These are READING texts with tasks. The 5 tasks are given after the 1^st text. They would be the same for every text(, I mean tasks 3-5).

1.

Agricultural Land Area and Major Crops

The 1)___________of Ukraine is roughly similar to that of Kansas: slightly drier and cooler during the summer and colder and wetter during the winter, but close enough for comparison. The weather is suitable for both winter and spring crops. Average annual precipitation in Ukraine is approximately 600 millimeters (24 inches), including roughly 350 2)_______________during the growing season (April through October). Amounts are typically higher in western and central Ukraine and lower in the south and east.

Of Ukraine's total land area of 60 million hectares, roughly 42 million is classified as 3)__________land, which includes cultivated land (grains, technical crops, forages, potatoes and vegetables, and fallow), gardens, orchards, vineyards, and permanent meadows and pastures. Winter wheat, spring barley, and corn 4)___________the country's main grain crops. Sunflowers and sugar beets the main technical, or industrial, crops. Agricultural land use has shifted significantly since Ukraine declared 5)___________from the Soviet Union in 1991. Between 1991 and 2000, sown area dropped by about 5 percent, from 32.0 million hectares to 30.4 million, and area decreased for almost every category of crop except for technical crops (specifically sunflowers). Forage-crop area plunged by 6)________ 40 percent, concurrent with a steep slide in livestock inventories and feed demand.

1. Заповніть пропуски наступними словами: a) millimeters b) independence c) agricultural d) are e) climate f) nearly

2. Знайдіть у тексті синонім до слова territory

3. Підкресліть речення в Present Simple Passive

4. Поставте своє запитання до тексту (загальне чи спеціальне)

5. Перекладіть письмово речення виділене курсивом.

2.

Central Ukraine

Central Ukraine is Kirovograd, Cherkassy, Vinnytsia, Zhitomyr, Poltava and Kyiv regions. All of these except Kyiv are mainly agrarian.

The regional agro-industrial sector is known for the diverse plant cultivation and 1)___________ breeding. People cultivate winter wheat, barley, maize, sugar beet, sunflower, hemp, coriander. The leading sectors are milk production and cattle breading. Enterprises, specializing in breeding pigs, 2)_______________, rabbit, and poultry are also popular. and pond fish breeding are developing.

Every region 3)__________ its peculiarities. For instance, in Vinnytsia region the horticulture and viticulture are widespread, also represented a unique branch of agricultural production as a hop planting.

Vinnytsia region is ranked first in the country 4)___________ the production of cereals and sugar beet, shares the 1-2 places for the production of vegetables with Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The major crops grown in Kirovograd 5)___________ are winter wheat, barley, maize, beans, buckwheat and millet, as well as sunflower and sugar beet.

The production of soybeans is 6)________ growing. The dominant trends in horticulture are apples, pears, plums, cherries and berries.

1. Заповніть пропуски наступними словами: a) for b) sheep c) has d) animal e) rapidly f) area

2. Знайдіть у тексті синонім до слова agricultural

3.

South Ukraine

This 1)___________ of Ukraine includes Odessa, Mykolayiv, Kherson regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

An area of the appointed territory is 113.4 thousand 2)_______________ meters. km, population – 7 million, the average population density – 61 people per 1 sq.km.

South Ukraine is a region of immense steppes, fertile soil and intensive sun shining regime. At the 3)__________ time some of these areas suffer from the lack of water resources in summer.

Diversified agro-industrial complex of the Southern Ukraine 4)___________ one of the most developed in the country. Winter wheat, barley, maize, millet, rice, sunflower, tobacco, ricin, and mustard occupy significant areas here. Also we can 5)___________ sugar beets, flax, soy, sesame, peanuts, essential oil and medicinal plants.

Large areas are used for vineyards, orchards, cultivating vegetables and melons. Dairy and beef cattle, pigs, poultry and sheep breeding is widespread. Fish 6)________ and fish processing industry are developed in the regions washed by the Black and Azov seas.

1. Заповніть пропуски наступними словами: a) same b) is c) square d) mention e) breeding f) part

2. Знайдіть у тексті синонім до слів fruitful, fat,, rich

4.

Sugar beets

Sugar beets are grown 1)___________ in central and southern Ukraine. Beets are planted in late April and early May and harvested from mid-September through the end of October. Production has been on the decline since the early 1990's due chiefly to low profitability compared to grains and 2)_______________ seed. Between 1994 and 2003, planted area declined by 50 percent to less than 0.8 million hectares, and production from 28.1 to 13.4 million tons. 3)__________ farms are sometimes encouraged by the local administrators to plant sugar beets not so much to make money but rather to provide a social safety net or to supplement to pensioners or farm workers. A family may be responsible 4)___________ weeding a specific section of a field and the workers in turn receive 20 percent of the sugar processed from the beets harvested from its section. Sugar also frequently serves as part of farm workers’ salaries.

On private household plots, meanwhile, sugar beet area has 5)___________. Sugar beet production requires a significant amount of hand labor and remains a viable option for small household farms with limited access to agricultural machinery. Household plots now account for approximately 25 6)________ of Ukrainian sugar beet output compared to only 3 percent in 1995.