Unit - 9.

A g r i c u l t e i n G r e a t B r i t a i n

I. Read the new words and learn their meaning.

Arable barley breed cropping farm dairly-farming horticulture lettuce poultry rent swede tulip wheat

arable farming beef cattle cereals cucumber glasshouse crops kale oats raspberry sugar beet tenant farmer turnip pid breeding

II. Make up 5 sentences using the new words. Write them down (see Ex 1).

III. Fing the meaning of the words in the dictionary. Pronouce them correctly.

to exist, shape, to be shabed by, to emerge, serfdom, to be dissatisfied with smth, pastures, profit, loss, foodstuffs, output, rural, estate, to derive income, to make one’s living, labourers, sufficient, self-sufficient, flour, to meet one’s need, holdings, high-quality, bulb, shed.

IV.Read the words (Ex III) again, choose the verbs and give the three forms of these verbs.

V.Read the words and try to guess their meaning.

Social, structure, historical, practically, result, lords, export, to import, group, proportion, to specialize, concentration, tradition, productlon, hectar, to cultivate, plantation, specially, to construct,to occupy.

VI.Read the first part of the text and translate it using a dictionary.

Agriculture in Great Britain.

(part 1)

A Short History. The existing social structure of agriculture in Britain has been shaped by it's historical development. By the end of the 15th century serfdom in England had practically ceased to exist. As a result there emerged a peasantry paying rent to their landlords .But many lords and landowners were dissatisfied with the rents, and they tried to get rid of the tenants who could not pay more. Arable land was turned into pastures for sheep, as wool produced high profits. Wool became Britain's most important export for several centuries. The direct result of this was the loss of land and jobs for many thousands of peasants. That process led to the disappearance of peasantry in Britain in the late 18th century. It became more profitable to import cheaper foodstuffs from Australia, Hew Zealand and Canada.

Landowning. Agrarian Relations. Home Food Supply.The larger part of the land belongs to big landowners.70% of all land is in the hands of only 1% of the population. Among the largest landowners in the country are the Crown and the Church of England.

Large farms produce about half of the total agricultural out-put. Medium-sized farms about 40% and very small farms produce shout 10%.

The rural population of Great Britain can be divided into four groups:

1) landlords,owning large estates and deriving income from rents,

2) owner-farmers, owning farms and lands, getting income by the sale of agricultural produce,

3)tenant-farmers, renting farms from landlords and making their living in the same way as the owner-farmers,

4)labourers, working for wages for the farmer.

Britain today is self-sufficient in milk, eggs, potatoes, barley and oats. A large proportion of meat and vegetables is home-produced. Home- produced flour, cheese, bacon and ham meet half of the country's needs.

VII Answer the questions.

1.By what time had serfdom in England ceased to exist? 2.Why did many lords and landowners try to get rid of the tenants? 3.Why was arable land turned into pastures for sheep? 4.Why did peasantry in Great Britain disappeared in the late 18th century? 5.Why did Great Britain begin to import foodstuffs from other countries? 6.What countries did Great Britain begin to import foodstaffs from? 7.Whom does the larger part of the land in Great Britain belong to? 8.What are the largest landowners in the country? 9.How many groups can the rural population be divided into? 10.What are they?

VIII.Flnd in the text derivatives to the following words.Read the sentences with these words and translate them into Russian.

to develop, agriculture, history, practice, peasant, land, food, to appear, to satisfy, to lose, profit, to own, size.

IX.Read the second part of the text and translate it into Russian using a dictionary. Agriculture in Great Britain. (part II)

Types of Farming. Three-fifths of the farms in Britain are devoted mainly to dairying or beef-cattle and sheep; one in six is a cropping farm and the remainder specialize in pigs, poultry or horticulture or are mixed farms.

Cattle Farming. Dairying occurs widely, but there are concentrations in the western parts of the country where there is good grass because the climate is wetter. Sheep-farming is concentrated in the hill and moorland areas of highland Britain. The country has a long tradition of sheep production, with more than 40 breeds. Pig-breeding is carried on in most parts of England and in Northern Ireland. Pig meat is mainly used for bacon.

Arable Farming. Arable crops grown in Britain include cereals (wheat, barley, oats) potatoes, sugar beet, turnip, swede, kale. There are 12 million hectars of cultivated land under crops and grass. Arable crops are usually grown in the eastern part of the country, which is drier- and has more sunshine.

Horticulture. Horticultural crops (fruit, vegetables and flowers) are largely grown on specialize holdings, but some are produced on arable farms. Field vegetables are widely spread over the country. Dessert apples are the most important fruit crop. Britain is one of the few countries, which grow various kinds of apples especially suitable for cooking. These are produced in England and Northern Ireland. Some high-quality pears are produced in the east and south­east of England, cherries and plums are grown in Kent. Around the city of Perth is the largest concentration of raspberry plantations in the world.

Early in the 20th century Dutch growers introduced tulips into Britain.Today flowers and bulbs occupy some 5000 hectars of land.

Glasshouse Crops. Tomatoes form the most important glasshouse crop and, together with lettuce and cucumbers, represent some 95% of the total value of glasshouse vegetable output. Mushrooms are also grown in specially constructed sheds in most parts of Britain, especially in south-eastern and northern England.

The principal agricultural counties of England are: Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and the county of Hereford and Worcester.