Unit 2 Working the Land Directed by Corleone lee

Poem By Li Shen Farmers weeding at noon, Sweat down the field soon. Who knows food on a tray, Due to their toiling day.

Warming Up Questions: 1. Have you ever grown any plants? If so, what did you do to grow them? If not, what kind of plant would you like to grow? How will you grow it? 2. Have you ever been to the countryside? What did you do there? 3. Are you from a farmer’s family? What do you know about farming?

Growing Rice

terraced fields

Pre-reading Questions: 1. Rice is a main food in all East Asian and Southeast Asian countries. What do you think would happen if tomorrow there was suddenly no rice to eat? 2. If you had the chance to help end hunger in the world, what would you do? 3. Do you know who Yuan Longping is?

Reading 袁隆平 A PIONEER FOR ALL PEOPLE

袁隆平被誉为中国的 “ 杂交水稻之父 ”. 中国农民说， 吃饭靠 “ 两平 ” ，一靠邓小平 ---- 制定了生产承包责任制 的政策，二靠袁隆平 ---- 发明了杂交稻。 袁隆平，男，１９３０年９月出生于北京，１９ ５３年毕业于西南农学院农学系。毕业后，一直从事 农业教育及杂交水稻研究。 在中国人民正闹饥荒的 20 世纪 60 年代，袁隆平提 出了杂交水稻的概念，这种新型水稻具有高产量的特 点。 10 年后，他研制成功了一种产量比一般水稻高出 20% 的新型水稻。 袁隆平一生献身于农业研究，先后受到联合国教 科文组织、粮农组织的称誉。袁隆平虽已年届７０岁， 仍然一如既往地从事农业研究。 袁隆平人物简历 writing hybrid rice; System of Production Responsibility; institute; suffer the famine; Yield; UNESCO, FAO.

Possible version: Yuan Longping is known as China ’ s “ father of hybrid rice ”. It ’ s said that in China, we eat depending on “ Two Ping ” ---- Deng Xiaoping, who made the policy of System of Production Responsibility, & Yuan Longping, who invented hybrid rice. Yuan Longping, who was born in September, 1930, graduated from Agriculture Department in Southwest Agricultural Institute. He has been working on agriculture education & the research into hybrid rice since he left the institute. In the 1960s, when China was suffering serious famine, he came up with the idea of hybrid rice, which has a high yield. Ten years later, he succeeded in inventing a new species that produced a 20 percent higher yield than common types of rice. Yuan devoted himself to the research into agriculture, & was honored by UNESCO & FAO. Although he is 70 years old, he is still working on the research into agriculture.

1. Read the text quickly and think about which statement is true. comprehending 1.Dr. Yuan is more a farmer than a scientist. 2.Dr. Yuan’s kind of rice is the most suitable for China’s farmland. 3.Dr. Yuan would rather work than relax. 4.Dr. Yuan has dreams when he is asleep and also when he is awake. 5.Dr. Yuan enjoys a simpler life than most rich and famous people.

2. The following sentences are taken from the reading passage. Explain what the underlined words mean. 1.He wants everyone to call him a farmer, for that’s how he regards himself. 2. In many ways, he is one of them, and he has struggled for the past five decades to help them. Key: It means he thinks of himself as a farmer but other people may think of him as a famous scientist or a rich man. Key: It means he does not only look like a farmer but also he works in the fields with farmers. In fact, he does scientific research for them.

3. At that time, hunger was a serious problem in many parts of the countryside. 4. Using his hybrid rice farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before. 5. Wishing for thongs, however, cost nothing. Key: It means that many people were very hungry and they even became ill and died because there was not enough food. Key: It means that farmers growing his rice species are producing rice twice as much as they did in the past. Key: It means that dreams are free and everybody can have ideas about what they would like their future life to be.

3. Answer the following questions. 1.Why did Dr. Yuan want to increase the rice output when he was young? 2.How does he help rid the world of hunger? 3.What kind of life is Dr. Yuan leading? 4.Use a few words to describe Dr. Yuan’s personality.

KEY 1.Why did Dr. Yuan want to increase the rice output when he was young? 2. How does he help rid the world of hunger? Dr Yuan wanted to increase the rice output because ha saw many people go hungry when he was young. He helps the world get rid of hunger by producing a hybrid strain of rice which increases the harvest.

3. What kind of life is Dr. Yuan leading? Dr Yuan is leading a simple life, doing his research, listening to his music and riding his motor-bike. 4. Use a few words to describe Dr. Yuan’s personality. Dr Yuan is a simple, academic man who is more interested in helping others than being famous.

Thank you