3. Read and translate text a. Text a The Seed

Ordinarily the plant is divided as follows: the root system, stems and leaves and, the reproductive part made up of flowers, fruits and seeds.

The Seed.A seed must be looked upon as an embryonic plant of the new generation with enough stored food to start it off in life and seed coats for protection. Thusa seed consists of: a) the embryonic plant in a dormant state known also as the embryonic or germ; b) the food supply stored either inside the embryo or, as with the cereals, around it on the outside, in which case it is called the endosperm, c) one or more seed coats surrounding and protecting the other parts.

Some seeds as those of the legumes do not contain an endosperm, the entire supply of food in them being stored inside the embryo in its seed leaves or cotyledons. Thus, in the seed the plant stores up food to be used at some future time. It is on this stored food that the young plant feeds until it is sufficiently developed to provide food for it.

Germination.They dry seeds being placed under favorable conditions; the young dormant plant begins to grow. This change from a dormant state to one of activity is known as germination. For seeds to germinate well they should be well developed and have high viability. The length of time during which the seed remains viable depends on the species and the storage conditions as well, the maximum period for most species varying from 2 to 10 years. The main factor affecting the viability of seeds is their moisture content. For seeds to retain their vitality well they should be thoroughly air- dried as soon as mature and kept in dry place.

For germination to occur three conditions are necessary: sufficient heat, moisture and air should be present. Unless all three of these conditions are met, the seed will not germinate properly. The amount of required heat will vary with the kinds of seeds. Some seeds, as those of clover and oats, will grow at rather low temperature while the requirement of corn seeds is higher.

4. Translate the following words and word combinations from English into Russian.

embryonic plant, generation, plant in a dormant state, viability, germination, requirement, food supply, endosperm, reproductive part, storage conditions, cotyledon, seed coat, to mature, moisture content, legumes

5. Translate the following words and word combinations from Russian into English.

прорастать, благоприятные условия, запасать пищу, зародышевое растение, семядоля, семенная кожура, жизнеспособный, узел, всходы, зародыш, растение в состоянии покоя, созревать, содержание влаги

6. Match the English equivalents with the Russian words.

1.прорастание a)to mature

2. жизнеспособный b)to store up

3.зародыш c)species

4.семеннаякожура d)endosperm

5.запас питательных веществ e)cotyledon

6.состояние покоя f)dormantstate

7.эндосперм g) seedcoat

8.семядоля h) germ

9.органыразмножения i) viable

10.вид j) reproductive part

11.запасать k) food supply

12.созревать l) germination

7. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the text.

1. A seed consists of … .

2. The food supply is stored either … or … .

3. The seed coat encloses and … .

4. The portion of the food supply that is outside of the embryo is referred to as …

5. The seeds of the legumes do not … .

6. The supply of food in legumes is stored inside the embryo in … .

7. The change from the dormant condition to one of activity is … .

8. For germination to occur the following conditions are necessary … .

9. Unless all three conditions are met, the seeds … .

10. The most favorable temperature for germination varies … .