Unit 2, Grade 8: Life In The Countryside – Skills 2

1. Listening

1.1. Task 1 Unit 2 Grade 8

Listen to a boy talking about changes in his village and tick ( ✓) the changes he mentions. Listen to a boy talk about changes in this village and mark (✓) changes he mentioned.)

Click to listen

Guide to answer

	Yes	No
A. the roads in the village		✔
B. electrical appliances in the homes	✔
C. means of transport	✔
D. entertainment		✔
E. school	✔
F. visitors	✔

Audio scripts:

I live in a village. My parents often tell me stories about their life in the past. It’s not much like the village I can see nowadays. Some villagers now live in brick houses instead of earthen ones. Our houses are better equipped with electric fans and TVs. Thanks to the TV, we now know more about life outside our village. We don’t use oil lamps any more. We have electric lights which are much brighter. More villagers are using motorcycles for transport instead of riding a horse or walking. We — village children — no longer have to wait a long way and cross a stream to get to school, which is dangerous in the rainy season. Now there’s a new school nearby. We also have more visitors from the city. They come to experience our way of life.

Translate Script:

I live in a mountain village. My parents often tell me stories about their past lives. It didn’t look like the village I can see today. Some villagers now live in brick houses instead of earthen ones. Our homes are better equipped with electric fans and TVs. Thanks to TV, we now know more about life outside our village. We don’t use kerosene lamps anymore. We have much brighter electric lights. Many villagers are using motorbikes for transportation instead of horseback riding or walking. We – village children – no longer have to go a long way and cross streams to get to school, which is very dangerous in the rainy season. Now there is a new school nearby. We also have more visitors from the city. They come to experience our way of life.

1.2. Task 2 Unit 2 Grade 8

Listen again and say if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). (Listen again and say which statement is true (T) or false (F).)

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first. Nobody lives in an earthen house now.

2. The village has electricity now.

3. Horses are still the only means of transport in the village.

4. The children used to go a long way to school.

5. More visitors are coming to see them.

Guide to answer

1. F

2 T

3. F

4. BILLION

5 BILLION

Translation

first. No one now lives in an earthen house.

2. Now the village has electricity.

3. The horses are still the only means of transport in the village.

4. Children used to walk a long way to school.

5. More and more visitors come to see them.

1.3. Task 3 Unit 2 Grade 8

Listen again and answer the questions in no more than FOUR words. (Listen again and answer questions with no more than 4 words.)

Click to listen

Guide to answer

first. Who often tells the boy stories about the party?

(Who used to tell the boy stories about the past?)

=> His parents.

(His parents)

2. What do the villagers now know more about?

(What do the villagers know more about now?)

=> Life outside their village

(Life outside their village)

3. Where is the new school?

(Where is the new school?)

=> Nearby/ Near the village

(Nearby/Near the village)

4. What do the visitors want to experience in the village?

(What do visitors want to experience in the village?)

=> Their way of life

(Their way of life)

2. Writing

2.1. Task 4 Unit 2 Grade 8

What do you think?

Which change(s) in the Listening do you see as positive? Which do you see as negative?

Support your opinion with a reason. Write it out.

(What do you think? What changes in listening do you find positive? What do you see as negative? Support your opinion with a reason. Write it down.)

Example:

It’s good for the villagers to have TVs. They can now have more fun and .earn more about different people and different places.

Translated:

It’s good for people in the village to have televisions. They can now have more fun and learn more about other people and places.

Guide to answer

Positive Effects

– I think the electric light plays a very important role in the life of people living here. It helps them see everything clearly at night so they can do more work.

(I think electric lights play a very important role in the lives of the people who live here. It helps them see things clearly at night so they can do more things.)

– I believe that more people will go to the village to get experience, so the villagers can develop tourism. They will have more work and more money.

(I believe more people will come to the village to experience, so the villagers can develop tourism. They will have more jobs and earn more money.)

Negative Effects

– Factories cause air and water pollution. There are more people, more traffic jams or accidents , less spaces, and less fresh air, etc.

(Factory pollutes the air and water. More people, more traffic jams or accidents, less space and fresh air, etc.)

2.2. Task 5 Unit 2 Grade 8

Work in groups. Discuss and find some changes in a rural area. Make notes of the changes. (Work in groups. Discuss some changes in rural areas. Notes on those changes.)

Guide to answer

A: The rural area changes so much now.

B: Really? What is the change?

A: People don’t use buffaloes for transport. They use motorbikes. They have running water, electricity and TVs at home.

B: Anything else?

A: The school is near the village. There is also hospital there.

Translation:

A. Rural areas have changed so much now.

B. Really? What changes?

A. People don’t use buffalo for transportation anymore. They use motorbikes. They have running water, electricity and television at home.

B. Is there anything else?

A. The school is also near the village. There are also more hospitals

2.3. Task 6 Unit 2 Grade 8

Write a short paragraph about the changes. (Write a short paragraph about the changes.)

Guide to answer

My hometown changes so much. It begins with life quality of the local people. They have a better life because there are many hospitals, schools nearby the village now. The second change is that there are more people and more houses here. The houses are more modern, made by brick not by soil anymore. The last change is the place for children to play. There is a park in the village.

Translated:

My hometown has changed a lot. Start with the quality of life of the locals. Now there are many hospitals and schools near the village. The second change is people. There are more people and more houses in the village. More modern houses are made of bricks, not of earth anymore. The final change is a place for the kids to play. There is a park in the village.

3. Practice Task 1

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words

Question 1: I/ like/ look/ at/ stars/ starry nights.

A. I like looking at stars on starry nights.

B. I like look at stars in starry nights.

C. I like to look at stars in starry nights.

D. I like looked at stars on starry nights.

Question 2: Some farmers/ still/ use/ buffalo-drawn/ carts/ move crops.

A. Some farmers still use buffalo-drawn carts to move crops.

B. Some farmers still use buffalo-drawn carts move crops.

C. Some farmers still use buffalo-drawn carts move crops.

D. Some farmers still use buffalo-drawn carts to move crops.

4. Practice Task 2

Rearrange the sentences to make meaningful sentences

Question 1: collect/ people/ money/ old/ Poor/ some/ make/ to/ bottles.

A. Poor people collect to make some old bottles money.

B. Poor people collect old bottles to make some money.

C. Poor some money people collect old bottles to make.

D. Poor people collect to make some money old bottles.

Question 2: more/ usual/ In/ farmers/ on/ harvest time/ than/ the field/ work.

A. In harvest time, on the field more farmers than work as usual.

B. In harvest time, more farmers work field than on the usual.

C. In harvest time, more farmers field than work on the usual.

D. In harvest time, more farmers work on the field than usual.

5. Conclusion

Through this lesson, in addition to practicing listening skills, students need to memorize how to write a paragraph about some changes in rural areas; Also memorize the following words:

• appliance /əˈplaɪəns/ utensils
• lunar eclipse /ˈmaʊntənəs/ mountains
• equip (v) /ɪˈkwɪp/ equipment
• experience (v) /ɪkˈspɪəriəns/ experience
• villager /ˈvɪlɪdʒə(r)/ villager