Reading and speaking

(A) Exercise 1. Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions about:

• Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent (How did ancient farmers …?);

• Two main branches of agriculture (What are the main …?);

• Main crops (What kinds of crops belong to …?);

• Major livestock types (What are the major …?);

• Animals’ by-products (What non-products come from…?)

1. Exercise 2. Look at the photos. What branch of farming does it belong to? Speak about full classification of this crop or kind of livestock.

2. Exercise 3. Prepare a short presentation on the following topics. Use the given vocabulary:

• Classification of crops ;

(A vital branch, crop growing, livestock breeding, be subdivided, food crops, feed crops, industrial crops, vegetables)

• Classification of livestock and its products and non-products;

(Cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, horses, include, fat, tallow, tires, soaps, candles)

• Soil problems

(Healthy crops, crop rotation, nutrient depletion, turn into a plant paradise, cover crops, the amount of nitrogen, land degradation) .

2. Exercise 4. Show your agreement or disagreement towards the following ideas: Use the helpful phrases of agreement and disagreement:

Agreement	Disagreement
I agree with you 100 percent. I couldn't agree with you more. That's so true. That's for sure. You're absolutely right. Absolutely. Exactly. I have to side with you on this problem. No doubt about it.	I don't think so. I'm afraid I disagree. (strong) I totally disagree. (strong) I'd say the exact opposite. Not necessarily. That's not always true. That's not always the case. No, I'm not so sure about that.

1. Many early farmers used the rain as a water supply.

2. The two main requirements for farming are heat and a water supply.

3. At present two main branches of agriculture are being developed: crop growing and livestock breeding.

4. We rely on animals for a number of products and non-products.

5. Without healthy soil, farmers can’t produce healthy crops.

6. Crop rotation can lead to nutrient depletion and erosion.

2. Exercise 5. In small groups prepare five PowerPoint slides to describe the main aspects of farming.

(C) Exercise 6. Imagine that you are a farmer. Make up the farmers plan for soil conservation.

Plan for field 7 Problem 1:____________________________________________________ Solution ____________________________________________________ Problem 2:____________________________________________________ Solution ____________________________________________________ Problem 3:____________________________________________________ Solution ____________________________________________________