The national crops in Belarus are

a. tomatoes, water-melons and pumpkins

b. flax, potatoes and sugar beets

c. potatoes, cabbage and cucumbers

(A) Exercise 2. Answer the questions on the text:

1. Is agriculture one of the main branches of the Belarusian economy?

2. Does Belarus belong to the area of so-called unstable farming?

3. The republic is one of the main producers of flax in the world, isn't it?

4. Do most of the farms have mixed crop and livestock farming?

5. Is our republic a traditional exporter of agricultural products?

(B) Exercise 3. Answer if the sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Belarus has a large amount of farmland.

2. Fodder crops are grown on the drained lowlands.

3. Livestock farming and crop farming are the main trends in the republic’s agrarian sector.

4. Belarus is self-sufficient only in milk and meat products.

5. One-fifth of the republic's population is employed in agriculture.

(B) Exercise 4. Complete the following sentences with suitable words or phrases given below:

1. Nearly half of the territory … by the arable land.

2. More than two million people … on contaminated lands.

3. Some places in Belarus … much in the structure of topsoil.

4. One of the goals of agriculture is … Belarusians with high quality ….

5. In … the produced goods and … are collective property of collective farmers.

6. A … amount of radio-nuclides accumulated in the … layer of the soil.

7. The republic is also developing ….

8. High stable yields … by the necessity of constant increasing … of soils.

Collective farms, differ, are stipulated, to provide, inhabited, is covered, private farms, the fertility, considerable, assets, upper, food products.

(B) Exercise 5. Put the words and phrases in the right order to make complete sentences.

1. nowadays, in a new form, reformed, the economy of Belarus, is.

2. of the agricultural goods, by, is, the larger part, big companies, produced.

3. are, by rye, grain sowings, represented, wheat, and.

4. vegetable oil, the Republic, imported, sugar, tropical and subtropical fruits, are, by.

(B) Exercise 6. Find the key-sentences in the text. Read and translate them.

(С)Exercise 7. Give your reasons for the following statements. Consult the text.

1. Agriculture is one of the most important activities in Belarus.

2. The Belarusian agricultural sector is now at the turning-point stage.

3. The agricultural output has increased greatly.

4. A power cattle breeding has been created in Belarus.

5. Potatoes are Belarusian “second bread”.

6. The Belarusian agro-industrial complex has turned into a big exporter.