Post-reading tasks:

Task 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What plants do bryophytes include?

2. Do psilophytes have true stems?

3. When did psilophytes thrive?

4. What period did Lycophytes appear?

5. When did Sphenophyte appear and how long did they dominate?

6. What do botanists think about pterophytes?

7. How do tree ferns look? Why?

8. What groups of plants do Spermopsida include?

9. What do you know about conifers?

10. What plants do angiosperms contain?

Task 2. Match the first half of a sentence in column A with the appropriate second half in column B.

A	B
1. The bryophytes represent about 25,000 species of	a. to colonize the land appear in the fossil record.
2. Gymnosperms include cycads,	b. about 400 million years ago.
3. Many botanists believe some psilopods	c. it does not appear on all conifers.
4. Conifers include	d. mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
5. The earliest known angiosperm-like plants	e. first appear during the Jurassic, about 150 million years ago.
6. 500 million years ago the first vascular plants	f. branching from slender rhizomes.
7. Although the cone is a conspicuous feature distinguishing many members of this group,	g. date about 240 million years ago.
8. Club mosses appeared during the Silurian,	h. the ginkgoes (just one living member), conifers, and others.
9. The earliest fossils of another ancient group, the cycads,	i. pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, cypress, redwood, larch, juniper, and yew.
10. Psilophytes have true stems,	j. evolved into the ferns.

Task 3. Choose the right variant for the multiple-choice statements.

1. A significant innovation unique to the vascular plants is the seed, which

   1. consists of an embryo

   2. has some stored food

   3. is enclosed within a protective coat

   4. all of the above.

2. Club mosses have

   1. true leaves

   2. true stems

   3. true roots

   4. all of the above

   5. none of the above.

3. Horsetails have

a. true leaves

b. true stems

c. true roots

d. all of the above

e. none of the above.

4. Ferns have

a. true leaves

b. true stems

c. true roots

d. all of the above

e. none of the above.

5. Angiosperms include

a. grasses

b. sedges

c. rushes

d. all of the above

e. none of the above.

6. Gymnosperms include

a. cycads

b. ginkgoes

c. conifers

d. all of the above

e. none of the above.

7. The __________ are, the most successful group of plants.

a. angiosperms

b. club-mosses

c. gymnosperms

d. ferns

e. ginkgoes.

8. The earliest known angiosperm-like plants first appeared

a. about 100 million years ago

b. about 250 million years ago

c. about 150 million years ago

d. two centuries ago

e. 100 years BC.

Task 4. Put the parts of the sentences in the right order.

1. represent / species of mosses / 25,000 / about / the Bryophytes.

2. of the vascular plants / the psilophytes / are / the most primitive.

3. evolved / many botanists / some psilopods / believe / the ferns into.

4. true leaves / club mosses / stems / and / roots / have.

5. are / small / most forms / quite / one group / though / is / the exception / the tree ferns.

6. as / plants / flowering / also / anthophytes / the / known / are.

TRANSLATION: Translate the sentences into English.

Царство Растения включает более 500 тысяч видов. Оно делится на подцарства: Багрянки, Настоящие водоросли, и Высшие растения. Багрянки и настоящие водоросли иногда называют низшими растениями. Они отличаются тем, что не имеют органов и тканей. Представители этой группы обитают чаще всего в воде. Бесполое размножение у так называемых низших растений осуществляется неподвижными спорами или подвижными зооспорами, образующимися обычно в одноклеточных спорангиях или зооспорангиях. К высшим растениям относятся ныне вымершие риниофиты и такие современные отделы, как Моховидные, Хвощевидные, Папоротникообразные, Голосеменные и Покрытосеменные. Это преимущественно наземные растения, тело которых расчленено на органы и ткани. Вегетативные органы — листостебельные побеги и корни, выполняют функции питания и обмена веществ с внешней средой, то есть обеспечивают индивидуальную жизнь растений, генеративные органы служат для полового размножения. У голосеменных и покрытосеменных появляется особый орган полового размножения — семя.

SPEAKING: Work in groups. Prepare a presentation about

1. club mosses

2. cycadophytes

3. conifers d) flowering plants

WRITING: Write a summary of the text.