English Department English 10

Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL

INTEGRATED TOEFL LESSON # 4

Name:
Class:
I. Listening Comprehension
Directions: Highlight the correct answer.

1. The presenter revealed that

A. he was allowed to interview Chinese farmers as long as he
will not talk to them about politics
B. he interviewed 1 billion Chinese peasants
C. traditional farmers in China are now rich because they
produce food to Chinas population
D. traditional farmers in China are empowered by its own
government

2. 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

3. The presenter disclosed that one-tenth of Chinese land is

A. occupied by 1.3 billion of people
B. able to grow crops
C. occupied by 1 billion farmer peasants
D. used to study ancient Chinese horticulture

II. Vocabulary
A. Noun that ends in -tion
Identify the root of a word and use
context clues to provide you a clue on the meaning of the
unknown word.
Study the following underlined nouns:
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.

B. Use one of the underlined nouns above in a sentence.

Chinese people developed their irrigation techniques in the early dynasty.
III. Reading

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 English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL

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
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.
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
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,
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.

A. Complete the information in the web by describing

Chinas traditional farming practices.
in the south - landlords who didnt work

sold crops that are profitable

in the north -
people who work
their own land

plant
3 crops
a year

farmers plowed the land

use their farm well with
sticks or hoes by
themselves

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 English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL

women do 60% of the work

human excrement, urine

as fertilizer
B. Directions: Highlight the correct answer.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) type of Chinese farmers
(B) traditional Chinese agriculture
(C) irrigation systems in China
(D) animals used in Chinese agriculture

2. The word plow in line 19 is closest in meaning to

(A) bury
(B) shove
(C) cultivate
(D) plant

3. Farmers in Guangdong were efficient because

(A) they use animals to grow crops and sell water buffaloes
(B) they plant three different crops a year and use their land well
(C) they sell sea water fish as well
(D) they did not sell carrots when their price went down

4. The word peasant in line 6 is closest in meaning to

(A) clever laborers
(B) poor farmers
(C) strong farmers
(D) hardworkers

5. The word It in line 7 refers to

(A) how peasants work
(B) how peasants pay for land rental
(C) how peasants communicate to landowners
(D) how peasants sell their harvest

6. Why were Chinese farmers known to be clever?

(A) They earned a lot of money by producing more crops
(B) They managed their own land and farms well
(C) They knew how to use their crops for better profit
(D) They knew a lot about Chinas economy

7. The word dikes in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) watercourse
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 English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL

(B) wall
(C) pond
(D) hole

8. What does women do about 60 percent of the work imply?

(A) Animals did the other 40% of the work
(B) Men were enlisted as soldiers which explains womens role
(C) Men were unskilled in farming
(D) there are more female farmers than male farmers

9. What can you tell about Chinas farming land ownership?

(A) the northern people were fortunate more than the southern farmers
(B) owning a land took centuries
(C) farmers needed to work hard first before owning a land
(D) landowners enslaved many farmers

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

IV. Structure
A. Active vs. Passive Voices
Active voice: subject of the sentence performs the action (verb).
Study the examples below:
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.

Passive voice: subject is acted upon by the verb. Study the

examples below:
1. In late imperial times the agricultural land in the
north was worked by people who owned the land while the land
in the south was owned by landlords who didnt work the land
themselves.
2. 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.

B. Follow the link for further explanation:

http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm

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 English Department English 10
Prepared by: Abel M. Cadias, MA-ESL

C. Transform the following sentences

from active to passive
1. Women do about 60 percent of the work.
60 percent of the work is done by women.
from passive to active
1. most plowing is done with sticks or hoes
by farmers in lamp shade hats and rubber boots.
Farmers in lamp shade hats and rubber boots do most of the
plowing with sticks or hoes.