Step 1: reading a
scientific article
Read the article and underline all of the
solutions to desertification.
desertification
Solutions to desertification:
build fences
plant more trees and bushes
do some scientific research
better management
train people in responsible water usage
share information and solutions
use satellites to pick out areas
Skills building 2:
listening and drawing
conclusions
Tips:
When you draw conclusions, you
think about a situation and the
information you have, and try to
decide what it means. Sometimes all
the information you need about a
subject is not included in what you
hear. This is when you must draw a
conclusion.
1. Yet another tall building has been built in
Shanghai.
There are already some tall buildings in
Shanghai.
2.M: The train is going to be late again.
W: I’m not surprised.
The train is often late.
Draw conclusions from what is said
in the dialogues
1.I’ve just been to the hospital, and the
doctor asked me to take some medicine.
The speaker is ill.
2.W:When will the film start?
M: In two minutes. Ticket, please.
The woman is going to see a film.
3.W: The light will be shut off at ten to eleven.
M: So we’ve got only a quarter of an hour left.
It’s 10:35 now.
Part A : Read some short descriptions
from news reports and draw a
conclusion about what kind of natural
disaster occurred in each situation.
earthquake typhoon
flood fire
Answers:
1. flood 2. fire
3. earthquake 4. typhoon
Step 2: listening to a
lecture
Listen to your teacher’s
lecture to learn about
desertification.
1. How many people are affected ?
It affects around two hundred and fifty million
people every year.
2. Where does it happen?
Although desertification can happen
everywhere, it is an especially big problem in
Africa and parts of South America. It is a
problem in China as well.
3. How are people affected by it?
People may lose their homes and farms
because the land is too dry to use. Many
families starve and others move to the
cities to find work.
4. Why does it happen?
Some parts of the world are becoming
drier because the weather has changed.
However, the actions of humans are
making the problem of desertification much
worse. People plant too much on the land
without giving it a rest; too many animals
all depend on the same land to eat; and
people cut down trees for fuel and to make
space for more farms.
5. Who should be concerned?
Everyone should be concerned.
Match the following statements with the
conclusions .
1. Your teacher wants you to help
educate people about
desertification.
2. A desert is an area of dry land.
Desertification is what we call it
when land turns into desert.
3. People plant things without
giving the land a chance to rest.
4. the wind carries sand from the
deserts to the cities, causing air
pollution.
a the ending –ification
means a process.
b one way to stop
desertification is to allow the
land a chance to rest
between plantings.
c some people become ill
after breathing this air.
d Many people around the
world do not know about
desertification.
Skills building 3:
presenting your point
of view
Step 3: Designing a poster
Have a discussion with your partner
to think of things we can do to help
stop desertification, which can be
included in our posters later.
I think/believe that …
From my point of view
it seems that …
it seems to me that …
Personally I
agree/disagree
because …
Because …
as a result of …
due to …
on account of …
Collect some money to help the poor
farms.
Save as much water as possible in our
daily life.
Ask scientists to find more plants that
are suitable for growing in deserts.
1. Finish reading the article in Part A on
Page 105 in Workbook.
2. Do Part B on Page 105 after class.