Unit 8. The story of my village

Unit 8: The story of my village
Past A:Reading
I. Before you read
Work in pairs. Look at the picture:
1. what are the people in the picture doing?
2. how are they working?
3 what do you think of the crop?
4.what helps produce good crops?
They’re rice from the fields
They’re working hard and merrily
3.I think it’s a good crop.
4.To get good crops, besides good farming mcthod(s). it requires hard work and suitable weather
II.While you read
Many years ago, my village was very poor. The villager had to work hard in the field all day and could hardly make ends meet. Their lives were simple and they were in need of many things. Many people had to live in houses made of straw and mud, and few families had a radio or a TV set. However, in spite of the shortages, the villagers managed to send their children to school and college. They hoped that with an education of science and technology, their children could find a way of bettering their lives.
    Cách đây nhiều năm, làng tôi rất nghèo. Dân làng phải làm việc cực nhọc ngoài đồng cả ngày và ít khi có đủ tiền mua những thứ cần thiết- Cuộc sống của họ giản dị và họ cần nhiều thứ. Nhiều người phải sống trong những ngôi nhà bằng rơm và bùn, và ít gia đình có ra-đi-ô hay truyền hình. Tuy nhiên mặc dù thiếu thốn, dân làng cố gắng gởi con đến trường và đại học. Họ hy vọng rằng với vốn học về khoa học và kỹ thuật, con cái của họ có thể tìm ra phương thức cải thiện cuộc sống của họ.

The children have met their parents’ wishes. When they came back from college or technical high school, they introduced new farming methods, which resulted in bumper crops. They also helped the villagers grow cash crop for export. Soon, the lifestyle of my village changed. Today, people live in brick houses. In the evening, they can listen to the news on the radio or watch TV for entertainment.. Sometimes they go to town on their motorbikes to do some shopping or to visit their friends.
      Con cái của họ đã thỏa mãn ước mơ của cha mẹ chúng. Khi chúng từ trường đại học hay trung học kỹ thuật trở về, chúng giới thiệu những phương pháp canh tác mớì đưa đến những vụ mùa bội thu. Chúng cũng giúp dân làng trồng các cây thương phẩm để xuất khẩu. Chẳng bao lâu, cuộc sống của làng tôi đã thay đổi. Ngày nay, người dân sống trong những ngôi nhà gạch. Buổi tối họ có thể nghe tin tức trên máy vô tuyến hoặc xem truyền hình để niải trí. Đôi khi họ có thể ra tỉnh thành trên những chiếc xe gắn máy để mua sắm hay thăm bạn bè.

“Our lives have changed a lot thanks to the knowledge our children brought home” said an old farmer, “and I always tell my grandchildren to study harder so that they can do even more for the village than their parents did.
Một nông dân già nói, “Nhờ kiến thức con cái chúng tôi mang về nhà, cuộc sống chúng tôi đã thay đổi nhiều, và tôi luôn luôn bảo các cháu chúng tôi học siêng năng hơn để chúng có thể làm cho làng nhiều hơn cha mẹ chúng đã làm.”

1.Task 1
A
B
1 Make ends meet


2. In need of many things


3. Bettering one’s life



4. Bumper crops


5.Cash crops
a.Making one’s life better


b. have just enough money to pay for
the things that you need

c. Crops to be sold , not for use by
the people who grow it


d. Having to have many things that you
do not have

e. Good crops
1.Task 1:

1-b 2-d 3-a 4-e 5-c
2.Task 2:
Areas of change
Before
Now
house
Radio and TV
Farming methods
crops
travel
Made of straw and mud
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
Motobike
1 made of brick 
2  few families had a radio  
3   many families had  or a TV set     
4  these things old, by hand   
5 new,with machines
6    poor       
7 good / bumper
8  on foot/by cart   
9    by motorbike
3.Task 3:
1.What was life like in the author`s village many years ago?
- It was poor and simple
2Why did the villagers want to send their children to school and college in spite of their shortages?
-Because they hoped that with an education of science and technology, their children could find a way of bettering their lives.
3How did the children help improve the lifestyle in the village when they finished college or technical high school?
-They introduced new farming methods which resulted in bumper crops. They also helped to grow cash crops for export.
4.What did an old farmer say about the effect of the knowledge the young people brought home?
-He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to the knowledge their children brought home from technical high schools or colleges.
5. What exactly did he tell his grandchildren?
-He told his grandchildren, “Study harder so that you can even do more for the village than your parents did”.
III. After you read
How can people with an education help make the life of their community better?
-People with an education can help to make the life of the community better by applying new methods, new technique and knowledge in working. And thanks to this, the work gets more effective and produces better results.