单元标题解读
本单元围绕“modern agriculture” 这一主题展开听、说、读、写等一系列教学活动。农业是人类生存和发展的基础，农业的发展也是人类文明发展的一大体现。教材涉及到农业技术的发展和进步，发展和环境问题的矛盾，现代生态农业以及农作物培植的基因工程,中国古代的农业著作等多方面的内容，有着比较强的可挖掘性；同时，在学习本单元的过程中，可以促进英语学科与其他学科之间的相互渗透与联系，使学生的思维能力、想象力、协作和创新能力等综合素质得到发展,同时培育学生的科技人文精神。
热身（warming up）
以数据统计图的形式导入本单元的话题。膳食结构的变化引起农业生产的变化---农业产业结构和比例的调整，从而引起生态和自然环境的变化。
听力（listening）
本部分是一篇短文，从正反两方面论述了农业生产与自然环境的关系，体现出人在从事农业生产的过程中的对自然环境的影响和作用。在设计上采用了听选有关信息、判断正误和填充的形式，注重训练对有效信息的捕捉和处理的能力。
读(reading)
读前(pre-reading)
结合几幅极具代表意义的照片设计了两个问题，激活学生已有知识和经验，诱发学生观察、思考、比较传统农业和现代农业，现代农业的利与弊讨论等，使学生进一步熟悉本单元的主要话题，为“读”作好充分的准备；
阅读中(while-reading)
“读”部分以时间的先后为序简要介绍了农业发展的历程，侧重介绍了现代农业的发展和新的成就，其中渗透着人在农业发展中和的作用和影响, 激活学生的科技人文意识。
读后(post-reading）
本部分设计了三种练习，第一题以选择题的形式检测学生对课文的浅层次理解；第二题以问答题的形式检查学生对文章一些句子的深层次理解；第三题是一个开放性的题目，鼓励学生结合想象和其他学科知识，做出决定并解释原因。通过这一任务的完成，不仅切实锻炼和提高学生的语言运用能力，而且加强了学科间的渗透，提高了学生的思维能力和创新能力。
说(speaking)
通过开村民大会的方式，使学生进入到十分接近真实生活的活动之中，模拟各种实际生活中的角色，畅所欲言，甚至激烈辩论，从各自的立场去寻求解决的途径。这种活动促使学生进一步巩固所学语言知识，活化所学语言技能，达到真实交流的目的。
语言学习 (language study)
包括两个部分，词汇部分设计了几组通过后缀的添加而互相转化词性的练习，旨在培养学生对构词法的意识，了解构词规律；语法部分是有关强调句型的示例和练习，从易到难，有利于学生的掌握和实际运用。
综合能力(integrating skills)
本部分是一篇介绍中国古代的农学家贾思勰和他的著作《齐民要术》的文章，主要涉及了他对农作物的种植的一些指导和看法，直到今天对农业生产都是适用的。文后的读写训练中，首先，要学生根据需要完成对信息捕捉和加工的任务；第二个是开放性的任务，要学生为自己的菜园做种植计划。这一任务的设计给学生充分的空间去创造性的运用所学知识，发展语言综合运用的能力，从而达到了在做中学的目的。
小建议(tips)
给出了一些与农时、天气有关的谚语，学生通过对这些谚语的理解和思考，并同中国的类似谚语比较，增强了学习的趣味性，也使他们的文化意识得到的潜移默化的培养和影响。
课时安排
Period 1 warming up & listening
Period 2 reading
Period 3 speaking
Period 4 grammar & integrating skills 2(WB)
Period 5 integrating skills 1 & writing(SB)
Period 1 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.
Teaching procedure
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.
