人教版高中英语Unit19 Modern agriculture教案 .doc

Unit 19　Modern agriculture Ⅰ.Teaching Goals: 1.Talk about modern agriculture and the effects it has on peoples life. 2.Practise giving advice and making decisions. 3.Use “It” for emphasis. 4.Read statistical graphs. 5.Write a plan for a vegetable garden. Ⅱ.Teaching Time: Five periods Ⅲ.Background Information: 1.An American Small Farm Last year,at harvest time,we visited the Steenhoek farm,which is 2 200 mu,or 340 acres.Typical family farms are run entirely by family members,with every member playing a vital part in the operation.Both of these families are descendants of Dutch immigrants who settled here over a century ago. The Steenhoek farm supports 3 generations.The family of Mr.and Mrs.Steenhoek includes three children and 2 grandchildren.As we will see,this family is an excellent example of hardworking,experienced farmers who stay on the land not purely because of profit,but because they are living a life-style that satisfies them.Sixty percent of the Steenhoeks acres are devoted to pasture land,on which they raise 120 beef cattle.The rest of the land is used for growing corn. Fifteen years ago,the American farm economy was booming.Farmers could specialize,raising one crop,or one type of animal.Today,with an uncertain farm economy,such an idea is considered foolhardy,and diversifying is one way that farmers can lesson their risk of loss.For example,if weather affects the size of a crop,the sale of the livestock will make up the difference.If the animals are plagued by disease,at least there is grain to take to market. Kendall Steenhoek,Simons eldest son,divides his time between running this machine shop and farming zoo acres of corn.He attended a community college in Iowa for two years to study diesel mechanics.Then he opened this repair shop for farm machinery.Kendall also plants and harvests over 30 000 bushels of corn each year,but it is the income from the repair shop that has enabled him to stay within the farming community.The heavy equipment used on the f