Unit 1 农业 1
Lead-in 1
Text A Industry Must Help to Fill the World’s Rice Bowl 2
Text B Advice on Ag-Tourism 10
Text C Brief History of Agriculture 15
Unit 2 动物科学 19
Lead-in 19
Text A Woman Who Lost Leg Finds Inspiration from Disabled Dolphin 20
Text B 10 Ways to Plan for Air Travel with Your Dog 29
Text C Rescue Dog 32
Unit 3 食品 37
Lead-in 37
Text A Celery Is an Ancient Healing Food 38
Text B Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages and Processed Foods 44
Text C 15 Fat-Burning Foods 48
Unit 4 转基因技术 53
Lead-in 53
Text A Bt-Corn： What It Is and How It Works？ 54
Text B Breakthrough： Food For the 21 st Century 62
Text C Eggplant Getting More Value 66
Unit 5 环境保护 71
Lead-in 71
Text A Meat-eaters Soak Up the World’s Water 72
Text B What Is the Greenhouse Effect？ 79
Text C Natural Gas 83
Unit 6 水资源利用 87
Lead-in 87
Text A Seawater Toilets Help Flush away Water Shortages 88
Text B University’s Laser Experiment May Revolutionize Irrigation，Save Water 95
Text C 11 Ways to Conserve Water in the Home 99
Unit 7 渔业 103
Lead-in 103
Text A Sharks Endangered by Fin Trade 104
Text B Weather and Fishing 112
Text C “Only 50 Years Left” for Sea Fish 115
Unit 8 园艺 121
Lead-in 121
Text A China，the Homeland of Tea 122
Text B Herb Gardening—Planning and Planting an Herb Garden 130
Text C 10 Deliciously Exotic Plants，Fruits and Vegetables 135
Unit 9 林学 145
Lead-in 145
Text A Why Leaves Change Color 146
Text B Forestry /Wildlife Myths and Misconceptions 153
Text C When Will a Prescribed Burn Help My Pine Stand？ 157
Unit 10 农业机械化 161
Lead-in 161
Text A Agricultural Mechanization 163
Text B The Status and Prospects of Rice Production Mechanization in China 169
Text C Impact of Agricultural Mechanization on Production，Productivity，Cropping Intensity，Income Generation and Employment of Labour 174
Unit 11 昆虫 179
Lead-in 179
Text A Ting Insect Brains Solve Big Problems 180
Text B Some Past Insect Asides 188
Text C The Green Lane—Household Insects 194
Unit 12 农业经济 201
Lead-in 201
Text A Woody Biomass in a Renewable Economy 202
Text B Corn Feeds the Profits of Agribusiness 209
Text C Agritourism on Farms and Ranches in the USA 213
Tapescript 218
课文参考译文 233
练习答案 252