Unit 5 Working the land 课文书写衡水体字帖-2023-2024学年高中英语人教版（2019）选择性必修第一册

UNIT 5 WORKING THE LAND Be Happy!1 A Pioneer for All People Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice", is one of China's 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. 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 harvests 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. Date:__________ Name:___________ UNIT 5 WORKING THE LAND Be Happy!2 After graduating in1953, 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 challenging 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 develop a hybrid of self-pollinating 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 enabled farmers to expand their output greatly. UNIT 5 WORKING THE LAND Be Happy!3 Today, it is estimated that about 60 percent of domestic rice consumption in China is comprised of crops generated from Yuan's hybrid strains,and his strains have allowed China's farmers to produce around 200 million tons of rice per year. Yuan's innovation has helped feed not just China, but many other countries that depend on rice as well, such as India and Vietnam. Because of his invaluable contributions, Yuan Longping has received numerous awards both in China and abroad. Given that Yuan's hybrids have made him quite 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. UNIT 5 WORKING THE LAND Be Happy!4 Instead, he makes large donations to support agricultural research. What impresses people most about Yuan Longping is his ongoing ability to fulfill 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 of 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 advanced years, Yuan Longping is still young at heart and full of vision, and everyone is waiting to see what he will dream up next. UNIT 5 Reading for Writing Be Happy！1 Chemical Versus Organic Farming Chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers have been in wide spread use in farming since the middle of the 20th century. When they were first introduced, many farmers welcomed them as a great way to fight crop disease and increase production. Over time, however, what some scientists have found is that their long-term use can sometimes harm both the land and peoples’ health. For example, pesticides can damage the land by killing not only harmful bacteria and insects, but also helpful ones. In addition, these chemicals can stay in the soil and underground water sources for a long time. UNIT 5 Reading for Writing Be Happy!2 This affects the crops grown on the land and, in turn, the animals and humans who digest them.Many people worry that these chemicals may make them ill and even cause cancer.In fact, some pesticides like DDT have been prohibited in most countries because of the damage they cause to people and the environment. As for chemical fertilisers, crops grown with them usually grow too fast to be rich in nutrition. They may look beautiful onthe outside, but inside there is usually more water than essential minerals, and they often have less flavour as well. As an alternative, some farmers have switched to organic farming, and many customers have turned to organic food when they shop at the local grocery. UNIT 5 Reading for Writing Be Happy!3 Organic farming is simply farming without using any chemicals. Organic farmers focus on keeping their soil rich and free of disease through natural means. For example, many organic farmers use natural waste from animals as fertiliser. This makes the soil in their fields richer in minerals. It also keeps the air, soil, water, and crops free of chemicals. Organic farmers also use many other methods to produce rich soil. They often change the kind of crop grown in each field every year. For instance, they may grow corn or wheat in a field one year,and then grow beans there the next. Why different crops are grown is because they put important minerals back into the ground, making it ready again for the next batch of crops. UNIT 5 Reading for Writing Be Happy!4 Organic farmers also plant diverse crops that used different depths of soil to help keep it rich. For example, peanuts grow on the ground's surface, but many other vegetables put down deep roots. The goal of using different organic farming methods is to grow good food while avoiding damage to the environment or to people's health. Some people would prefer to stop the use of man-made chemicals in agriculture entirely.What keeps them from doing so is the fact that chemical farming serves the high demand for food around the world. Organic farming is nowhere near able to meet that need.Therefore, there is still a long way to find a suitable solution that puts sufficient food on the dinner table while keeping people and the environment as healthy as possible.