Text 2 British Agriculture

Agriculture is one of Britain's most important industries. British agriculture is based on modern technology and research. Nearly 80% of the land is used for agriculture. Britain has poor and rich fertile soils.

There are about 55,000 farms in Britain. They are not large. An average farm is about 30-40 acres. There are three main types of farming in Great Britain: pastoral, arable, mixed. Most farms in Britain are dairying. Many farms rear beef cattle and sheep, pigs and poultry.

Britain’s most important products are milk, eggs, meat, potatoes and wheat. The main cereal crops in Great Britain are wheat, barley and oats. Rye is grown in small quantities for use as cattle fodder. Great Britain produces different kinds of fruit. Potatoes are grown for sale, for fodder and for seed.

Modern machines are used on British farms. Most forests are private in Britain.

People use the surrounding sea as a source of food.

Text 3

prevailing condition to favour livestock-farming crop maritime to allow wheat everywhere lying sea level fails to ripen excess humidity on the other hand meadows throughout to be dominated by landowner merchant to own bulk hunting ground as a rule to carry on farming to prefer tenant farmer to make up livestock leading cattle breeding sheep breeding pig breeding poultry breeding to be enriched with fertilizers grassland cultivation apart from that fodder to be supplemented by root vegetables stand dairy-farming to predominate to be maintained to supply the total sown area principal grain oats barley sugar beet industrial crop market gardening and orcharding thriving industry prominent to lie coast in close proximity Dogger Bank fishery

преобладающий условие благоприятствовать животноводство сельскохозяйственная культура морской позволять пшеница везде лежащий уровень моря не может созреть избыточный влажность с другой стороны луг по всей контролироваться землевладелец торговец владеть большая часть охотничий заказник как правило заниматься фермерством предпочитать фермер-арендатор составлять домашний скот ведущий скотоводство овцеводство свиноводство птицеводство обогащаться удобрениями луг, пастбище обработка отдельно от этого корм дополняться корнеплоды сарай производство молочных продуктов преобладать осуществляться обеспечить общая посевная площадь главный зерно овес ячмень сахарная свекла техническая культура рыночное огородничество и садоводство бурно развивающаяся промышленность выдающийся лежать, находиться побережье очень близко Доггер-банка (отмель в Северном море, около112 км от побережья графства Йоркшир; место интенсивного лова рыбы) место ловли рыбы

British Agriculture

The prevailing natural conditions in Britain favour livestock-farming more than crop growing. The typically maritime climate does not allow wheat to be grown everywhere. In parts of Britain lying over 600 metres above sea level and in western England wheat fails to ripen because of excess humidity. On the other hand, natural meadows stay green all the year round throughout Britain.

Britain's agricultural system is dominated by big landowners and some big industrialists and merchants who own the bulk of the agricultural land part of which is used as hunting grounds, spoils grounds and parks. As a rule the landowners do not carry on farming themselves preferring to leave it to tenant farmers. The tenant farmers make up the bulk of the total agricultural producers. They also own the greater part of the livestock.

Livestock farming is the leading sector of British agriculture (cattle- breeding, sheep breeding, pig and poultry breeding). The natural meadows are enriched with fertilizers and grassland cultivation is practised. Apart from that, natural fodder is supplemented by mixed feeding and root vegetables. Cattle are only kept in stands for a short period in winter. Dairy-farming predominates.

Crop-growing is mainly maintained to supply livestock with adequate fodder. Two-thirds of the total sown area is under fodder crops (root vegetables and grass). The principal grain crops are wheat, oats and barley. Sugar beet is the main industrial crop. Market gardening and orcharding are thriving industries supplying the cities with fresh vegetables and fruit.

The fishing industry plays a prominent role in Britain's economy. The main fishing ports lie on the eastern coast in close proximity to Dogger Bank in the North Sea which is one of Europe's richest fisheries.