Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the text.

1. … of a soil refers to the size of its …. 2. A soil with a large proportion of … particles is called a … soil. 3. Extremely … … soils are unable to store moisture in sufficient amounts for … to grow well. 4. To grow well crop plants need an adequate supply of … … during the growing period. 5. Fertile soils with a good … … … are favorable for the growth of crops. 6. To … additional … is usually a good practice even on the best soil. 7. … … are essential in determining which crop to grow.

Agree or disagree with the following statements. (True or False)

1. The principal textural classes of soil are sand, clay loam and loam. 2. A soil with a large proportion of clay particles is called a light soil, and the one with a large proportion of sand – a heavy soil. 3. Aggregated structure normally is found in soil rich in organic matter. 4. The finer the soil particles, the less water the soil holds. 5. Air usually makes up from 40 to 60 per cent by volume of an ordinary moist soil. 6. About 25 to 30 chemical elements are found in plants, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium being most abundant. 7. In order to grow well crops also don’t absorb considerable quantities of calcium, magnesium and sulphur.

Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Есть тяжелые и легкие почвы. 2. Основные типы почв – песчаные, суглинистые и глинистые. 3. Почвы имеют различную   структуру.   4. Воздух   снабжает  растения  кислородом.

5. Чтобы хорошо расти, растениям требуются питательные вещества. 6. Текстура почвы определяется размером почвенных частиц. 7. По текстуре почвы классифицируются на тяжелые (с большим количеством глинистых частиц) и легкие (с большим количеством песка). 8. Почвенная структура зависит от расположения почвенных частиц. 9. Плодородные почвы содержат достаточное количество питательных веществ, которые поглощаются растениями через корни. 10. Полезно применять удобрения даже на плодородных почвах.

 

Answer the following questions.

1.  What classes of soils do you know? 2. What is soil structure? 3. What do plants absorb from the soil? 4. What do plants obtain from the air? 5. What are the most important mineral elements required for plant growth? 6. Why can plants grow well on fertile soils? 7. Should fertilizers be applied to fertile soils?

 

Find key sentences in each paragraph of the text and make up the plan of retelling.

 

Give the short summary of text A using the plan of retelling.

Text B

Skim text B and answer the following questions. Use dictionary if necessary.

1. What is one of the most important factors affecting crop production? 2. What is soil water needed for? 3. Is the moisture content of the soil always optimum for the highest crop production? 4. What is a very essential factor in cultivation? 5. What makes soil difficult to cultivate?

 

Soil Water

Soil water is one of the most important factors affecting crop production. The success of a cropping system may sometimes depend on adequate irrigation and drainage program.

Water must be available in the soil to compensate its losses through some natural processes during the growing season. Soil water is needed as it conducts nutrients for growing crops. It also has a great effect on aeration and temperature conditions in the soil. The soil must be able to provide water for maximum yield to be obtained.

However, the moisture content of a soil is not always optimum for the highest crop production. Usually there is either a deficiency or too big amount of it, and crop production is reduced.

Some soils contain too much water at all times, and to be used for agriculture they require special drainage. There are soils which are always deficient in moisture because of inadequate rainfall, and will produce poor crops unless they are irrigated. Most agricultural soils have enough water to meet plant requirement during a considerable part of the year.

Soil water is also a very essential factor in cultivation. It often determines the time and the depth of sowing. Insufficient amount of moisture makes the soil too hard and very difficult to cultivate.