QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Unit 3.4
Name:
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
What are the major water problems in China? (Textbook P.27-36)
Key Questions:
1. What and where are China’s major water problems?
2. What are the effects of flooding?
3. What are the impacts of drought?
4. How does serious water pollution in China worsen the water shortage problem?
Preparatory task
Find out the meaning of the BOLD words. Write down the definition in Chinese in the boxes below.
Passage A
There are several water problems that China is facing including (1) flooding, (2) drought and
(3) water pollution.
Flooding usually occurs in (4) lower course or (5) low-lying areas. When there is heavy rainfall,
rivers will easily become full and water might flow over the channel. Flooding will cause many negative
effects such as (6)crop failure, (7) damage to buildings, (8) disruption of transport services, (9) spread of
diseases, (10) loss of life, (11) pollution of drinking water. However, it can cause some positive effects.
Flooding can be helpful to the farmers near rivers. This is because flood water may bring sediment to the land
nearby. This can make soil rich. Besides, when soil in some areas is salty. It is very difficult to grow crops on
it. Flood water can dissolve and remove the salts from the soil. This helps farming too.
Drought will occur when there is a long period without any rain, or rainfall is much lower than
normal. Serious drought may cause no water flow in a river channel. It is called the (12) cut-off of a river.
(13) Sediment in the river will stay in the river and causes (14) silting. This increases flooding. Vegetation
cannot grow because of drought. Drought will intensify desertification as topsoil may be blown away more
easily. Sandstorm will be more common. Crop failure may occur that leads to (15) food shortage. Water
shortage will affect the production as industries need water. (16) A fall in production will result.
Since people produce large amounts of (17) garbage and (18) sewage which are directly discharged
into rivers and lakes. Serious water pollution worsen the water shortage problem in China.
1
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Name:
English
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
Chinese
1. flooding
2. drought
3. water pollution
4. lower course
5. low-lying areas
6. crop failure
7. damage to buildings
8. disruption of transport service
9. spread of diseases
10. loss of life
11. pollution of drinking water
12. cut- off of a river
13. sediment
14. silting
15. food shortage
16. A fall in production
17. garbage
18. sewage
2
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
2014-2015 S2 Geography
Name:
(
)
S .2 (
)
1. What and where are China’s major water problems? (Textbook, p.28-30)
Task 1: Identify and describe the following water problems found in China.
1. Water problem: ________________________
2.
Flooding in southern China
1. Water problem: _______________________
2.
Drought in southern China
1. Water problem: _______________________
2.
Sewage from a heating station near
Lanzhou turns the Huang He red.
Task 2: List the major water problems found in China.
1. The first major water problem found in China is ____________________________.
2. The second major water problem found in China is __________________________.
3. The third major water problem found in China is ____________________________.
3
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
2014-2015 S2 Geography
Name:
(
)
S .2 (
)
Task 2 : Describe the distribution of water problems in China.
Flooding
Figure 1a

Flooding is more frequent in the _________
and ___________ part of China. (northern /
eastern / southern / western)

Flooding usually occurs in the __________
areas. (upper course / middle course / lower
course)

Also, in ________ areas, strong ______ and
_____________ will lead to severe coastal
flooding.
Frequency of flood occurrence
Drought

Figure 1b
Drought problems are very frequent in the
_________ part of China.
Frequency of drought occurrence
Water pollution
Figure 1c Water pollution along rivers and
major cities in China

Water pollution is mainly found in the
__________ and__________ of the rivers.

About ____of China’s rivers and lakes are
polluted.

Water pollution is more serious when the
rivers run through major __________.

About ____ of the ground water is not
clean in China’s cities.
4
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Name:
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
2. What are the effects of flooding? (Textbook, p.30-31)
Task 1: The following figure and photos shows the negative effects of flooding. Identify the
negative effects.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Name:
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
Task 2a: The following photos show the positive effects of flooding. Identify the landform
and some positive effects.
(a) Landform : ___________________
(b) Flooding can be helpful to the farmers near rivers. This is because flood water
may bring ____________ to the land nearby. This can make ____________.
Besides, when soil in some areas is salty. It is very difficult to grow crops on it.
Flood water can __________ and __________the salts from the soil. This helps
farming too.
Task 3a: List the negative effects of flooding.
1. The first negative effect is ____________________________________________.
2. The second negative effect is __________________________________________.
3. The third negative effect is ____________________________________________.
4. The fourth _________________________________________________________.
5. The fifth __________________________________________________________.
6. The sixth __________________________________________________________.
Task 3b: List the positive effects of flooding.
1. The first positive effect is ____________________________________________.
2. The second ________________________________________________________.
6
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
2014-2015 S2 Geography
Name:
(
)
S .2 (
)
3. What are the impacts of drought? (Textbook, p.32-33)
Task 1: The following figures and photos shows the negative impacts of drought. Identify
the negative impacts.
(1) Negative impact: ________________________
Serious drought may cause ________ of a river
___________ will stay in the river
_____________ occurs
River bed will _________
The risk of _______ will increase when rainstorms come
(2) Negative impact : _________________________
___________cannot grow without water
The ______ may be blown away more easily
This will intensify __________ and
followed by _________
7
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
2014-2015 S2 Geography
Name:
(
)
S .2 (
)
(3) Negative impact : _________________________
Water is important to many factories
for __________
Drought causes water shortage
___________________ is resulted
(4) Negative impact : _________________________
The amount of water in reservoir is _______
_______________will be affected.
Task 2: List the negative impact of drought.
1. The first negative impact is ____________________________________________.
2. The second negative impact is __________________________________________.
3. The third ___________________________________________________________.
4. The fourth __________________________________________________________.
8
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
2014-2015 S2 Geography
Name:
(
)
S .2 (
)
4. How does the water pollution in China worsen the water shortage
problem? (Textbook, p.34-35)
Task 1: Identify and describe the source of sewage leading to water pollution.
___________ sewage
 Farmers may use
and
 The
in
in farms, e.g.
.
chemicals may end up
.
___________ sewage
 Water passing out from
contain
.
may
 If it is
before being released,
particularly
and
will cause water pollution.
 These have increasingly polluted the scarce
in
areas.
Water pollution reduces the
Water pollution
problem.
of water.
the water
9
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Name:
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
THREE different sections of a river
Objectives of this lesson:
1. Identify there is positive effect of flooding.
2. Name the landform (地貌) made by flooding.
3. Draw an annotated diagram to explain the formation of the landform.
4. List the positive effect of flooding.
10
QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
 The trouble with water 
Name:
2014-2015 S2 Geography
(
)
S .2 (
)
Rainfall, rocks, sands, minerals fall in river channel (河道 )
They become sediment (沉積物) when they flow to the lower course of a river
(slope of channel is flat)
Sediment will build up on the river bed (河床)
During flooding, water together with the sediment overflows from the channel
Sediment will deposit on the riverside(河岸), making the soil rich
Repeated flooding and deposition makes the riverside become a flood plain
Making the soil rich / favourable for farming
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