本书是中华农业科教基金资助项目，农业部“九五”部级重点教材。本书依据新《大学英语教学大纲》要求编写而成。这部供全国农业院校生命科学类各专业三、四年级专业英语课用的教材，旨在培养阅读农业科技原版书刊的能力及农业科技方面一定的口笔语交际与翻译能力。

全书二十五单元覆盖植物科学、遗传育种、土壤肥料、植保农药、大田作物栽培、果蔬园艺、食品科技、动物行为、畜牧兽医等学科及农业高教、科技职业等题材。突出生命科学类各农科专业共同基础课和常用农科概念与知识及常用农科词汇。课文选文由以英语为母语的科学家编著的农科本科精品教材为主，以报刊科技评论、农科院校介绍、使用说明、书籍内容简介等多种文体样式的真实材料为辅。

UNIT ONE

  THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

UNIT TWO

  THE SCIENCE OF LIVING THINGS

UNIT THREE

  1. DEPARTMENT OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY (1)

  2. DEPARTMENT OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY (2)

  CLOZE (1) THE ORIGIN OF CORN: AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY

UNIT FOUR

  1. AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

  2. THE LIGHT-TRAPPING AND SUGAR-I3UILDING PHASES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

UNIT FIVE

  1. TRANSPORT OF WATER AND MINERALS

  2. TRANSLOCATION: THE MOVEMENT OF THE PRODUCTS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

UNIT SIX

  1. PLANT HORMONES: FIVE MAJOR KINDS

  2. HOW PLANTS ARE NAMED

UNIT SEVEN

  1. FLOWERING PLANT REPRODUCTION  (I)

  2. FLOWERING PLANT REPRODUCTION  (II)

  CLOZE (2) PLANT RESPONSES TO FLOODING

UNIT EIGHT

  1. ORIGIN OF GENETICS

  2. INDEPENDENT ASSORTMENT

UNIT NINE

  1. PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

  2. EXPRESSION OF GENES

UNIT TEN

  1. ADVANCES IN GENETICS

  2. ENGINEERING USEFUL PLANTS

UNIT ELEVEN

  A SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION 

 CLOZE (3)  NEW CROPS AND NEW RISKS

UNIT TWELVE

  1. SOILS MANAGEMENT (I)

  2. SOILS MANAGEMENT (II)

  3. SOILS MANAGEMENT (III)

  CLOZE (4) FERTILIZER

UNIT THIRTEEN

  1. SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES (I)

  2. SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES (II)

  3. A SAMPLE PESTICIDE LABEL 

  CLOZE (5) BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL: DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY                                                           ,i

UNIT FOURTEEN

  1. GRAIN, OIL, AND SPECIALTY FIELD-CROP PRODUCTION (I)

  2. GRAIN, OIL, AND SPECIALTY FIELD-CROP PRODUCTION (II) 

UNIT FIFTEEN

  1. VEGETABLE PRODUCTION (I)

  2. VEGETABLE PRODUCTION (II)

  CLOZE (6) SOIL EROSION

UNIT SXITEEN

  1. HUMAN NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

  2. THE PROCESS OF DIGESTION AND THE FOODS WE NEED

UNIT SEVENTEEN

  1. FOOD FERMENTATIONS: THE USEFUL GERMS

  2. NUTRITIONAL LOSSES IN FOODS AND THEIR CONTROL

UNIT EIGHTEEN

  1. FOOD SCIENCE (I)

  2. FOOD SCIENCE (II)

  CLOZE (7) BRAVE NEW FOOD

UNIT NINETEEN

  1. SWINE REPRODUCTION

  2. SWINE MANAGEMENT

UNIT TWENTY

  1. BROILER AND LAYER INDUSTRY

  2. ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

  3. DAIRY COW UNIFIED SCORE CARD

UNIT TWENTY-ONE

  1. DEFENDING AGAINST DISEASES

  2. A COVER SYNOPSIS

  3. GRAIN ENGORGEMENT TOXEMIA

UNIT TWENTY-TWO

  DISEASES AND PROBLEMS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS

  CLOZE (8) CONTROLLING DISEASES

  GLOSSARY

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS