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1 The secret to the fertile soil of some part in China is the use of
A. buffalos to till the soil
B. gardening techniques
C. human manure
D. interplanting
I Vocabulary
A. Noun that ends in -tion
1
English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL
1. The history of agriculture in China has been one of constantly improving
crop yields through innovations, improvements in techniques and
intensification.
2. The resulting surpluses have allowed the population to grow.
3. Peasant farmers in the south have traditionally used water buffalo to plow
their fields, donkeys to carry goods and treadmills to pump water into
irrigation ditches.
The history of agriculture in China has been one of constantly improving crop yields
through innovations, improvements in techniques and intensification. The resulting surpluses
have allowed the population to grow.
In late imperial times the agricultural land in the north was worked by people who
Line 5 owned the land while the land in the south was owned by landlords who didnt work the land
themselves. Peasants who worked the land either paid for use of the land with a share of their
harvest, a fixed rent in crops or a fixed rent in cash. It was more of commercial arrangement
than a feudal one.
Agriculture in China is labor intensive. Women do about 60 percent of the work.
Line 10 Animals such as mules, oxen and water buffalo are considered luxuries and most plowing is
done with sticks or hoes by farmers in lamp shade hats and rubber boots. Human excrement,
urine and even burnt duck feathers are brought into the fields and used for fertilizer.
Chinese farmers are very efficient. In the Guangdong province farmers plant three
crops a year: two of rice and one of legumes. The rice paddies also double as fishponds, and
Line 15 the dikes between them are often planted with sugarcane and mulberry trees. Chinese farmers
can also be very clever. When the price of carrots went down one farmer found it was more
profitable to use the carrots to fatten his pigs, when the price of carrots went up he sold the
carrots on the market.
Peasant farmers in the south have traditionally used water buffalo to plow their fields,
Line 20 donkeys to carry goods and treadmills to pump water into irrigation ditches. Theft is
sometimes a problem. During harvest time families often sleep in the fields or by their fish
ponds.
landlord(south)
2
English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL
3 corps of year
pumping system
Human excrement
3
English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL
4. The word peasant in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(A) clever labourers
(B) poor farmers
(C) strong farmers
(D) hard workers
10. Why did families sleep in the fields during harvest time?
(A) to avoid poachers
(B) to stop land grabbing
(C) to protect their crops from thieves
(D) to use their time wisely
I Structure
A. Active vs. Passive Voices
Active voice: subject of the sentence performs the action (verb).
Study the examples below:
4
English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL
1. Peasants who worked the land either paid for use of the land
with a share of their harvest, a fixed rent in crops or a fixed rent
in cash.
2. Women do about 60 percent of the work.
3. In the Guangdong province farmers plant three crops a year: two
of rice and one of legumes.