Chinese have been cultivating rice for at least 8 thousand years.It has transformed the landscape.

　　Late winter in southern Yunnan is a busy time for local farmers as they prepare the age­old rice field ready for the coming spring.These hill slopes of Yuanyang county plunge(斜插) nearly 2，000m to the floor of the Red River Valley.Each contains thousands of terraces carved out by hand using basic digging tools.Yunnan's rice terraces are among the oldest human structures in China still ploughed as they always have been by cows whose ancestors originated in these very valleys.This man­made landscape is one of the most amazing engineering achievements of pre­industrial China.It seems as if every square inch of land has been pressed into cultivation.

　　[诱思导读]

　　1．How long has rice been planted in China?

　　At least 8，000 years.

　　2．What does this man­made landscape refer to in the last paragraph?

　　It refers to Yunnan's rice terraces.

　　Section Ⅰ　Reading (Starting out & Understanding ideas)

　　Ⅰ.匹配下列单词的词性及汉语意思

　　(　　)1.wrap　　　　 A．v.阻挡，防止

　　(　　)2.sheet B．adj.重要的，影响深远的

　　(　　)3.dynasty C．v.包，裹

　　(　　)5.region E．n.(一)大层(覆盖物)

　　(　　)6.prevent F．n.完成，结束

　　(　　)7.significant G．n.融洽，和谐

(　　)8.harmony H．n.地区，区域