Fire ant invading China (P6)

Warm up

What do you think about ants? Are they fun?

Not all ants are fun. There is one kind of ant that is causing problems for farmers.

 

Pre-reading

What problems is the ant causing?

What’s the name of this kind of ant?

 

In order to raise public awareness of this ant, the zoo decided to hold an exhibition about it.

Please help design a card to introduce the ant to zoo visitors.

 

Fast reading

Read and learn some basic information about the ant.

1. What’s the name of the ant?

The red imported fire ant.

 

2. Where did the ant come from first?

South America.

 

Careful reading

Read and choose the correct answers.

1. How long have the red fire ants been in China?

A. For one year.

B. For 10 years.

C. For 17 years.

D. For about 80 years.

C

 

Par. 1

The red imported fire ant (红火蚁), first found in China in 2004, is causing problems here.

 

2. Why does the Ministry of Agriculture take the ant seriously?

A. Because it can make the ecosystem better.

B. Because the ant is everywhere in China.

C. Because it can help farmers grow crops.

D. Because it can hurt people and crops.

D

 

Par. 3

…as it can eat farmers’ crops, destroy the ecosystem, and even hurt people with its stinging bite.

 

3. Which of the following is an example of bioinvasion?

A. Wolves in America killing deer in forests.

B. An American dog coming to China as pet.

C. Asian bees coming to Australia and killing Australian bees.

D. People killing too many of the same kind of animals.

C

 

Par. 4

When living things enter a new environment and play a harmful role, it’s called bioinvasion. This can happen naturally or, more often, as a result of human activity.

 

Post-reading

Introduce invasive species — Red Imported Fire Ant

Can you give more advice about how to prevent bioinvasion?

 

Words in use

Completion. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

look out     import       seriously       hear of         harmful     

1. ________! A car is coming!

2. Smoking can _________ harm your health.

3. The country has to _____ most of its raw materials. 

4. I was very sorry to _____ his illness.

5. Staying up late is very ______ to your health.

 

Homework:

Introduce the red imported fire ant to your family members and search for more information about the invasive species online.