Unit 12 The Danger of Market Forces

Teaching Objectives 1. Topic: Talking about environmental issues 2. Grammar Point: Verb-noun collocations 3. Vocabulary: derelict, provincial, exotic, tantalisi

ng, rummage, dormancy, exploit, sustainable, save from, be up to …, be bewildered, all but, interfere with, lay out, fear for, take …for granted

Writing: Reviewing expository writing

Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activities

Aims: Learning to understand environmental issues through

reading, discussing and task-based activities Learning the vocabulary and expressions set forth in t

he objectives of this unit Introduce the pre-reading tasks for class discussion. Draw the following table onto the board to guide the di

scussion. (Alternatively the teacher may change the following topic into: Environmental Changes in the last two years in our town/city)

Introduce the passage. Have students underline the difficult words or sentences.

Have the students give a gist of the reading passage.

Explain the difficult sentences or expressions.

Notes:

1.the fruit and veg section: In a supermarket in Britain, the United States and many other countries, fruit and vegetables are usually arranged on shelves in the same section, as both are fresh farm produce. Notice the lack of an article before veg as fruit and veg are considered one entity in this context. More examples: the teacher and writer (He does both teaching and writing), the bedroom and study (the room serves both as a bedroom and a study); cf. the teacher and the writer (two persons, one is a teacher and the other is a writer), the bedroom and the study (two rooms, one used as a bedroom and the other used as a study).

2.allotment: In Britain, an allotment is a small piece of land in a town or city, rented out to people to cultivate. Usually there are several allotments together on an area of land.

3.focusing on the novel: paying attention to new and rare kinds of vegetable or fruit imported from exotic places

4.the commonplace: ordinary vegetables or fruit, such as beans and peas

5.the humble: referring to the commonplace vegetables or fruit

6.they lie all but derelict in their winter dormancy: The allotments are abandoned in winter when no work can be done on them. All but, almost, very nearly, used to mean that something is almost the case. E.g. She all but fainted when she learned the news.

7.nature’s bounty knows no bounds: Nature’s generosity is limitless. Bounty, a rather literary word, is often used to refer to the generosity of nature, heaven, or the earth. The expression know no bounds can be used to denote a great intensity of feelings, emotions, etc. E.g. Caesar’s ambition for power knew no bounds.

trolley-pushers: customers in a supermarket. They are so called because they push trolleys, provided by the store, while shopping.

9. the best of our summers: Summers in Britain vary very much in weather. At their best they have extended warm or hot periods with plenty of sun and not much rain. Some years summers are cold and wet.

10. the cash-crop industry: growing crops for sale in the market rather than for consumption by the farmers themselves

11.based on a voluntary code of practice: according to the principles observed voluntarily by the local growers. This means there is no law to monitor the local growers’ activities in exploiting the lake.

12. produce: It is a noun referring to the products of agriculture, dairy or horticulture. Notice the pronunciation /"prQdjus/ (British pronunciation).

I Comprehension work A Summarize the story Market demands and increase in producti

on for immediate profits are forces that drive people to over-exploit natural resources and eventually destroy our environment. The presence of green beans in a British supermarket in wintertime and the endangered Lake Naivasha are cases in point.

B Summarize the paragraphs ●The first two paragraphs The writer is bewildered at the rich

variety and abundance of vegetables and fruit on the shelves of the local supermarket. The easy access to this year-round fresh produce makes him feel uneasy and disturbed.

● The third and fourth paragraphs: The writer gives a description of the

winter scene of the derelict allotments in contrast to the rich variety of summer vegetables in the supermarket. The contrast triggers off his reflections on environmental protection

The seventh paragraph: A Kenya environmentalist expressed her

worries about the future of Lake Naivasha because of the over-exploitation of its resources out of economic considerations.

●The last four paragraphs: The producers must not take advantage of

the local people's weaknesses and over-exploit the environment, and the customers should be told about how such over-exploitation has damaged the environment and affected the life of the local people.

C Study the story 1. Why is the writer bewildered? The writer is bewildered by the rich variety of vege

tables and fruit from all over the world on the shelves of the local supermarket.

2. What changes have taken place in local people’s attitude to exotic fruits?

Several years ago, the local people would think only the rich could afford those exotic fruits and vegetables. Now, they take it for granted that these things are their everyday shopping experience.

3. Why does the writer mention and describe the local allotments?

She is telling the reader that those “commonplace” or “humble” vegetables are not grown on the local vegetable allotments, but are imported from foreign countries.

4. What does the writer mean by saying “in the global market it’s always summer”?

On the international market, the supply of fruits and vegetables knows no seasons. When it is winter in one place and the local market cannot sell locally produced summer vegetables and fruit, produce from other parts of the world will be imported to fill the seasonal gap.

5. In what way has Lake Naivasha changed from the 70s to the 80s?

There was a sharp reduction of its water resource. Lake Naivasha measured 81 square miles in the 1970s but only between 44 and 74 square miles in the 1980s.

6. Why is Lake Naivasha important for the local people?

Lake Naivasha is a complex natural phenomenon, a large body of fresh water in a region where other lakes are salty. It is the only life-giving resource in the region.

7. Why has the land around the lake become an important center for horticulture and the cash-crop industry?

Lake Naivasha has a plentiful supply of fresh water, and its winter climate is similar to the best of British summers. With such a favorable environment, it naturally becomes a very important area for farming, horticulture and the cash-crop industry.

8. What are the best excuses given by people who interfere with the local environment?

Their best excuses for interfering with the environment are as follows——jobs can be created and foreign currency can be earned for the country.

9. What do Environmentalists worry about? What evidence do they have?

Environmentalists worry about the future of the lake. They are unconvinced that the voluntary controls agreed by growing companies and landowners will save the lake from over-exploitation and they see the lake being destroyed, vanishing before their eyes.

10. What, in Professor Maathai’s opinion, shouldn’t investors in poor countries do?

In Professor Maathai's opinion, investors in poor countries should not take advantage of the local people's ignorance, poverty and powerlessness to make profits at the expense of the environment.

11. What is the meaning of the last sentence?

The writer thinks that the shoppers, as consumers of farm produce, should be made aware of its possible damage to the environment and bear in mind that what they consume will influence the environment.

If there is time, introduce the following additional questions for in-depth study of the reading passage.