Unit 2
Working the land
Using language
chemical
production
bacteria
pest
nutrition
mineral
discovery
adj. 化学的; 关于化学的
n. 生产; 制造
n. 细菌
n. 害虫; 害兽; 害鸟
n. 营养; 滋养; 食物
n. 矿物; 矿石
n. 发现; 发觉
focus

soil
reduce
root
skim
underline
summary
comment
n. 焦点; 中心点
vt. 集中; 聚焦
n. 土壤
vt. 减少; 减缩
n. 根; 根源
vt. 浏览; 略读
vt. 画底线标出; 强调
n. 总结; 摘要; 概要
n. 评论; 议论
vi.& vt. 表达意见;
做出评论
build up
lead to
focus on
keep… free
from/of
逐渐增强; 建立; 开发
导致; 造成 (后果)
集中 (注意力, 精力等) 于
使…免受(影响, 伤害等)；
使…不含(有害物)
It is fertilizer.
What is the substance we put on the
soil to make crops grow?
How many kinds of fertilizers do farmers use?
Two kinds. They are chemical
fertilizers and natural ones.
Organic Farming
chemical fertilizer
cow dung
用化学肥料和有机肥料的区别:
Reading
CHEMICAL OR ORGANIC FARMING?
B.Long-term use of chemical fertilizers can
cause damage to the land and people’s health.
A.Problems caused by chemical fertilizers.
The main idea of each paragraph
P1.
P2.
D.Farmers and customers turn to organic
farming.
C.Other methods to keep the soil fertile.
P3.
P4.
Chemical farming
stop crop
disease

increase
production
damage the
land
by killing…
affect crops
by staying…
lead to cancer
/illnesses
by building up…
have less
nutrition
by growing
too fast
Careful Reading
Organic farming
use natural waste
make the soil rich
in minerals
change the crop
put minerals back
into soil, making…
plant crops with
different roots
use different levels
of land
plant grass between crops
prevent…from…,
a natural fertilizer
1. Which statement is WRONG
according to the text?
A. All crops are organic.
B. Recently, the term “organic farming”
has gained another meaning.
C. All farmers use fertilizers.
D. Scientists believe some chemical
fertilizers are better for people.
Choose the best answer.
D
2. Which is not the reason why organic
farmers prefer natural waste from
animals?
A. It can keep the food free from
chemicals.
B. It can keep the air, soil and water
free from chemicals.
C. It can kill harmful pests.
D. It can make the soil richer in
mineral.
C
3. What is the advantage of using
chemical fertilizers?
A. Leaving chemicals in the ground
for a long time is good for water supply.
B. They can get the soil exhausted.
C. They can kill helpful bacteria.
D. They can kill harmful pest.
D
4. The organic farmers do the followings
except ______.
A. adding fertilizers which is rich in mineral
B. changing crops every two or three years
C. planting seeds in different layers of the soil
D. planting grass between crops to prevent
the soil from being blown away
A
1. These chemicals in the food supply
build up in people’s bodies over time.
build up  增强; 建立; 开发
Hard working conditions build up
character.
艰苦的工作条件能磨练人的性格。
Language Points
2. Many of these chemicals can lead to
cancer or other illnesses.
lead to: 导致; 造成
Too much work and too little rest
often lead to illness. 
过量的工作和过少的休息会引起疾病。
All roads lead to Rome. 
条条大道通罗马。
3. They focus on keeping their soil rich
and free of disease.
focus on: 集中(注意力, 精力等)于
You should focus your attention on
your work.
把注意力集中在你的工作上。
Olympus: Focus on life.
奥林巴斯: 瞄准生活。
4. reduce v. 减少, 降低
e.g. 公司尽力通过减少花销来提高利润。
The company tries to increase profits by
_______________ .
今年我们已经减少了业务开支。
We ______________ expenses this year.
reducing costs
have reduced
5. This also keeps the air, soil, water and
crops free from chemicals.
keeps… free from /of: 使…免受
(影响, 伤害等); 使不含(有害物)
We put our books in bookcase to keep
them free from dust.
You must take care to keep the wound
free from the dirt.
[拓展]
1)keep … from: 隐瞒, 不把……告诉(某人)
阻止, 避免” 如：
He won’t be able to keep the truth from his
father.
You can’t keep him from doing that thing.
2)free from: 使解除, 使摆脱 如：
They aim to free the students from too
much homework.
3)be free of sb/sth: 摆脱某人/某物
I’m free of that job at last.
Expressions
1. 化肥
2. 对…造成损害
3. 洗掉某物
4. 导致; 造成(后果); 通往
5. 逐渐增强, 建立
6. 另外(还有)
7. 使…免受(影响);
8. 集中(注意力、精力)于
9. 每隔几年
10. 避免做…
chemical fertilizers
cause/do damage to
wash off
lead to
bulid up
in addition (to)
keep…free from/of
focus on
every few years
avoid doing
Exercises
cause/do damage to, wash off, lead to, bulid up,
in addition (to), keep…free from/of, focus on,
avoid doing
1. His mistakes ______ his failure.
2. These chemicals in the food supply________
in people’s bodies over time.