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 Porridge & salted
vegetables Noodles Rice & delicious dishes
At present Milk, bread, fried
bread, etc. Fast food 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. 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
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
( T ) history of farming ( ) farmers in America ( ) fishing
( T ) protection of nature ( T ) farmers in China ( ) pigs
( T ) environmental problems ( T ) trees ( T ) dikes
2 Which of the following sentences are true & which are false?
1) In early times farmers in China moved around & burnt forests. ( T )
2) All farmers in South America burn forests to create farmland. ( F )
3) Flood & droughts are disasters that farmers cannot stop. ( F )
4) Some of the land in China is too wet to grow crops. ( T )
5) Fish farmers damage nature. ( F )
3 Listen to the tape & complete the sentences by using your own words.
When farming goes against nature, all kinds of environmental problems are the result. The earliest farmers destroyed nature. Their way of agriculture led to floods & droughts. It is an old truth that farming should not go against nature. The land that Tan & Xiao Zao bought was too wet & could not be used for farming. Instead they changed the fields into fishponds. On their farm they kept fish/ducks/chickens & grew 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.
Period 2 Reading
Task:
The Ss are to read a passage to learn the development of modern agriculture.
Goals:
1) To cultivate the students’ ability to scan & skim the passages.
2) To cultivate the students’ ability of further understanding about the text.
Teaching procedure
1 Pre reading
Classify the pictures in the following way:
Traditional farming (1 3 5)
Agriculture Modern farming (2 4 6)
Hi-tech farming (7 8)
2 Pre reading
Compare traditional & modern farming, focusing on the advantage & disadvantage of modern farming. Then fill the form. (Show the pictures again)
Agriculture Advantages Disadvantages
Traditional farming
Modern farming
Hi-tech farming
3 While reading
1) Scanning:
Q1: What’s the biggest problem to Chinese farmers?
The shortage of arable land.
Q2: What does GM mean?
“G” stands for “genetically”
“M” stands for “modified” (changed)
2) Skimming:
A. Read the whole text & find out the topic sentence in each paragraph.
B. Answer the following questions:
1. How much does arable land take up in China?
Only 7 percent.
2. How many ways are mentioned to make the land produce more? What are they?
4. Fertilisation, irritation, 2 or more crops are planted each year where possible, more advanced technical information.
3. What does new techniques mean?
Those that are used to increase agricultural production without harming the environment.
4. When did scientist start to develop new techniques?
From the early 1990s.
5. How many unusual ways are mentioned to deal with the shortage of arable land?
2. Grow vegetables in greenhouses, GM.
4 Post reading
1) Choose the best answers.
1 In China only seven percent of the land is used for farming. This is __D__.
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
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___.
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
3 Modern agriculture means finding ways to ___C___.
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 _C_.
A greenhouses B roots
C vegetables D tomatoes
5 In GM “M” stands for “modified”, which means “changed”. What changes is ___C___.
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
2) Answer the following questions by further understanding about the text.
1 At the beginning of the passage, why does the writer say “It is on the arable land that the farmers produce food for the whole population of China”?
It shows how great we Chinese are: We produce food for so many people with so little arable land.
2 What does the writer want to tell us by saying, “Not only food production is important but also taking care of the environment.”?
We must take care of the environment as well as food production. That is to say, we should produce more food by means of new techniques which will not do harm to the environment.
3 What can we infer from the sentence “In China about one hundred research stations are now doing GM research to make better tomatoes, cotton …”
In the future we can eat the hi-tech produced food, which contains more vitamins & will not do harm to the environment.
4 What can you imagine about the future of food production?
We can produce more food than now with new techniques.
3) Group work:
Through GM it is possible to change fruits, vegetables & even animals. We can change the way they grow, where they can grow, how they will taste, what color & what shape they will have. Decide which fruits, vegetables & farm animals you would change, explain how you would change them & why.
Kind How would you change it? Why do you want to change it in this way？
fruit
vegetables
animals
Homework:
Find out some sentences you enjoys most, & try to recite them as possible as you can.
Consult the websites：
www.capitalfarmer.net/greenhouse/wenshitiandi
www.chemnet.com.cn/newscenter
www.sdxnw.gov.cn/zfxd-show.asp
Period 3 Speaking
Task:
The Ss are to discuss & reach a conclusion.
