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Module 4 Reading The Student Who Asked Questions In a hungry world rice is a staple food and China is the world's largest producer. Rice is also grown in many other Asian countries, and in some European countries like Italy. In the rice-growing world, the Chinese scientist, Yuan Longping,is a leading figure. Yuan Longping was born and brought up in China. As a boy he was educated in many schools and was given the nickname, "the student who asks questions". From an early age he was interested in plants. He studied agriculture in college and as a young teacher he began experiments in crop breeding. He thought that the key to feeding people was to have more rice and to produce it more quickly. He thought there was only one way to do this—by crossing different species of rice plant, and then he could produce a new plant which could give a higher yield than either of the original plants. First Yuan Longping experimented with different types of rice. The results of his experiments were published in China in 1966. Then he began his search for a special type of rice plant. It had to be male. It had to be sterile. Finally, in 1970 a naturally sterile male rice plant was discovered. This was the breakthrough. Researchers were brought in from all over China to develop the new system. The research was supported by the government. As a result of Yuan Longping's discoveries Chinese rice production rose by 47.5 percent in the 1990's. There were other advantages too. 50 thousand square kilometres of rice fields were converted to growing vegetables and other cash crops. Following this, Yuan Longping's rice was exported to other countries, such as Pakistan and the Philippines. In Pakistan rice is the second most important crop after wheat and will be grown in many parts of the country. The new hybrid rice has been developed by the Yuan Longping Hightech Agricultural Company of China. Its yield is much greater than the yield of other types of rice grown in Pakistan.
Module 4问问题的学生 在当前的世界，水稻是主要食粮。中国是世界上最大的水稻产地。亚洲其他国家和一些欧洲国家比如意大利等，都种植水稻。在水稻种植界，中国科学家袁隆平是一位重要人士。 袁隆平生长在中国。小时候，他在许多学校读过书，得了个“问问题的学生”的绰号。袁隆平从小就对植物感兴趣。他在大学里研究农学。作为一个年轻的教师，他开始了作物育种的实验。他想，养活世人的关键是更多更快地生产水稻。他认为，唯一的办法是使不同种类的水稻杂交，这样就能产生比原先任何一种水稻产量都要高的新品种。 首先，袁隆平对不同种类的水稻进行实验。1966年，他的研究成果在中国发表。接着，他开始寻找一种特殊的稻种。这种稻种必须是雄性的，必须是不结果的（译者注：它属于生物学所称的“雄性不育系”）。最后，在1970年，一种天然的雄性不育稻种被发现，这是一个突破性的发现。全国各地的研究者们被召集在一起开发新的水稻种。研究得到了政府的赞助。 由于袁隆平的发现，中国的水稻产量在20世纪90年代增长了47.5%。还有其他的益处，5万平方公里原来的稻田现在被用来种植蔬菜和其他经济作物。除此以外，袁隆平研制的水稻还出口到巴基斯坦和菲律宾等国家。 在巴基斯坦，水稻是继小麦之后的第二种最重要的作物并将在许多地方种植。中国袁隆平高科技农业公司已开发出一种新的杂交水稻。这种杂交水稻的产量远高于巴基斯坦其他种类的水稻。 Cultural Corner
Rockets Today rockets are very advanced machines which we can use to send astronauts into space. They are also used in firework displays to celebrate great events, such as the end of the Olympic Games or the beginning of the new millennium in the year 2000. Rockets were probably invented by accident about 2,000 years ago. The Chinese had a form of gunpowder which was put in bamboo tubes and thrown into fires to make explosions during festivals. Perhaps some of the tubes jumped out of the fire instead of exploding in it. The Chinese discovered that the gas escaping from the tube could lift it into the air. The idea of the rocket was born. The first military use of rockets was in 1232. The Song Dynasty was at war with the Mongols. During the battle of Kaifeng, the Song army shot "arrows of flying fire". The tubes were attached to a long stick which helped keep the rocket moving in a straight direction. Soon the Mongols learned how to make rockets themselves and it is possible that they introduced them to Europe. Between the 13th and 15th centuries there were many rocket experiments in England, France and Italy. They were used for military purposes. One Italian scientist even invented a rocket which could travel over the surface of water and hit an enemy ship. But not everybody wanted to use rockets in battles. Wan Hu, a Chinese government official, invented a flying chair. He attached two big kites to the chair, and 47 rockets to the kites. The rockets were lit, there was a huge explosion and clouds of thick smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan Hu and his chair had disappeared. No one knows what happened. Did Wan Hu die in the explosion? Or was he carried miles into space, becoming the world's first astronaut?
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