Add to Chrome

HSK 6 · Article · 707 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-chinas-great-green-wall

“绿色长城”是什么？

What is China's Great Green Wall?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

每měi到dào春天chūntiān，不少bùshǎo北京běijīng人rén打开dǎkāi天气预报tiānqì-yùbào，最zuì怕pà看到kàndào“沙尘shāchén”两liǎng个gè字zì。黄沙huángshā从cóng西北xīběi方向fāngxiàng刮guā来lái，天空tiānkōng变成biànchéng土tǔ黄色huángsè，停tíng在zài路边lùbiān的de汽车qìchē上shàng很hěn快kuài就jiù全quán是shì细xì土tǔ。为了wèile挡住dǎngzhù风沙fēngshā，中国zhōngguó从cóng一九七八年yījiǔqībānián开始kāishǐ在zài北方běifāng种zhòng树shù，目标mùbiāo是shì种zhòng出chū一yì条tiáo又yòu长cháng又yòu宽kuān的de林带líndài，人们rénmen叫jiào它tā绿色lǜsè长城chángchéng。

它tā的de正式zhèngshì名称míngchēng是shì三北防护林sānběi-fánghùlín体系tǐxì建设工程jiànshè-gōngchéng，简称jiǎnchēng三北工程sānběi-gōngchéng。“三北sānběi”指zhǐ的de是shì西北xīběi、华北huáběi和hé东北dōngběi。工程gōngchéng范围fànwéi从cóng新疆xīnjiāng一直yìzhí延伸yánshēn到dào黑龙江hēilóngjiāng，覆盖fùgài的de面积miànjī超过chāoguò全国quánguó陆地lùdì面积miànjī的de四成sìchéng。按照ànzhào规划guīhuà，它tā从cóng一九七八年yījiǔqībānián开始kāishǐ，到dào二〇五〇年èrlíngwǔlíngnián结束jiéshù，前后qiánhòu七十三qīshísān年nián，人们rénmen常cháng说shuō它tā是shì世界shìjiè上shàng规模guīmó最zuì大dà的de生态shēngtài工程gōngchéng之一zhīyī。

防护林fánghùlín到底dàodǐ靠kào什么shénme挡住dǎngzhù风沙fēngshā？道理dàolǐ并不bìngbú复杂fùzá：树木shùmù和hé草cǎo能néng降低jiàngdī贴近tiējìn地面dìmiàn的de风速fēngsù，它们tāmen的de根系gēnxì又yòu能néng把bǎ土tǔ牢牢láoláo抓住zhuāzhù，风fēng刮guā过来guòlai时shí，能néng带走dàizǒu的de沙shā就jiù少shǎo多duō了le。在zài沙漠shāmò边缘biānyuán，人们rénmen还hái常用chángyòng一种yìzhǒng朴素pǔsù的de办法bànfǎ：把bǎ麦草màicǎo插chā进jìn沙shā中zhōng，排成páichéng一yì米mǐ见方jiànfāng的de格子gézi，叫jiào“草cǎo方格fānggé”。格子gézi挡住dǎngzhù了le风fēng，沙丘shāqiū就jiù不bù容易róngyì移动yídòng；人们rénmen再zài在zài格子gézi中zhōng种zhòng上shàng耐旱nàihàn的de灌木guànmù，几jǐ年nián以后yǐhòu，光秃秃guāngtūtū的de沙地shādì上shàng慢慢mànmàn长zhǎng出chū了le植被zhíbèi。

那么nàme，这zhè道dào绿色lǜsè长城chángchéng成功chénggōng了le吗ma？这zhè个gè问题wèntí并bìng没有méiyǒu一个yígè简单jiǎndān的de答案dá’àn。支持zhīchí的de一方yìfāng指出zhǐchū，几十年jǐshínián来lái，北方běifāng许多xǔduō地区dìqū的de植被zhíbèi明显míngxiǎn增加zēngjiā，一些yìxiē原本yuánběn流动liúdòng的de沙地shādì被bèi固定gùdìng下来xiàlái，农田nóngtián和hé村庄cūnzhuāng也yě得到dédào了le保护bǎohù。

质疑zhìyí的de一方yìfāng则zé提醒tíxǐng，北方běifāng很hěn多duō地方dìfang降水jiàngshuǐ稀少xīshǎo，本来běnlái就jiù不bú适合shìhé大面积dàmiànjī种zhòng树shù。如果rúguǒ当地dāngdì的de水shuǐ不够búgòu，新xīn种zhòng的de树shù要么yàome成片chéngpiàn死sǐ掉diào，要么yàome长zhǎng了le很hěn多duō年nián仍然réngrán又yòu矮ǎi又yòu弯wān，当地人dāngdìrén管guǎn这种zhèzhǒng树shù叫jiào“小xiǎo老头lǎotóu树shù”。还有háiyǒu研究者yánjiūzhě担心dānxīn，树shù如果rúguǒ种zhòng得de太tài密mì，会huì从cóng土tǔ中zhōng吸xī走zǒu更gèng多duō的de水shuǐ，反而fǎn’ér让ràng原本yuánběn缺水quēshuǐ的de土地tǔdì更gèng干gān。

这些zhèxiē争论zhēnglùn也yě在zài改变gǎibiàn人们rénmen的de做法zuòfǎ。如今rújīn的de原则yuánzé是shì：适合shìhé种zhòng大树dàshù的de地方dìfang种zhòng大树dàshù，适合shìhé种zhòng灌木guànmù的de地方dìfang种zhòng灌木guànmù，只zhǐ适合shìhé长zhǎng草cǎo的de地方dìfang，就jiù让ràng草cǎo来lái守住shǒuzhù土地tǔdì。换句话说huànjù-huàshuō，绿色lǜsè长城chángchéng不bù一定yídìng全quán是shì树shù。