3. All roads _______ Rome.
4. Please _____ your mind ___ the following
problem.
5. Children should ________________ violence.
led to
bulid up
focus
on
lead to
be kept free from
6. He likes basketball. ___________, he likes
football. He likes basketball _____________
football.
7. Little Tom stuck to ________ the mud ____
his shoes by himself before he came in.
8. I tried to ______________ (meet) him because
he always bores me.
9. The storm on May 3 ___________ great
__________ people in Burma so far.
cause/do damage to, wash off, lead to, bulid up,
in addition (to), keep…free from/of, focus on,
avoid doing
In addition
in addition to
washing
off
avoid meeting
has caused
damage to
The possible bad effects of chemical
fertilizers on the fruit and vegetables
that we eat today.
1 As you listen to this dialogue, keep in mind what you have just read about chemical fertilizers. What is the main topic of the conversation?
Listening
1. Paul thinks that Carrie is not telling
him the truth.
2. Using chemical fertilizers always
makes vegetables empty inside.
True
False
2 Listen to the dialogue a second time.
Decide if the following statements are
true or false, according to the
conversation. Give your reasons.
3. Today’s fruit is not as healthy for
people as fruit fifty years ago.
4. Eating more vegetables might not
always be good for us.
5. All of today’s vegetables look
healthy but in fact are not.
False
True
True
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE
VEGETABLES?
Girl: Hey, Paul, listen to this … a
magazine article about a farmer
who used too much chemical
fertilizer on his fields. When his
vegetables were picked, they were
all found to be empty!
Listening text
BOY: Empty? You’re joking, Carrie …
that can’t be true!
Girl: I didn’t believe it either! This article
says this can happen sometimes with
vegetables like cucumbers, carrots
and pumpkins. This chemical
fertilizer makes the vegetables grow
fast to look big and beautiful, but
they’re empty inside!
BOY: You know, I’ve noticed that
sometimes my mum buys carrots
from the supermarket that have big
holes down the center. I guess that
must be from using chemical
fertilizers!
GIRL: Yeah, that’s what the magazine says!
The main point of the article, though,
isn’t about holes in our vegetables.
It’s talking about why the fruit and
vegetables we eat today aren’t as
nutritious as the ones our
grandparents ate.
BOY: What? My mum is always telling me
to eat more vegetables, because
they’re good for me!
GIRL: Yeah, I know – my mother says that
same thing! And it’s true -
they are good for us… but the problem is that they aren’t healthy enough! All these chemical fertilizers – they kill off both the bad and the good things in the ground. The ground doesn’t have enough vitamins and minerals any more to help crops grow healthy.
BOY: So … if our fruit and vegetables
were grown with chemical
fertilizers, they might look
healthy, but probably aren’t
really healthy? I guess we’ve got
to stop using so many chemical
fertilizers to grow our food!
F= Farmer C= Customer
F: Good morning! Would you like
some organic carrots this morning?
C: Hmm …They’re a little expensive!
What is the advantage of …?
Reading, Speaking and writing
Sample dialogue
F: The advantage of these vegetables is
that they are green food so they are
safe to eat and good for your family.
C: But what is the advantage of having
green food? I know all vegetables
are good for you and those down
the road look green too. And I can
buy them at half price there.
F: Well, let me explain. I’d rather feed
my family on green food than other
vegetables because they are grown
without chemical fertilizers.
C: But the price is too expensive! I’d
prefer to buy good food if I can
afford it.
F: This is good value for money because you’ll
have healthier children. They won’t have to
go to the doctor so often and you won’t have
to take time off work. In the long run you’ll
be benefit.
C: Certainly I’d like to buy what is safe and
healthy. Perhaps I’ll try some of your
vegetables and if they are as good as you
say, I’ll be back next week.
Writing
Buy the best fruits here
We only sell green food in this shop!
Best choice at best price!
Safe, healthy, clean, fresh. Far away from any pollution.
Main
heading
This explains that you sell green food.
1. No chemical fertilizer, all organic fertilizers
2. Clean air, clean water
3. No poison, no pesticides
4. Home in heaven
Reasons to buy
Healthy food means healthy life. Far away from diseases, without worries, full of happiness. ( one reason)
Why it is good value.
Some English farming proverbs
He who does not rise early never does
a good day’s work.
起床不早, 一天的工作干不好。
Go to bed with the lamb and rise
with the lark.
随羔羊就寝, 与云雀同起。
A barley-corn is better than a diamond
to a cock.
对一只公鸡来说, 一颗麦粒优于一颗钻石。
The cuckoo comes in April, and stays
the month of May; sings a song