is most important for agriculture? 6: What techniques are referred to in the text?

1: What was traditional agriculture in China like? Task 3 Fast reading 2: What effects do modern techniques have on agriculture in China now? Traditional agriculture in China didn’t change much for thousands of years. Modern techniques help ① farmers make as much use of the land as possible, ② save time and allow farmers to grow an extra crop in each season, ③ Chinese farmers improve their production, ④ grow better and healthier fruits / plants.

3: What is the biggest problem of Chinese farmers? How do Chinese scientists solve it? 4: What should future agriculture depend on? It is the shortage of arable land. The scientists use the latest techniques, such as growing vegetables in greenhouses, using GM. It should depend on high technology as well as traditional methods. Both food production and taking care of the environment are very important. 5: What is most important for agriculture?

1.Chemical fertilisers 2. Pumps for irrigation 3. Special seedbeds 4. Machines e.g.tractors 5. International exchange 6. Greenhouse 7. GM technique Solve the problems: A.shortage of arable land B.weather conditions C.lack of knowledge D.how to make production cheaper : What techniques are referred to in the text?

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 Task 4 Careful reading Finish the exercises on P.46.

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 nature 4 In the sentence “ … they are protected from the wind, rain & insects”, “they” means _______. A greenhouses B roots C vegetables D tomatoes 5 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

Task 6 ReadingReading Repeat after the tape:

Task 5 Retelling Retell the text according to the following key words: traditional agriculture / but modern techniques / make as much use of …as possible / save / improve / grow better / although, shortage / latest techniques / in spite of / future agriculture / because, not only …but also …

Sample: Traditional agriculture in China didn’t change much for thousands of years. But modern techniques help farmers make as much use of land as possible, they also help farmers save time and allow farmers to grow an extra crop in each season. Besides, modern techniques help farmers improve production and grow better and healthier plants and fruit. Although the shortage of arable land is the biggest problem of Chinese farmers, Chinese scientists have

developed some latest techniques to solve the problem, such as growing vegetables in greenhouses, using GM. In spite of this, future agriculture should depend on high technology as well as traditional methods. Because not only is food production important but also taking care of the environment is important.