2019外研版高一英语必修一 unit6课文

必修一unit6

Understanding ideas

Longji Rice Terraces

1. Imagine mountains wrapped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these same mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered in sheets of white frost. These are the colors of the Longji Rice Terraces.

2. These terraces were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people, to whom Guangxi is home. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years until its completion in the early Qing Dynasty. Reaching as far as the eye can see, these terraces covered tall mountains, often from the bottom to the very top.

3. So why did these people go to so much trouble to turn the entire mountains into terraces? Firstly, there are few large, flat areas of land in the region. Building the terraces therefore meant that they could increase the areas in which they could grow rice. Secondly, although the region has plenty of rain, the mountains are steep and the soil is shallow. The flat terraces catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from being washed away.

4. But perhaps what is most significant is the way in which people have

worked in harmony with nature to make these terraces and grow rice. The terraces are cleverly designed, with hundreds of waterways that connect with each other. During the rainy season, it is along this waterways that rain water moves down the mountains and into the terraces. The sun heats the water and turns it into vapour. These forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the mountain terraces once again. The terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, some of which feed on insects that can harm the rice crops.

5. Although modern technology could help produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people for whom traditions hold much value. This knowledge is passed down through families, which means that new generations continue to use ancient methods of agriculture to maintain the terraces. Today, the Longji Rice Terraces attract thousands of visitors who come to admire this great wonder created by people and nature working together.

Developing ideas

A Love of Gardening

1. "If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." These words come from the author of the book The Secret

Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes with gardens began to be built.

Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have "green fingers" with around half the population spending their free time gardening.

2. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit under the branches of the trees and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.

3. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4,000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.

4. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you're in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden:"Where you