2021-2022学年度高一第42期总第872期 (6版)
Farm among the stars (Page 6)
山东省烟台第二中学  柳力文

I. Warming up
Do you think it is possible for living creatures to survive on another planet?
Why or why not?

II. Pre-reading
1. Prediction
Will plants grow in space as they do on Earth? Why?

2. Read the title
Look at the title and think about the questions.
Farm among the stars
Who is farming?
What is farmed?
What does “stars” refer to?

III. While-reading
1. Read for main idea
Look through the passage and find out the main focus. 
The main focus is the latest progress scientists have made in space farming.

2. Read for details
Read the article and fill in the table with information about the following questions.

3. Read and think
Q1: How is the environment in space different from that on Earth?
A1: 1. lack of nutrients in lunar soil
2. microgravity or zero gravity environment
3. sunspot eruption (太阳黑子爆发)
4. ...

Q2: What scientific significance do the three studies have?
A2: 1. Growing thale cress help understand how future explorers might be able to grow plants on the moon. It also helps us understand how plants might overcome stressful conditions in food-scarce areas here on Earth.
2. Growing artificial meat helps people see if these processes of cultivation of meat proliferation can actually occur in space.
3. The research of the growth of rice seeds in space is seen as a vital step to determine which rice species have the genetics most suitable for space agriculture.

IV. Post-reading
Q1: What other benefits can space agriculture research bring?
A1: Possible benefits of space agriculture:
1. It helps astronauts in space get fresh food.
2. Cultivating crops in outer space can teach us a lot about growing plants more efficiently.
3. It may help satisfy the increasing need of food in the long term.
4. We could discover new techniques that would prove beneficial for gardening.
5. ...

Q2: What other problems need to be solved in order to live on the moon?
A2: Possible problems to be solved:
1. Radiation
2. No atmosphere
3. No water
4. No electricity
5. One lunar day is on average 29.5 Earth days long
6. Average temperatures range from 106°C to -183°C
7. Lunar dust is everywhere, and is harmful to health
8. ...

V. Language study
Find the following expressions and figure out their meanings in the context.
1. make progress in ...        在……方面取得进展
2. be seen as ...                被视作……
3. scientific breakthrough        科学突破
4. conduct tests                进行测试
5. respond to ...                对……作出反应
6. genetic variation            基因变异
7. be suitable for ...            适合……

VI. Assignment
Search on the Internet about other advances in lunar exploration and prepare a presentation.
Imagine what life on the moon would be like and draw a picture to show it.