当然dāngrán，春天chūntiān的de沙尘shāchén天气tiānqì至今zhìjīn仍réng会huì出现chūxiàn，因为yīnwèi刮guā到dào北京běijīng的de沙shā，有时yǒushí来自láizì上千shàngqiān公里gōnglǐ以外yǐwài的de蒙古国ménggǔguó，而ér风fēng是shì不bú看kàn国界guójiè的de。一道yídào林带líndài挡dǎng不住búzhù所有suóyǒu的de风沙fēngshā，但dàn它tā或许huòxǔ能néng让ràng风fēng带走dàizǒu的de沙shā减少jiánshǎo一些yìxiē。如果rúguǒ让ràng你nǐ设计shèjì这zhè道dào“绿色lǜsè长城chángchéng”，你nǐ会huì选择xuǎnzé种zhòng树shù，还是háishi让ràng草cǎo来lái守住shǒuzhù土地tǔdì？

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
天空tiānkōngsky
宽kuānwide; broad; width
名称míngchēngname (of a thing or organization)
范围fànwéirange; scope; extent
面积miànjīarea (of a floor, piece of land, etc.)
陆地lùdìland; dry land
规模guīmóscale; scope; extent
靠kàodamn; shoot (exclamation)
树木shùmùtrees
地面dìmiànground; floor
沙漠shāmòdesert
插chāto insert; to stick in

Questions

  1. “草方格”是怎么做的？

    How is a 'straw checkerboard' made?

    A. 把麦草插进沙里，排成格子B. 在沙漠里挖很多水池C. 用石头在沙上盖房子

  2. 质疑的一方为什么觉得不应该大面积种树？

    Why do the skeptics think large-scale tree planting is a problem?

    A. 北方的人不喜欢树B. 种树的钱太多C. 很多地方雨水太少

  3. 现在种树的原则是什么？

    What is the current principle for planting?

    A. 所有地方都种大树B. 只种灌木，不种草C. 按地方的情况种树、灌木或草

Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)

HSK 6 · What is China's Great Green Wall?. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 天空 and 宽 in sentences of their own.

  1. Warm-up 5 min

    Write “绿色长城”是什么？ on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “What is China's Great Green Wall?”.

  2. Key words 10 min

    Teach 天空 (tiānkōng, sky), 宽 (kuān, wide; broad; width), 名称 (míngchēng, name (of a thing or organization)), 范围 (fànwéi, range; scope; extent), 面积 (miànjī, area (of a floor, piece of land, etc.)), 陆地 (lùdì, land; dry land). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.

  3. Listen 10 min

    Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-chinas-great-green-wall: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.

  4. Read and check 10 min

    Students read it alone, then answer the 3 questions on the handout. Go through them together; the answers and the line that proves each are on the teacher’s page.

  5. Use it 10 min

    In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 天空 and one with 宽, and reads one to the class.

Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.

English (for the teacher)

Every spring, many people in Beijing open the weather forecast dreading the two characters for "sand and dust". Yellow sand blows in from the northwest, the sky turns the colour of earth, and cars parked by the road are soon covered in fine dust. To hold back the wind and sand, China began planting trees across the north in 1978, aiming to grow a long, wide belt of forest, which people call the "Great Green Wall".

Its official name is the Three-North Shelter Forest System Project, or the Three-North Project for short. "Three-North" means the Northwest, North China and the Northeast. The project stretches all the way from Xinjiang to Heilongjiang and covers more than forty per cent of China's land area. According to the plan, it runs from 1978 to 2050, seventy-three years in all, and people often call it one of the largest ecological projects in the world.

So how exactly does a shelter forest hold back the sand? The idea isn't complicated: trees and grass slow the wind near the ground, and their roots grip the soil firmly, so when the wind blows, it can carry away far less sand. At the edge of the desert, people also use a simple method: they push wheat straw into the sand in rows that form squares one metre on each side, called "straw checkerboards". The squares block the wind, so the dunes don't move so easily; then people plant drought-tolerant shrubs inside them, and after a few years, plants slowly grow on the bare sand.

So, has the Great Green Wall worked? There is no simple answer to that question. Supporters point out that over the past few decades, plant cover has clearly increased in many parts of the north, some once-moving sands have been fixed in place, and farmland and villages have been protected.

Sceptics, on the other hand, warn that many places in the north get very little rain and were never suited to planting trees on a large scale. If there isn't enough water locally, newly planted trees either die in whole stands or stay short and crooked after many years of growing, and local people call them "little old man trees". Some researchers also worry that if trees are planted too densely, they will draw more water out of the soil, making land that was already short of water even drier.

These debates are also changing how the work is done. The rule now is: plant big trees where big trees suit the land, shrubs where shrubs suit it, and where only grass will grow, let grass hold the land. In other words, the Great Green Wall doesn't have to be all trees.

Of course, spring sandstorms still happen today, because the sand that reaches Beijing sometimes comes from Mongolia, more than a thousand kilometres away, and the wind doesn't look at borders. One belt of forest can't stop all the wind and sand, but it may reduce the sand the wind carries away a little. If you were designing this "Great Green Wall", would you choose to plant trees, or let grass hold the land?

Answers

  1. A. 把麦草插进沙里，排成格子: 把麦草插进沙中，排成一米见方的格子，叫“草方格”。
  2. C. 很多地方雨水太少: 北方很多地方降水稀少，本来就不适合大面积种树。
  3. C. 按地方的情况种树、灌木或草: 适合种大树的地方种大树，适合种灌木的地方种灌木，只适合长草的地方，就让草来守住土地。