Unit 1 History of Gardening

Task1. Read the following words and memorize then:

cultivate soil – возделывать почву

stream – поток, ручей

plant – растение, садить

beam – балка

pillar – столб, колонна

wealthy – богатый

hill – холм

artificial [,a:ti’fi l]– искусственный

climbing plants [‘klaimi pla:nts]– вьющиеся растения

trellis – решётка

monk – монах

flower bed – клумба

border – зд. ограничивать

branch – ветка

intertwine – переплетаться

slope – склон

seed – семя

bulb – луковица

landscape [‘l nskeip]– ландшафт

masterpiece [‘ma:st pi:s]–шедевр

shrub – куст

BC – Before Christ – до нашей эры

AD – Anno Domini [‘ n u ‘d minai]– нашей эры

Task 3. Read the words form the left column and try to find their meanings in the right column.

1.the Book of Genesis [‘d en sis]	a. the capital of Greece
2.Nabuchadnezzar [,nebj k d’nez ]	b. the garden created by God where first people lived
3. Eden [‘i:dn]	c. the king of Babylonia in 605-562 BC
4. Pope [p up]	d. the head of the Catholic church
5. Athens [‘ inz]	e. a city in France
6. Versailles [v ‘sai]	f. the first book of the Bible
7. Babylonia [b bi’l ini ]	g. an ancient state in the south of Mesopotamia
8. Rome	h. the capital of Italy

Task 2. Read the words and pay attention to the pronunciation:

[ai]	kind	wind(виться)	minute (мелкий)	twine	life	Christ
[i]	king	wind (ветер)	minute (минута)	twin	live	Christian

Task 4. Read and translate the following sentences:

Example: He is supposed to come at 6.

Предполагается, что он придет в 6.

1. They are supposed to be back soon.

2. Athens are said to have been very beautiful.

3. Nabuchadnezzar is thought to have been a very strict king.

4. These gardens are considered to be a masterpiece.

Example: Take this flower and I shall take that one.

Возьми этот цветок, а я возьму тот.

1. They had a natural garden and decided to make an artificial one.

2. I don’t like this pillar, I want to have a taller one.

3. Don’t plant red roses here, plant red ones.

Task 5. Read the words and fill in the missing words after reading the text:

Country	People	Nationality
		Egyptian
	Greeks
Italy
	Belgians
Netherlands
France
Japan

Task 6. Read the text and translate it:

The Book of Genesis says that a garden was the earliest home of man: "And the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."

However, it is in Egypt that the first gardens we really know about were made. The Egyptians are supposed to have been the first people to develop the art of cultivating the soil. In their sacred groves they kept the natural beauties of winding streams but they also had fountains. These kept the atmosphere cool and pleasant and made it possible to grow many kinds of plants.

Among the Seven Wonders of the World were the hanging gardens of Babylon. These were built by Nebuchadnezzar in about 600B.C. and were square, with sides about 120metres in length. A series of terraces was formed one above the other, each narrower at the back than the front so that the whole formed the shape of a pyramid. Vast stone beams and stone pillars were used as supports, and the floors of the terraces were made waterproof with reeds and bitumen, or pitch to prevent moisture from oozing downwards. Soil was spread on the terraces and trees and flowers were planted in it.

The ancient Persians paid much attention to the beauty of gardens. They planned them with many avenues and thought it especially beautiful to have a long chain of pools in which fountains played. The Greeks are supposed to have occupied the gardens of the Persians but although those of Athens are said to have been very beautiful, few of the other Greek cities had public gardens. At that time wealthy people chose to live outside the cities in houses standing in their own gardens.

The Romans planned their gardens even more carefully, sometimes leveling hills, making artificial ones, building terraces and making lakes. The Romans were the first people who built houses with small gardens usually enclosed by trellis- work and decorated with climbing plants. Within the garden were stone ornaments, vases and urns and window boxes and plants in tubs were normal decoration. After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was left to the monks to continue the art of gardening in their monasteries and examples of their skills are still to be found in the Vatican Gardens of the Pope. Herbs used in medicine were of especial interest to monks who grew them in herb gardens. Gradually an Italian style garden was developed with long walks bordered by small trees, the branches of which intertwined overhead. The flower beds were laid out in patterns.

The Dutch of the Netherlands and the Flemings of Belgium also liked rather formal gardens, laid out in definite patterns. As there were many canals in their countries long stretches of water were often part of the design. These canals, with their glassy slopes and green terraces, are still to be found in the Netherlands. All the Dutch ships leaving for foreign ports were in the past told to bring back seeds and bulbs of interesting plants themselves. In this way the gardens of the Netherlands were enriched by many kinds of flowers, fruit and vegetables, and they were exported to other countries.

French gardening has long been famous, particularly the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. These were designed by Andre Le Notre, a famous French landscape architect, and are a masterpiece of layout and design. Trees, shrubs and other plants are all fitted into a pattern, and magnificent fountains and cascades, very often lit up made such use of water as had never been thought of before.

The Japanese in particular have made an art of gardening, with waterfalls and streams, lakes with islands and bridges and hills, rocks and trees, all carefully arranged. There are special Japanese gardens designed for drinking tea in, and also tiny gardens made in bowls with minute trees which speak of the art of bonsai.

Task 7. Answer the questions:

1. What is “a garden” according to the Book of Genesis?

2. Who was the first to develop the art of gardening?

3. Who and when built the hanging gardens of Babylon? Were they big?

4. What was thought to be especially beautiful in the gardens of ancient Paris?

5. Were there many nice gardens in different places of Greece?

6. What decorations did the Romans use in their gardens?

7. Who continued the art of gardening on the territory of today’s Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire?

8. What were the monks especially interested in in their gardens?

9. What did the Dutch ships leaving for foreign ports have to bring home?

10. What gardens in France are considered to be a masterpiece of layout and design?

11. What can be the Japanese gardens designed for?

Task 8. Fill the sentences with the words from the box:

Egypt Babylon France Many cities of Greece Italy Netherlands and Belgium France Japan

1. The art of cultivating soil was first developed in…

2. The Gardens which belong to the Seven Wonders of the World are in …

3. A long chain of pools in the gardens was very popular in …

4. There were few public gardens in …

5. People began first to build houses with small gardens decorated with trellis and climbing plants in …

6. People liked formal gardens in …

7. The gardens of the Palace of Versailles are located in …

8. Gardens with waterfalls and streams are especially popular in …

Task 9. Translate into Russian:

many kinds of plants

minute plants

plant a garden

start planting

artificial plants

artificial hill

to grow plants

green slope

beautiful landscape

seeds and bulbs

bulb of a plant

seeds of a flower

Task 10. Translate into English:

1) возделывание почвы; 2) извивающиеся потоки; 3) виды растений; 4) выращивать; 5) каменные колонны; 6) сажать; 7) красота садов; 8) богатые люди; 9) искусственные холмы; 10) вьющиеся растения; 11) искусство садоводства; 12) ветви; 13) клумбы; 14) семена и луковицы растений; 15) ландшафтный дизайнер; 16) шедевр; 17) водопады; 18) крошечные сады; 19) в частности; 20) в прошлом; 21) искусственный холм; 22) уделять много внимания.