TEXT: WHAT IS AGRICULTURE?
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Acid soils- кислыепочвы
Agronomy- агрономия
Application- внесениеудобрений
Branchesofagriculture- областисельскогохозяйства
Cattle breeding- скотоводство
Cotton- хлопок
Crop growing- полеводство
Croprotation- культурооборот, ротация
Equilibrium- постоянный, равновесный
Feed- корм, питание
Flax- лен, льняной
Foodcrops- пищевая или продовольственная культура
Foodstuff- продукты питания
Graincrops- зерновые хлеба
Herbicide- гербицид
Industrialcrops- техническиекультуры
Intensification- интенсификация
Liming- известкование
Mechanization- механизация
Mineralfertilizers- минеральныеудобрения
Nutrientsubstances- питательныевещества
Organicfertilizers- органическиеудобрения
Piggrowing- свиноводство
Plant protection- защитарастений
Poultry breeding- птицеводство
Protein- протеин, белок
Raw materials- сырье
Soil- почва
Tobreed- разводить, выращивать
Tocultivate- возделывать, культивировать
Todisturb- поднимать,нарушать,беспокоить
Toirrigate- орошать
Utilization of fertilizers- утилизацияудобрений
Yield- урожайность
1. Guess the meaning of the following international words and word combinations:
Activity (активность,деятельность), materials(материалы), Latin (латинский,латынь), cultivation (выращивание,культивирование), intensification (интенсификация,усиление), climate (климат), hybrid (гибрид,гибридный), mechanization (механизация), herbicides (гербициды), biological (биологический), equilibrium (равновесие), sector (сектор,участок), economy (экономика), industry (промышленность), factor (фактор), system (система), agronomy (агрономия), technical (технический), tractor (трактор,тягач), combine (комбайн), machinery (машины,механизм), electricity (электричество), chemical (химический), material (материал), chemization (химизация), mineral (минеральный), organic (органический), biological (биологический).
2. Find the correct word on the right opposite in meaning to the one on the left.
vitalvague
increase inefficient
achievementworse
sufficient drawback
better narrow
improvement unneeded
effectivedeterioration
clear reduction
extensiveunnecessary
valuable inadequate
Vital-unneeded; increase-reduction; achievement-drawback; sufficient-inadequate; better-worse; improvement-deterioration; effective-inefficient; clear-vague; extensive-narrow; valuable-unnecessary.
Match the words on the right (A) with their definition on the left (B).
A B
1) to breed a) produce by cultivation
2) field b) supply (land) with water
3) agriculture c) soil management and crop
production
4)economy d) subdivisions of agriculture
5) branches of agriculture e) a piece of ground especially for
pasture or tillage or playing games
6)soil f ) cultivation ofthe soil and rearing of
animals
7) yield g) upper layer of earth, in which
plants grow
8) agronomy h) produce or return as fruit, profit or
result
9) toirrigate i) management of concerns and
resources of state or business or
household
10) to grow j) raise (cattle etc.)
1-j; 2-e; 3-f; 4-i;5-d; 6-g; 7-h; 8-c; 9-b; 10-a.
4. What are these words derived from? Notice the different suffixes, indicating different parts of speech.
Activity(itсущ.), cultivation(ationсущ.), growing(ingсущ.), meaning(ingсущ.), breeding(ingсущ.), achievement(сущ. ment), developed(прил.), agronomical(icalприл.), rotation(tionсущ.), various(iousприл.), considerably(ablyнар.), chemical(icalприл.), improvement(mentсущ.), deliveries(iesсущ.), intensification(tionсущ.), comprehensive(iveприл.), mechanization(ationсущ.), utilization(ationсущ.), liming(ingсуш.), protection(tionсущ.), development(mentсущ.), valuable(able прил.), raising(ingсущ.), equipment(mentсущ., enlargement(mentсущ.), combination(ationсущ.).
5. Give Russian equivalents for:
crop growing(растениеводство), livestock breeding(животноводство), sufficient good soil(достаточнохорошаяпочва), to produce high yields(производитьвысокийурожай), crop rotation(севооборот), chemical fertilizers(химическиеудобрения), comprehensive mechanization(комплекснаямеханизация), plant breeding(селекциярастений), poultry-breeding(птицеводство), pig-growing(свиноводство), nutrient substances(питательныевещества).