Goals:
Enable the Ss to invent their own ideas based on some specific situation first & give the reasons why they make the conclusions as well.
Teaching procedure
1 Pre task
1. Describe the farm in the picture.
2. What else should be included at a farm besides what you see in the picture?
3. Suppose you are a farmer. You have a big farm. What will you do with your farm?
4. What’s the percentage of the arable land in China?
The Ss may not know the exact number, so the answer may be “the arable land in China is less than before”.
5. What’s the population of China?
About 1.3 billion people.
There are so many people, but there is so little arable land in China, How to solve the problem?
Make the best use of the land.
2 Speaking
A group of farmers in your area have been given a large piece of land. Together with the village leader, they have to decide how to use the land. Work in groups of 5. Each group member will play one of the roles. Prepare role cards, discuss the problem & try to make a decision.
Role A
You are a rice farmer. You think that we should grow rice on the land. Rice is an important product & we can make good money growing rice. Another reason why you think we should grow rice is that _____. You don’t think we should grow sugarcane on it because _________ & because ____________.
Role B
You are a sugarcane farmer. You think that the land should be used for growing sugarcane, because ___________ & because __________. You don’t think it would be a good idea to grow rice because _______.
Role C
You are a local farmer. You think that we should grow trees on the land because _________ & because _______. You don’t think we should use the land to raise pigs because _______ & because ___________.
Role D
You are a local farmer. You want to use the land to raise pigs because ________. You think that growing trees is a waste of time & will not make good money because _____________.
Ask the Ss to use the expressions below.
Useful expressions:
In my opinion you should … I think he is right…
If I were you … We have to make a choice …
As far as I can see the best thing would be to… We can’t do both, so …
Wouldn’t it be better if …? The other idea sounds better to me
3 Post task: Debate
Suppose the government wants to use the land in your village to build a factory, while you villagers are against it. Tell your reasons separately.
Divide the whole class into 2 groups. Give them some time to prepare for the reasons, & then let them debate against each other.
Homework:
Preview the integrating skills on WB.
Period 4 Grammar & integrating skills 2
Task:
1) The Ss are to review the usages of some suffixes & do some exercises about the usage of “it” for emphasis.
2) The Ss are to read a passage to learn sth. about greening the hills.
Goals:
1) To master the usages of some suffixes & the usage of “it” for emphasis.
2) To master the ability of how to read a passage according to the order of time.
Teaching procedure
1 Warming up (revision)
Give the following words & expressions in various forms.
n. ---- adj.
use ---- useful beauty ---- beautiful
fun ---- funny luck ---- lucky
nation ---- national nature ---- natural
v. ---- n.
arrive ---- arrival survive ---- survival
visit ---- visitor wait ---- waiter
develop ---- development govern ---- government
introduce ---- introduction prepare ---- preparation
adj. ---- n.
useless ---- uselessness
lonely ---- loneliness
2 Presentation
Find out the different forms between noun form & verb form.
educate ---- education examine ---- examination
produce ---- production pollute ---- pollution
characteristic
verb + “-tion” noun
3 Practice (SB p 47)
Complete the following chart & choose one word to complete each of the sentences below.
Noun Verb Adjective
Fertilization Fertilise Fertile
Production Produce Productive
Production Protect Protective
Modification Modify Modified
1 After a few tests the modified software could be used on all computers.
2 Protecting the environment does not mean farmers’ crops have to go without protection.
3 If the soil is not fertile farmers have to use chemical fertilisers.
4 If we want to produce more, everybody has to be more productive.
4 Grammar
The Use of “it” (2) for Emphasis
强调结构的形式是“It + be 的适当形式 + 被强调部分 + that / who + 剩余部分”，意为“正是…”；若被强调部分是人，引导词用who或that均可，若是其他强调部分，则引导词一律用that。
Change the following sentences using it for emphasis in different ways:
Tom studied at Beijing University last year.
It is Tom who/that studied at Beijing University last year.
It is at Beijing University that Tom studied last year.
