- Unit 2 -
Life in the countryside
Getting started:
It’s harvest time.
Nguyen
Nick
New words
To harvest (v) : thu hoạch
To herd (v) : chăn (trâu, bò,...)
To dry (v) : làm khô
To load (v) : chất hàng
To transport (v) : vận chuyển
A buffalo-drawn cart (n) : xe kéo
To explore (v) : khám phá
Envious (a) : ghen tị
Checking new words
To harvest (v)
To herd (v)
To dry (v)
To load (v)
To transport (v)
A buffalo-drawn cart (n)
To explore (v)
Envious (a)
: thu hoạch
: chăn (trâu, bò,...)
: làm khô
: chất hàng
: vận chuyển
: xe kéo
: khám phá
: ghen tị
Nguyen: Nguyen speaking. 
Nick: Hi Nguyen, how`s your stay there? 
Nguyen: Hi Nick! Well, it`s more exciting than I expected. 
Nick: What are you doing? 
Nguyen: Lots of things. It`s harvest time, so we help load the rice onto buffalo-drawn carts, ride it home and dry it. Have you ever ridden a cart? 
Nick: No, but I`d like to. 
Nguyen: And sometimes I go herding the buffaloes with the boys. 
Nick: You`ve made new friends?
Nguyen: Yeah - right on my first day. They came and we went flying kites together.
Nick: Where can you buy a kite in the countryside?
Nguyen: The people here don`t buy kites - they make them. My grandfather`s made me the largest, most colourful kite I`ve ever had. It looks great up there in the sky.
Nick: Oh, I`m so envious!
Nguyen: Ha...ha... I guess. I live more happily here, and there`s still a lot more to explore.
Nick: Sounds great!
Nguyen: And everything seems to move more slowly here than in the city.
Nick: I wish I could join...
1a. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
sometimes
buffalo-drawn carts
1b. Answer the following questions:
1. Where is Nguyen now?
_________________________
2. When was he able to make new friends?
_________________________
3. What is Nguyen`s kite like?
_________________________
4. Who is Nguyen probably staying with?
_________________________
5. Does Nick want to be there with Nguyen?
_________________________
He’s in the countryside.
Right on his first day here.
It’s big and colorful.
His grandfather.
Yes, he does.
1c. Complete the sentences with the words in the box:
1. When a thing has lots of bright colours, it is ___________.
2. When people are not in a hurry, they ___________.
3. A busy time when people collect their crops is called ___________.
4. A place where rice grows is called a ___________.
5. My brother is taking his buffaloes out to feed them. He`s ___________ them.
6. Rice is loaded onto a ________________ to transport it home.
buffalo-drawn cart
herding
harvest time
colorful
move slowly
paddy field
1d. In groups, discuss and find how Nguyen feels about his stay in the countryside. Tick (✓) the appropriate box. Look for expressions from the conversation to support your ideas:
✓
“... it’s more exciting than I expected.”
“It looks great up there in the sky.”
“I live more happily here, and there’s still a lot more to explore.”
2. Match the activities with the pictures
Flying a kite
Herding buffaloes
Riding a horse
Loading the rice
Drying the rice
Collecting water
3. Can you think of some more things that children do in the countryside? Make a list.

Example:
They climb trees. They collect fruits. 
They go swimming in the river. They herd the cattle.
They go fishing in the river. They feed the chickens.
They help do the farm-work. ...
Share your list
with the class!
4. Game: COUNTRYSIDE CHARADES
Play charades in two teams using the class list of countryside activities from 3. The teacher whispers an activity to one person from Team 1. This person mimes the activity for their team to guess. If their team guesses incorrectly, Team 2 can try. The teams take turns until all the activities have been mimed. The team with the most points wins.