II.Прочтите и переведите текст: Text. Land Resources for Farming and Different Productive Capacities of Land

Land resources for farming must have soils sufficiently deep and moisture retentive. They must be level enough to allow the use of machinery. The climatic conditions are to be good enough for crop production.

The extent of agricultural land is not fixed. It changes as new techniques are discovered. It was, for instance, impracti­cal to cultivate low-yield virgin lands when there were no large machines. Land with infertile but physically favourable soils have become more valuable when large tractors and other machines had appeared.

Better sources of power have made irrigation practical in places where formerly it was impractical. Irrigation has given value to land that otherwise might be of no use for agriculture. The prime concern of land use planners is to secure land resources for agricultural land uses.

Differences in productive capacity of land resources are tremendous. On the deserts we can produce almost nothing; on some lands that have plentiful water, productive soils, and good location in relation to industrial centres we can introduce several thousand dollars worth of products from a hectare in a single year.

We have tremendous areas of land so cold most of the year that it can be used only for deer pastures. There may be land that we can grow only a few kinds of crops on it. We have land on which we grow vegetables in midwinter. Since plants are the basis of agriculture, land that can produce abundant plant material is valued very high.

III.Определите без словаря значения следующих словосочетаний :

crop production; productive soils; agricultural production; crop land; new techniques; sources of power; plant material.

IV.Употребите глагол, стоящий в скобках, в прошедшем неопределенном времени:

1. In this region there (to be) highly productive soils. 2.In 2000 they (to have) eighteen hectares of land on that farm.3. New techniques of cultivation (to be) discovered. 4.Our needs for productive lands (to increase). 5.Erosion (to destroy) much cropland in that region. 6.We (can) produce almost nothing on the desert land if ( irrigate not) them. 7.They (to use not) those deer pastures before. 8.Those lands (can not) produce abundant plant material.

V.Закончите следующие предложения.

1. There are great differences in… .2. Tremendous areas of land in the North can be used only for… 3.There were some kinds of land where we could grow… 4. Plants are the basis of… .

VI. Дайте русские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний:

productive soils; skill; soils sufficiently deep; virgin lands; desert; dairy farms; precipitation.

VII. Вставьте подходящие по смыслу слова. Переведите предложения на русский язык:

1. Land for crop production must have … water. 2. Land resources are … inexhaustible. 3. The land for crop production must be … enough to allow the use of laborsaving machinery. 4. Better sources of … made irrigation effective in some places. 5. Some soil loses its fertility because of … . 6. In the North we have tremendous areas of … that can be used as … pastures. 7. There are some lands on which we … vegetables in midwinter.

VIII. Переведите с русского языка на английский:

1. Наши потребности в земельных ресурсах постоянно растут. 2. Мы должны помнить, что земельные ресурсы нe беспредельны. 3. Земли для выращивания сельско­хозяйственных культур должны быть достаточно плодородными. 4. Сельскохозяйственные земли должны быть достаточно увлажненными.

IX. Определите, какими частями речи являются выделенные слова. Переведите предложения на русский язык:

1. We know why people value land so high. 2. Our agriculture needs more and more electricity with every coming year. 3. These animals feed entirely on grass, they do not need any other feed.

4. It is necessary to increase the production of vegetables. 5. The increase in the production of vegetables was the result of proper use of fertilizers. 6. Do you want to take part in our expedition? 7. Man's wants have greatly changed since the last century. 8. My brother works at a factory. 9. I know the works of this scientist.