Draw lines to show which words go together.
e.g. animals food produce breed
1) protection country’s plant achievements
Plant protection; country’s achievements
2) application of rotation fertilizers crop
Application of fertilizers; crop rotation
3) utilization of production natural resources agricultural
Utilization of natural resources; agricultural production
4) liming of yields high acid soils
Liming of acid soils; high yields
5)agronomical zones measures climatic
Agronomical measures; climatic zones
6) mechanization use of full herbicides
Full mechanization; use herbicides
7. Open the brackets using the verbs in Passive Voice:
1. Enough food for all the people (can grow)(can be grown) if there is sufficient good soil for crops to produce high yields
2.An increase in the yield of grain and other crops (to ensure)(is ensured) by a number of factors.
3. Field work already (to mechanize)(has already been mechanized) to a very high degree.
4. Depending upon the field of application crops (to subdivide)(can be subdivided) into food crops, feed crops, industrial crops and vegetables.
5. Vegetables (to grow)(are grown) everywhere where the climate is most favourable for these crops.
6. Industrial crops also widely (to cultivate)(cultivated) by the farmers.
8. Read the textand say why agriculture is a vital sectorof economy.
WHAT IS AGRICULTURE?
Agriculture is a human activity in which people use areas of land to produce food, clothing and other necessary materials.
The word ager is a Latin word. It means a field. The word agriculture means the cultivation of fields and growing crops. But this is the old meaning of this word. Now it also means the use of land to breed animals.
Agriculture is the vita1 sector of the economy. Its condition and development largely determine the country’s achievements, the supply of the population with foodstuffs and many industries with raw materials.
At present there are two main branches of agriculture. They are crop growing and livestock breeding.
We do not know when people began to grow crops. It was many thousand years ago. Now crop growing is a highly developed branch of agriculture.
The soil is the basis of agriculture. Enough food for all the people can be grown if there is sufficient good soil for crops to produce high yields. So an increase in the yield of grain and other crops is ensured by a number of factors. First comes the system of agronomical measures. All farms have to introduce better crop rotation systems. Rotation systems naturally differ in various areas and under various conditions. Second goes the technical equipment of farms. Tractors, combines, lorries and other machinery will considerably reduce the time required for agricultural work. Field work has already been mechanized to a very high degree. Power stations provide farms with electricity. Third, an increase in the deliveries of chemical fertilizers and the improvement of their quality.
The enlargement of the material and technical basis of agriculture and its intensification through chemization, the comprehensive mechanization of crop and animal farming and improvement are the key conditions for increasing agricultural production.
Depending upon the soil and climatic zones effective methods should be introduced for the utilization of mineral fertilizers in combination with organic fertilizers along with the liming of acid soils. The production and use of chemical and biological means of plant protection should be increased. But all intensification factors, such as full mechanization, high application of fertilizers and extensive use of herbicides must be used in such a way as not to disturb the biological equilibrium of the soil.
Depending upon the field of application crops can be subdivided into food crops, feed crops, industrial crops and vegetables. Potatoes and other vegetables are major food crops. Vegetables are grown everywhere where the climate is most favourable for these crops.
Industrial crops are also widely cultivated by the farmers. Perhaps the most important industrial crop for textile industry is cotton. Cotton is generally grown on the irrigated lands. Flax is another important crop. Cotton and flax oils are both edible and valuable.
Livestock breeding comprises cattle-breeding, pig-growing, poultry-breeding, etc. One of the principle problems cattle-breeding faces is that of fodder or feeds. To choose the necessary feeds, rich enough in protein and other nutrient substances is not an easy thing. Increasing the production of meat, milk and wool can be achieved by raising productivity and also by increasing the heads of livestock and the amount of poultry.
9. Find information in the text to answerthe following questions.
1. What is agriculture?
Agriculture is a human activity in which people use areas of land to produce food, clothing and other necessary materials.
2. What are the key conditions for increasing agricultural production?
There are some keys conditions for increasing agricultural production. The first one is introducing better crop rotation system. The second key condition is the technical equipment of farms.Tractors, combines, lorries and other machinery will considerably reduce the time required for agricultural work. Field work has already been mechanized to a very high degree.Third, an increase in the deliveries of chemical fertilizers and the improvement of their quality.
3. What branches of agriculture do you know?
They are crop growing and livestock breeding.
4. How many groups are crops subdivided into?
Depending upon the field of application crops can be subdivided into food crops, feed crops, industrial crops and vegetables
5. What does livestock breeding comprise?
Livestock breeding comprises cattle-breeding, pig-growing, poultry-breeding, etc.
6. What problem does cattle-breeding face?
One of the principle problems cattle-breeding faces is that of fodder or feeds.
7. How can the production of meat and milk be increased?
Increasing the production of meat, milk and wool can be achieved by raising productivity and also by increasing the heads of livestock and the amount of poultry.