It is last year that Tom studied at Beijing University.
5 Situation
Tom was robbed of his wallet at the gate of the bank when he was getting out. He called the police at once. Soon a policeman came & asked him & one of the clerks in the bank. Because the police need exact information, Tom & the clerk had to emphasize each of the answers.
The possible beginning:
Victim: Thanks to god, you’ve come at last!
Policeman: Let’s get down to the point. You reported that you were robbed ,didn’t you? Where did it happen?
Victim: Right here.
Policeman: Here? At the bank gate?
Victim: Yes, yes. It was at the gate of the bank that I was robbed.
…
6 Integrating skills 2
Zhuozuo (where) : in south China
problem?
in the past: floods, sand storms or droughts
solution (who / how?)
at present:
1) Hu Meiying & all women from the villages around plant trees.
2) People are not allowed to cut down the trees when they are still small.
result
1) All the hills surrounding their village are covered with green trees.
2) The tree & tea crops are also bring in money to them.
Homework:
1 Make 5 sentences using it for emphasis.
2 Preview integrating skills 1 on page 48.
Period 5 integrating skills 1 & writing
Task:
The Ss are to work out a plan for his / her own vegetable garden.
Goals:
1) Enable the Ss to know the importance of doing farm work at the right time of the year.
2) Enable the Ss to learn to write a passage introducing Yuan Longping.
Teaching procedure
1 warming up
Show 4 pictures of different seasons in a year to revise words of 4 seasons & 12 months.
1 What season do you think the 1st picture is? …
2 How many months are there in spring? What are they?
2 Pre reading
1 What can you see in the picture?
2 What do you know about Jia Sixie?
He is a scientist in farming; he wrote a book called Qimin Yaoshu.
3 While reading
1) Fast reading
Why do we consider Jia Sixie as an agriculture scientist?
Because he spent his time on research into agriculture & wrote a book called Qimin Yaoshu, which is about both farming & gardening.
2) Careful reading
The life of farmer is busy. Each month there is a lot of work to do: ploughing, sowing,
weeding, harvesting, fertilising and so on. What advice does Jia Sixie give farmers?
Advice
On time of farming At the correct time …
Go against … at the wrong time
On soil Examine the soil … carefully
Condition … not good, … improve …
Before sowing & planting crops …
Clean & remove the weeds Sheep or cows
Land should be ploughed
On ploughing Plough deep … plough less deep
Autumn … deeper than spring ploughing
On changing crops The best harvest is reached
On plants in the same field To grow different plants next to each other
4 Post reading
1) Enjoy some farmers’ proverbs & sayings.
Farmers’ proverbs & sayings
The wisdom of farmers about the weather & farming is collected in many popular proverbs & passed on from generation to generation. The following proverbs tell you sth. About the weather din England. Are they true for China?
1 No weather is ill, if the wind be still.
2 Yellow sky at sunset, wind in the morrow.
3 Rain before seven, clear by eleven.
4 April showers bring May flowers.
5 Deeds are fruits, words are but leaves.
6 The best ground bears weeds as well as flowers.
7 Never cackle unless you lay.
2) Imagine you have a vegetable garden & you want to grow beans, cabbages, onions, tomatoes & sunflowers. What will you do in each month of the year?
November It is in November when we have to plough the land for the first time. The ploughing has to be done deep.
Ask the Ss to write a plan for their vegetable garden.
5 Writing
袁隆平人物简历
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----发明了杂交水稻。
袁隆平，男，１９３０年９月出生于北京，１９５３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。
New words: 杂交水稻hybrid rice; 生产承包责任制System of Production Responsibility; 学院institute; 闹饥荒suffer the famine; 产量yield; 联合国教科文组织UNESCO,粮农组织 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.
Homework:
Write a passage introducing Yuan Longping.
Consult the websites:
http://agr-history.net/agriculturists/jsx
http://agri-history.bet/history/chapter03
www.yjsy.echu.edu.cn/jszj/子部-魏晋天下/齐民要术