Text C. Plants and their uses

1. From earliest times plants are known to play an important part in everyday life of man. We know plants to provide us with food, clothing, shelter and many other necessary things. We are still as dependent upon plants as primitive man was many thousand years ago. Great necessity caused primitive man to grow plants. And the cultivation of plants is thought to be closely connected with man's progress. In order to grow plants man had to settle down and to begin building homes. Primitive men had few needs except food and clothing.

2. Civilization has increased man's wants to a surprising extent. The man of today is no longer satisfied with merely having food to eat and house to live in. He wants raw materials which can be made into useful things and products.

3. Many things we use in everyday life are made from plants. The paper we write on, the clothes we wear, the tables we sit at, all come from plants. Plants are used as timber in the making of furniture and as fuel. Many drugs are made from plants.

4. Plant culture began a great many years ago. The most important plants in the world are said to have been grown 4, 000 years ago.

3.4. TEST-4

Choose the proper definition for each term:

Complete the sentences with the necessary words:

2. … means every useful plant cultivated for the benefit of mankind.

a) oil-cake

b) provender

c) crop

3. Crops can be subdivided into … groups.

a) three

b) four

c) two

4. Cereals, or grain crops, belong to the ….

a) food crops

b) feed crops

c) industrial crops

5. The most important grain crop in Europe is ….

a) rye

b) wheat

c) rice

6. What crop belongs both to food and feed crops?

a) tea

b) oats

c) cocoa

7. The main purpose of … crops is to supply provender to cattle.

a) feed

b) industrial

c) nutritive

8. The most important industrial crop for the textile industry is ….

a) flax

b) cotton

c) hemp

9. Oil-cake for cattle is made of … seeds.

a) cotton

b) potato

c) sunflower

10. The cultivation of … has spread throughout the world because it can grow almost in every soil.

a) rice

b) grapes

c) potato

11. People are still as dependent upon … as primitive man was many thousand years ago.

a) plants

b) manuring

c) herbicides

12. Man … much progress thanks to growing crops.

a) have achieved

b) has achieved

c) has

13. Wheat-growing … spread to all temperate countries in prehistoric times.

a) having

b) have

c) had

14. The man of today has … his wants to a surprising level.

a) increased

b) increase

c) increasing

15. The progress in selection and genetics, what is called in the West " green revolution", has … an astonishing level.

a) reach

b) reached

c) be reached

16. Wind and rain… beaten down the tall stands of grain which made harvesting more difficult.

a) have

b) had

c) having

17. “Dwarf” varieties of wheat had been practically … both in Europe and America.

a) forget

b) forgot

c) forgotten

18. … newvarieties adapted well to the conditions of tropical and subtropical areas?

a) do

b) be

c) have

19. …the hybrid wheats become a leading grain crop in this area?

a) have

b) has

c) does

20. … the scientists of new national states contributed much to the further improvement of imported varieties?

a) did

b) have

c) are

21. Wheat production in India … doubled in six years.

a) will

b) will have

c) have

Step 1

(speaking-writing-speaking-reading)

1.1. Name Ukrainian equivalents to the next international words:

to transport, to associate, efficient method, spraying machines, selective, uniform, to result, phosphorus, nitrate, chemicals, herbicide, specific, to minimize, to mix, condition, action, biennial, extensive.

1.2. Study the new words:

1.3. Choose words with the same roots for word-building chains; translate the words:

caused, fertility, less, necessary, fertilization, excess, apply, low, fertilized, least, applying, cause, fertilize, little, unnecessary, lowest, fertilizer, excessive, application, necessarily, over-fertilized, applied, causing, lower, necessity.

1.4. Read and translate Text A and find out what the main principle of applying fertilizers is: