Unit 8. The story of my village

UNIT 8
1. Before you read
2. While you read
3. After you read
Before you read
Word in pairs. Look at the picture. Discuss the question

What are the people in the picture doing ?
How are they working ?
What do you think of the crop ?
What helps produce good crops ?
1. What are the people in the picture doing?
- They are collecting rice from the field.
- They are harvesting.
2. How are they working ?
- They are working hard.
3. What do you think of the crop ?
It’s very important.
It’s a bumper crop.
It’s good.

4. What helps produce good crops ?
Good farming methods
Soil
Water
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 TV set. However, in spite of the shortage, 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.
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 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 town on their motorbikes to do some shopping or to visit their friends.
“Our lives have changed a lot thanks to 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.”
While you read
Read the passage, and then do the task that follow
Read the passage and then find the new word
Make ends meet : kiếm đủ tiền để sống
Be in need of : cần/thiếu cái gì
Straw (n) : rơm
Mud (n) : bùn
Shortage (n) : sự thiếu thốn, túng thiếu
Managed to do s.t : gi?i quyết, xoay xở
To send s.b to school/college : đưa ai đến phổ thông/đại học
Technical high school : trường trung học kĩ thuật
Introduce (v) : giới thiệu, đưa vào (sử dụng)
Farming method : phương pháp canh tác
Result in : dẫn đến, đưa đến
Bumper crop : vụ mùa bội thu
Cash crop : vụ trồng để bán/thương phẩm
Lifestyle (n) : lối sống
Brick (n) : gạch
Thanks to : nhờ vào/nhờ có
Better (v : làm cho tốt hơn, cải thiện
Read the passage, and then do the tasks that follow
Task 1. The words in A appear in the reading passage. Match them with their definitions in B
1.b 2.d 3.a 4.e 5.c
Task 2. The reading passage tells us about many changes in the village. Complete the folowing table
made of brick
few families had a radio or a TV set

many families have a radio or a TV set

old
new
poor
good/bumper/export

not yet
Task 3. Answer the following question
What was life like in the author’s village many years ago ?
Why did the villagers want to send their children to school and college in spite of their shortages ?
How did the children help improve the lifestyle in the village when they finished college or technical high school ?
What did an old farmer say about the effect of the knowledge the young people brought home ?
What exactly did he tell his grandchildren ?

What was life like in the author’s village many years ago ?
It ‘s poor and simple.
2. Why 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.
4. What did an old farmer say about the effect of the knowledge the young people brought home?
He said their lives had chaned a lot thanks to the knowledge their children had brought home.
5. What exactlydid he tell his grandchildren?
He told his grandchildren: “Studying harder so that you can do even more for the village than your parents did”.
past
now
After you read
Work in pairs/groups. Discuss the following question
How can people with an education help make the life of their community better ?