4. Answer the questions:

1. Has the problem of pesticides as contaminants been solved or is it still being discussed?

2. Where are certain pesticides found?

3. Why has the problem assumed new proportions these days?

4. How do pesticides spread around?

5. What are the possible consequences of contamination?

6. Are ecologists right claiming that contamination is bound to be fatal for life on our planet?

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5. Translate the following text without using a dictionary: why do we spray our farmland?

As the world population grows, there is an increasing need to grow better yields of crops and other farm produce in order to feed everyone. For many years scientists have worked to produce better fertilizers and to manufacture chemicals that will control pests. Many farmers have used organic fertilizers to improve the quality of the soil. In some parts of the world, particularly in some of the poorer countries, food production has needed to be greatly increased.

In India, for example, during 1970s and 1980s yields of crops increased. Fewer crops were damaged by pests and diseases because of the increased use of pesticides. One of the main problems of fertilizers and pesticides is that they are overused. This has the effect of spoiling other parts of our environment. For example, water contaminated with pesticides may seep into the soil and run into the local stream or river. After very heavy rainfall, the polluted water may run over the surface of the fields into the stream. The water in the stream and in the pores of the rock underground may then become contaminated. This could kill wildlife in the soil and in the streams.

6. Answer the following questions:

1. Why is there a need to improve the yields of crops?

2. How has the use of pesticides helped to improve yields?

3. Does spraying our farmland cause problems?

7. Describe some of the effects of spraying the land with pesticides.

8. Read an extract from the newspaper article and answer the questions: harvesting poison in colombia

“First they tell us to buy their poisons to kill the pests,” says Aguilar bitterly. “Now they say we need poisons to solve the problems created by the first ones.” Aguilar is a South American farmer whose land has been swamped by a strange new plague of moths. His main crop is tomatoes. ”When the sales people first told us of the new pesticides, we were excited by the thought of being free of our problems. After three years we had a nasty surprise. Some moths which the pesticides had so far killed survived. They began to reproduce at a terrible rate, eating all the tomatoes they could find. The chemicals had disturbed the balance of nature by killing not only the pests but also their natural predators. The farmers began to try new pesticides, which worked at first, then the same pattern of events took place.”

Questions:

1. Why did Aguilar first begin to buy the pesticides?

2. What problems emerged after a few years?

3. What did Aguilar have to do to control the pests again?

4. Can you think of any other way in which pests can be controlled?