Exercises

1. Give the English equivalents for:

важные источники пищи для человека; снабжать одеждой; выращивание растений; осесть, перейти к оседлому образу жизни; использовать для многих целей; получать высокие урожаи; рост растения; основные части растения; человек, изучающий сельское хозяйство; корневая система; стебель и листья; органы размножения; поглощать питательные вещества; сырьё; почва и воздух; фотосинтез; поддерживать листья; образовывать семена; семя состоит из эмбриона; правильно функционировать; слишком слабый.

2. Give the Russian equivalents for:

Highly important sources of food for man; to supply with food; to be closely connected with the cultivation of plants; to settle down; to begin building homes; to use for many purposes; to get high yields; to have a knowledge of plant growth; the structure of the plant; student of agriculture; the root system; stems and leaves; the reproductive part; to grow downward into the soil; to absorb plant nutrients and water from – the soil; to anchor the plant; the food is manufactured in the leaves; photosynthesis; to support and connect the leaves with the roots; to produce seeds; the plant must have flowers; seed coats; too weak to develop plant parts; to surround.

3. Replace the infinitive in the brackets by the Present Perfect or the

Past Indefinite.

1. Our farmer already (to harvest) grain crops with combines.

2. All grain crop (to take) the same nutrients from the soil.

3. We already (to apply) mineral fertilizers and chemicals.

4. You ever (to be) on practice in Great Britain? – Yes, I (to be) there last year.

5. They (to go) to the farm three days ago.

6. I (to know) this engineer since I began to work at this farm.

7. They (to feed) dairy cows with good silage made from legumes. Now they should regulate the temperature, ventilation and lighting in animals buildings.

8. I just (to see) his dairy cows.

9. Last summer he (to have) practical training on a British farm near Liverpool.

4. Find the participles, state their form and function in the sentence.

Translate the sentences.

1. Feed containing protein of about 20 per cent or higher is know as a protein feed.

2. Farmers often raise dual- purposes cattle obtaining milk and meat.

3. When done this work will give good results.

4. Life and work on our farm have been changed greatly through farm machinery.

5. Distilled water used in the laboratory is quite tasteless.

5. Answer the following questions:

1. What must people do in order to grow plants?

2. What are the purposes of growing plants?

3. What are the principal parts of the plant?

4. What is photosynthesis?

5. What are the main functions of the stem?

6. Where are the seeds produced?

7. Does a seed consist of an embryo?

8. When is the plant too weak to develop its parts well?

Lesson 3

Soil

During the entire existence on the earth man has always been dependent upon the soil, either directly or indirectly. The soil is the only source for the production of the materials used by us for food and clothing.

The growth and development of all cultivated plants greatly depends on soil fertility.

Grains, fruits and vegetables are food products obtained by man directly from the soil. Domestic animals consume grain and forage produced by the soil and in their turn supply us with meat, milk, eggs, and other products used as human food. They supply us with wool and silk for the manufacture of clothing as well.

Soils vary in a number of characteristics. Some soils are rich in all kinds of nutrients required by plants; some are rich in certain elements but deficient in others.

All agricultural soils contain some organic matter mixed in different proportions with the mineral matter. Soil contains all kinds of minerals and rocks as well as the remains of all the plants and animals that make a home for plant development.

To make a normal growth, the plants require favourable soil and climate conditions such as continuous supply of water, plant food, heat, light and air.

In his management of the soil the farmer may do much to regulate the supply of water and organic matter. One of the most important tasks for any farmer is the proper management and preservation of the soil.