1、ReadingThinking Unit 5 Working the LandRead the statistics below.According to the World Health Organization(WHO).The world produces enough food for everyone.More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day.Did you know these facts before?What problem do they show?Rice is the main food in all
2、East Asian andSoutheast Asian countries.What do you think would happen if tomorrow there were suddenly no rice to eat?l Every year 15 million children die of hunger.l About 183 million children weigh less than they should for their age.Do something to help end hunger in the world!The only way to sol
3、ve the food shortage problem is to increase the yield of the graincrop per land area through the advancement of science and technology.Who is the man in the photo?What crop is he holding in his hands?What do you know about the man?What else do you want to know about him?Pre-readingLook and discuss：T
4、he photo is of Yuan Longping,holding sheaves of his hybrid rice.I know that he is often called the“father of hybrid rice”,and his work has sparked a farming revolution in China.I guess I want to know what he thinks about the future of Chinas agriculture.Introduction of Yuan LongpingName:Nationality:
5、Occupation:Education:Dream:Yuan LongpingChinesescientist/farmerSouthwest Agriculture College,in 1953To export his hybrid rice so that it canbe grown around the globeWhile-readingScan the text.Paragraph 1Paragraph 2Paragraph 3Paragraph 4Paragraph 5A Yuan conducted research and developed hybrid rice.D
6、 Yuan decided to study agriculture.C Yuan considers himself a farmer.E Yuans innovation has helped to feed more people.B Yuan is old but still working hard to fulfil his dreams.Paragraph 6F Yuan cares little for fame or wealth.ReadMatch Read for detailsYuan Longping,known as thefather of hybrid rice
7、,is one of Chinas most famous scientists.Yet,he considers himself a farmer because he continually works the land in his research.Indeed,his slim but strong body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers,to whom he has devoted his life.Para.1 A typical way to start a biographyHis great contrib
8、utionHis research field and his appearanceUse the writing technique:contrast to highlight Yuans moral qualities modest/devoted Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing.His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine.However,what concerned him most was that farmers often had poor ha
9、rvests and sometimes even had a serious shortage of food to eat.To tackle this crisis,he chose to study agriculture and received an education at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.Para.2 A biography is usually written in time order from birth.His parents wishHis own decisionUse the writing
10、technique:contrast to highlight Yuans moral qualities caring/sympathetic/determined After graduating in 1953,he worked as a researcher.Yuan Longping realised that larger fields were not the solution.Instead,farmers needed to boost yields in the fields they had.How this could be done was a challengin
11、g question at the time.Yuan was convinced that the answer could be found in the creation of hybrid rice.A hybrid is a cross between two or more varieties of a species.One characteristic of hybrids is that they usually attain a higher yield than conventional crops.However,whether it was possible to d
12、evelop a hybrid of self-polinating plants such as rice was a matter of great debate.The common assumption then was that it could not be done.Through intense effort,Yuan overcame enormous technical difficulties to develop the first hybrid rice that could be used for farming in 1974.This hybrid enable
13、d farmers to expand their output greatly.Para.3 What is hybrid rice?Whats the main advantage of hybrid rice?The general assumption about hybrid riceHis successUse the writing technique:contrast to highlight Yuans moral qualities brave/creative/innovative/confident/compassionateToday,it is estimated
14、that about 60 percent of domestic rice consumption in China is comprised of crops generated from Yuans hybrid strains,and his strains have allowed Chinas farmers to produce around 200 million tons of rice per year.Yuans innovation has helped feed not just China,but many other countries that depend o
15、n rice as well,such as India and Vietnam.Because of his invaluable contributions,Yuan Longping has received numerous awards both in China and abroad.Whats the main idea of this paragraph?2.receive numerous awards 1.tackle the crisis of food shortagePara.4 Given that Yuans hybrids have made him quite
16、 wealthy,one might think he would retire to a life of leisure.However,this is far from the case.Deep down,Yuan is still very much a farmer at heart.As a man of the soil,he cares little for celebrity or money.Instead,he makes large donations to support agricultural research.Para.5 Use the writing tec
17、hnique:contrast to highlight Yuans moral qualities plain/simple/caring/generousContrast 1Contrast 2What impresses people most about Yuan Longping is his ongoing ability to fulfil his dreams.Long ago,he envisioned rice plants as tall as sorghum,with each ear of rice as big as a broom,and each grain o
18、f rice as huge as a peanut.He succeeded in producing a kind of rice that could feed more people at home and abroad.His latest vision for“seawater rice”has also become a reality,and potentially opened up nearly one million square kilometres of salty land in China for rice production.Despite his advan
19、ced years,Yuan Longping is still young at heart and full of vision,and everyone is waiting to see what he will dream up next.Para.6 Yuans dreamsMake the impossible to possibleMake dream to realityMake people get rid of hunger A person with dreams is visionary,optimistic and perseverant.Yuan Longping
20、s parents wanted him to pursue a career in agriculture science._ Yuans innovation has helped feed not only China,but many other countries that depend on rice as well,such as India and Vietnam._ From the passage,we know that Yuan Longpings lifelong pursuit is to keep all the people away from hunger._
21、 Dr Yuan is more a farmer than a scientist._ Dr Yuans kind of rice is the most suitable for Chinas farmland._FTTFT True or Falsescience or medicinestill very much a farmer at heartReadanswer Why does Yuan Longping consider himself a farmer?Because he continually works the land in his research.Why di
22、d Yuan decide to study agriculture?He was concerned that farmers had poor harvests and sometimes even had a shortage of food to eat.What is the main advantage of hybrid crops?One characteristic of hybrids is that they usually attain a higher yield than conventional crops.How has Yuans work helped Ch
23、ina and other countries?Yuans innovation has helped feed not just China,but many other countries that depend on rice as well,such as India and Vietnam.What is Yuans latest vision?Seawater rice.ReadanswerWhy is Yuan Longping called a pioneer for all people?Make analysisPara.3 Common assumptionYuans b
24、eliefIt was impossible to develop a hybrid of self-pollinating plants.It was possible and he made it after overcoming enormous technical difficulties.Why is Yuan Longping called a pioneer for all people?Make analysisPara.6 Use word formation to guess the meaningOften,new words are not really“new”-th
25、ey are just different forms of words that you may already know.For instance,a word ending with-ate is often a verb,while a word ending in-tion often a noun.Thus,we have communicate(verb)and communication(noun).English has many word patterns like this.Complete the sentences with the correct forms of
26、the words in the box.create estimation education generation graduate1 This school has _ thousands of bright young students over the years.2 Most students look for jobs after university _.3 Because of the _ of new strains of hybrid crops,people in many parts of the world now have more food to eat.4 L
27、ast year,this new electric power plant _ enough energy to power the whole city.5 It was difficult to calculate exactly how many trees had been cut down.However,a general _ was possible.graduationcreationgeneratedestimationeducatedcreation estimateeducategenerategraduationGroup discussionPost-reading
28、 Apart from rice,what are some other important crops in China?What do you know about them?The most important crop besides rice is wheat,which is grown on different parts of China,and is used to make noodles and bread.Corn is also a popular crop in north and north-eastern China.It is used both for fo
29、od and for animal feed.Other than hybrid rice,what other hybrid products do you know?Can you think of new hybrid ideas?Common hybrid crops include corn,rapeseed,sunflowers,and nearly all market vegetables.Some kinds of hybrid animals have been known for a long time,the most famous of which is the mule-which is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.The concept of a hybrid is not restricted to plants and animals.For example,there are hybrid cars,which are powered by two different kinds of engines(e.g.,petrol and electric)at the same time.Group discussionPost-readingThank you!
