3. Give the dictionary form of the following words.
1. Smallest, harvested, higher, developing, economically.
2. Greater, planting, cultivated, differently, traditional.
3. Producing, provided, agricultural, constantly, better.
Vocabulary Focus
| Handwrite the words and word combinations related to text A and give their Russian equivalents. Check them in the agronomy and soil science dictionaries. Agriculture, crop, to grow, to harvest, farm, land, yield, plant, planting, food, cultivation, practice, cultural practice, variety, to develop, to depend (on), to increase, to improve, quality, to produce, to provide, different, some, the same, either ... or, both ... and, as ... as, as. |
4. Read and translate text А.
Text A
Crop production
Crops are plants which have been carefully selected and developed by man. They produce food for people and animals. In all countries of the world crop production has been and will always be an important branch of economy.
There are different practices of crop cultivation on farms, and it depends on many factors in what way* the crop should be grown and harvested. But the aim is always the same*: to produce high yields of farm crops as economically as possible. This is of great importance nowadays, as the world population is constantly growing at a rapid rate*. Agriculturists of all countries must solve the problem how to provide the increasing supplies of high-quality food for people.
Food production can be raised in two ways: either by cultivation of new lands or by the increase in yields on the same* agricultural area. In traditional agriculture the first way was more popular. Nowadays yield increases are mostly obtained by introduction of new and improved varieties, by better use of fertilizers, better control of pests and diseases, chemical weed control. Yields may also be increased by application of improved cultural practices, irrigation and drainage, by rapid improvements in mechanization of such operations as seedbed preparation, planting, harvesting, and storage. In some* cases a combination of these factors is necessary.
These methods of yield increases have been developed both from the achievements of natural and biological sciences and from practical experience and experiments.
Notes to the text
*in what way – как, каким образом;
*at a rapid rate – быстрыми темпами.
* some – какой-то, несколько
* the same – тот же самый
Grammar and vocabulary activities
5. Identify the voice of the predicate in the following sentences.