Unit 8. The story of my village

RICE PADDY FIELD
VILLAGE
HARVESTS
GOOD CROPS
UNIT 8
THE STORY IN MY VILLAGE
PART A
READING
VOCABULARY
Village
Villager
To manage to Vo
Shortage
Straw
Mud
Technical high school

Lifestyle
Hard # hardly
Result
Brick
| ˈvɪlɪdʒ | (n) ngôi làng
/ˈvɪlɪdʒə | (n) dân làng
/tə ˈmænɪdʒ | (v) xoay xở
/ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ | (n) sự thiếu thốn
/strɔː | (n) rơm
/mʌd |(n) bùn
/ˈteknɪkl̩ haɪ skuːl | (n) trường trung học dạy nghề
/ˈlaɪfstaɪl | (n) lối sống
/hɑːd # ˈhɑːdli | (adv) cực # không
/rɪˈzʌlt | (n, v) kết quả
/brɪk | (n) gạch ngói
The story in my village
Many years ago, my village was very poor. The villagers had to work hard in the fields 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 or college. They hoped that with an education of science and technology, their children could find a way of bettering their lives.
The children have met their parents’ wishes. When they came back from the college or technical high school, they introduced new farming methods, which resulted in bumper crops. They also helped the villagers grow cash crops 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 the town on their motorbikes to do some shopping or to visit their friends.
“Our lives have changed a lot thanks to the knowledge our children brought home”, said an old farmer, “an I always tell my grandchildren to study harder so that they can do even more for the village than their parents did”.
Task 1 : Match the words in A with their definitions in B :
A
1. make ends meet
in need of many things

bettering one’s life

bumper crops

5. cash crops
B
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 don’t have.
e. good crops
Task 2 : Read the passage and complete the table below :
made of
brick
few
many
old
new
poor
bumper
motorbike
Task 3 : Read the passage and choose the best answer :
1. What was the life like in the author’s village many years ago ?
poor and peaceful
b. poor and simple
c. simple and quiet
d. quiet and peaceful

b. poor and simple
2. Why did the villagers want to send their children to school and college in spite of their shortages ?
a. Because they hoped their children could find a way of bettering their lives.
b. Because they hoped their children couldn’t find a way of bettering their lives.
c. Because they hoped their children could find a way of having more houses.
d. Because they hoped their children could find a way of rebuilding the countryside.

a. Because they hoped their children could find a way of bettering their lives.
3. How did the children help improve the lifestyle in the village when they finished college or technical high school ?.
a. They introduced new farming methods which resulted in bumper crops.
b. They helped to grow cash crop for export.
c. They came back from school or technical high school.
d. a and b are correct answers

d. a and b are correct answers.
4. What did the old man say about the effect of the knowledge the young people brought home?

a. He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to the knowledge their children brought home.
b. He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to good crops their children brought home.
c. He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to the big houses their children brought home.
d. He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to the lifestyle their children brought home.

a. He said their lives had changed a lot thanks to the knowledge their children brought home.
5. What exactly did he tell his grandchildren ?

a. He told his grandchildren, “ study harder so that you can even do more for the village than your parents do”.
b. He told his grandchildren, “ study harder so that youcan open your mind than your parents do”.
c. He told his grandchildren, “ study harder so that you can work more effectively than your parents do”.
d. He told his grandchildren, “ study harder so that you can do even more for the village than your parents do
d. He told his grandchildren, “ study harder so that you can do even more for the village than your parents do”.
Task 4 : Ask and answer the question below :
Question : What can you do to help your
family and your hometown ?
Answers :
I will study harder.
I will take care of myself carefully.
I will get rid of bad habits.
I will obey parents and teachers.
I will be a good student in class and a good child in my family.
HOMEWORK
Review vocabulary
Prepare
Unit 8 : Speaking