Put these events in the order they usually occur.

1. First, the farmers ______	a) harvest the crops.
2. Then, they______	b) fertilize the fields.
3. After that, they_____	c) feed the animals in winter.
4. They may have to______	d) store the crops.
5.Finally, it’s time to_____	e) plant the crops
6. Then they have to_____	f) plough the fields.
7. Now they can_____	g) spray the crops.

11. Look at the illustration ‘Wheat to Bread Cycle’. Describe the bread’s journey from the field to the table putting events in the correct order.

____ Finally, it was June. Adam called up his workers. The wheat was ready to be harvested.

____ The grain elevator company sold the wheat kernels to some food companies.

____ The bakery made loaves of bread.

____ Adam had a nice sandwich with two slices of bread.

_ 1 _ _ It was September and the field was ready for the next crop. Adam, who is a farmer, decided to plant wheat in the field.

____ Adam saved some of the kernels to use again in September. The other kernels were sold to a grain elevator company.

____ He watched the wheat grow in the autumn, winter, and spring. He kept a close watch on his crop.

____ The workers climbed into the big combines and started their engines. As they rolled along the field, the combines cut the wheat and separated the kernels from the stems.

____ Adam’s wife stopped by the bakery to buy the bread for their dinner.

____ One food company, a mill, ground the wheat kernels into flour and sold the flour to a bakery.

 

Read the text.

Crop Farming

One of the most important uses of the land’s natural resources is for the production of agriculture. Agriculture plays an extremely important role in what people eat, what they wear, and where they live. People all over the world must farm, and certain parts of the world are used for growing certain crops or raising certain animals.

People have been growing crops all through their history. As they travelled from one continent to another, they took seeds with them so that they could grow food in their new country. Early settlers knew that they needed to be able to grow their own food if they wanted to live.

Today, farmers know much more about growing crops than they did then. There is a lot of science in agriculture today. Growing a better grain, fruit or vegetable means that the farmer needs to know:

1) what kind of plant will grow well in their soil,

2) how to get the soil ready for planting,

3) how to grow, harvest and store the crop,

4) how to get rid of weeds and crop pests, and

5) how to sell it once it's been grown.

Farmers today depend on science a lot. They study the soil to be sure it is right for the crops they plan to grow. A farmer tests his soil and uses chemicals to fix or add what is missing.

Crops depend on water. A good farmer grows crops that use the water that is available. A farmer won’t grow a crop that needs tons of water in a place where it never rains. He won’t plant a crop that needs to be drier on land that is marshy or doesn’t drain rainwater well.

Farmers also have to watch for pests. They are plant diseases, weeds, or insects that can ruin a crop. The farmer has to know what ruins the crop and what to do about it.

Unlike farmers in the past, most of the jobs once done by hand are now done by machines. The tractor is the most important machine. The farmer uses it to push or pull different kinds of equipment, such as a plough, a harrow for breaking up chunks of earth, or a seed drill for planting. Another important piece of farm equipment is the combine harvester, which can reap, thresh, winnow, and store grain as it cuts a path through a field of wheat. Before the combine harvester was developed, it took the effort of many people to accomplish the same tasks.

Answer the questions.

1) What is one of the most important uses of land?

2) How long have people been growing crops?

3) What should farmers know to grow good crops?

4) Why is it necessary for farmers to study the soil?

5) Do crops depend on water? In what way?

6) What are pests?

14. Make up true sentences.

Farmers use

tractors plows harrows seed drills combine harvesters

to plant seeds. to reap, thresh, winnow and store grain. to turn over the soil. to pull different kinds of equipment. to break up chunks of earth.

Communication

Read the dialogues and then act them out.

- At last the day has come when we are going to visit a farm! I’m eager to see everything with my own eyes.

- Seeing is believing, isn’t it?

- Look! I’ve never seen such open fields! Crops and crops as far as you can see. The fields look like the sea. There are animals grazing in the distance. What a beautiful view!

- How sentimental you are! To have such a view one must plough the soil, harrow it, cultivate and fertilize it.

- Have you got any experience in farming?

- Yes. My family has a farm. We grow vegetables.

- How interesting! Does it take much time?

- It really does. To achieve high yields we have to work hard all year round.

- What is the busiest season for a farmer?

- Each in its way. In spring we prepare the soil and seeds for planting, in summer we should take care of the young plants weeding, watering and protecting them. The middle of summer is the time to start harvesting. It lasts till late autumn.

- Then winter is the quietest season, isn’t it?

- Not exactly. It’s time for repairing agricultural machines and deciding what and where to plant next spring.

 

sPEAKING TASK

16. Describe the activities taking place on a crop farm throughout a year.

 

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Present Continuous Tense

17. Complete the sentences using am/is/are and one of the verbs below.

 

washing	cooking	playing	building	swimming
snowing	having	watching	coming	doing

 

1) I can't talk now. I _____ the dishes.

2) Listen to Jim. He _____ the guitar.

3) It _____ so we can go skiing.

4) Look at Jill. She _____ in the river.

5) They _____ a new house in Fairfield.

6) Someone _____. I can smell the food.

7) Hurry. The bus _____.

8) They _____ their exercises so they can lose weight.

9) I can't answer the phone. I _____ a shower.

10) Don and Jerry _____ the football on TV.