HUE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

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ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

ENGLISH TEXTS FOR STUDENTS-AGRONOMISTS

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NGUYEN TRUNG TINH
9 / 2002





1


PREFACE
The aim of this book is to help students of agriculture develop the four language
skills and the ability of using the language knowledge in their communication about
their specialist subject as well. The book consists of 15 units, each of which is divided
into two parts: part A should be presented in class; part B is for self-study at home.
The activities in each unit are designed for students to practice in real-life context,
which may make the target language more authentic. The exercises focus on
improving the grammar in use and the language skills the students need, especially
reading and writing, which may help them in participating in some projects and
workshops on rural development being held by foreign organizations in Vietnam.
The material collected is based on the language the students need for their future
job, relevant to the intermediate level of the basic language course they have studied
at the university.
The material designed only aims to meet the urgent needs of the students of Hue
college of Agriculture and Forestry, so it must have some constraint and limitation. I
hope the readers who are concerned about the subject find the material useful and
may add some more what you have got in the field to complete it as an English
material for all students of agriculture in our country.

NGUYEN TRUNG TINH
9/2002




2
UNIT 1 SOILS
I. Word study
1. Find the words which have similar meaning.
a. store (v) - thing / substance
b. cleanse (v) - break down
c. mineral fraction (n) - extent / size
d. interaction (n) - clean
e. decay (v) - keep
f. measure (n) - small piece
g. organic matter (n) - act to each other
h. particle (n) - mineral component
2. Grouping. Which group do the following words belong to?
Potato; tomato; pineapple; papaya; longan; wheat; soya; rubber; cacao; rice; cucumber;
carrot; lemon; bean; peach; cotton; pear; tea; manioc; orange; coffee; sugar cane; peanut;
strawberry; cauliflower; cabbage; banana; water melon . . .
Fruit trees Vegetables Industrial crops Food crops
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
a. Shallow-rooting crops b. Root crops c. Tree crops
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
............................
..................................................
..................................................
..................................................
..................................................
...............................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
......................

II. Skill development
1. Look at the diagram and answer the questions below.
A. Soil profiles.

* Very shallow soil * Shallow soil * Moderately deep soil * Deep soil

10cm

100cm


- Shallow-rooting - Most agricultural 200cm
crops crops - Root crops
500cm

- Tree crops



a. Exercise 1.(pair-work) Now ask and say about other soil-type of the soil profile as example.

A: What is the depth of a shallow soil?
B: A shallow soil has a depth of 10 to 100 cm.
A: What crops is a shallow soil suitable for?
B: For shallow rooting crops.


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A: What are shallow rooting crops composed?
B: Banana; pineapple,... (give examples in your own area.)
B. Soil particle size.
Types of soil Particle diameter range in mm
- coarse sand
- fine sand
- silt
- clay
1.0 - 0.2
0.2 - 0.05
0.05 - 0.002
< 0.002

Small soil particles are called sand, silt or clay particles, according to their size.
a. Speaking. (pair-work) Ask and answer about the following soil particles.
Example
- Coarse sand A: What is the diameter range of coarse sand particles?
- Fine sand B: Coarse sand particles are between 2 and 0.2mm in diameter.
- Silt A:
- Clay B: .
A:
B:

C. Soil texture and structure.
Soil texture is the proportion of different particle sizes in the soil. Soil with very small
particles (clay) has a fine texture. Soil with a mixture of small and large particles (loam) has a
medium texture. Soil with large particles (sand) has a coarse texture. The range of textures
can be shown on a soil texture diagram. For example, soil sample A has 10% sand, 20% silt
and 70% clay. It falls at point A on the diagram. What is the soil texture of soil sample A?

1. Look at soil sample A:
























Soil sample A has 10% sand, 20% silt and 70% clay. Thus it has a ...fine... texture.

Now look at the following soil samples in the table.


4
a. Fill in the blanks. What is the texture of the following soil samples?

Samples Sand Silt Clay

B .........................
C .........................
D ....................

60%
30%
40%

30%
50%
30%

10%
20%
30%

2. Read and complete the following passage.
Soil with a coarse texture consists of relatively large particles. Thus it retains air in the
spaces between the particles, but it does not retain water. Coarse-textured soils are usually
well drained. However, many important nutrients are leached out of the soil. These soils are
usually red or brown in colour.
A medium-textured soil consists of a mixture of ...(1)... and ...(2)... particles. ...(3)... it
retains ...(4)... and ...(5)... . ...(6)... ...(7)... are usually imperfectly drained. Therefore
important plant ...(8)... are available for plant growth. These soils are usually ...(9)... or
...(10)... with grey mottles.
A fine-textured soil consists of relatively ...(11)... ...(12)... Thus it ...(13)... water, ...(14)...
it does not hold ...(15)... . Fine-textured soils are blue or green in ...(16).. . They are ...(17...
...(18)... drained.
The words may be used to fill the gaps.
thus ; water ; small ; soils ; large ; medium-textured ; brown ; nutrients
red ; particles ; holds ; small ; air ; but ; poorly ; colour ; usually ; nutrients

3. Answer the following question.
a. Why does a coarse-textured soil retain air?
b. Give one disadvantage of a coarse-textured soil.
c. Why is a medium-textured soil usually imperfectly drained?
d. Are the particles of a fine-textured soil predominantly sand, silt or clay?
e. Why is the fine-textured soil often flooded after rain?
f. Why is rice often grown in a fine-textured soil?
g. In which type of soil are root crops (e.g. sweet potato, cassava, etc) grown in your area?
Give one reason why you think this is so.
D. Soil structure. Define the soil texture as quickly as possible, then write the soil structure.
- Soil texture: A: B: C:
- sand 80% - sand 20% - sand 20%
- silt 10% - silt 70% - silt 20%
- clay 10% - clay 10% - clay 60%

- Soil structure: A: . B: . C: ..

1. Read and complete.
Sample A is a coarse-textured soil, sample B is a medium-textured soil and sample C is a
fine-textured soil. Each sample is mixed with water and shaped like a ball. What happens
when water drips onto each sample?
- The coarse-textured soil breaks up easily. It has a loose structure.
- The medium-textured soil ..................... moderately easily, .............. ................. ................
............... friable structure.
- The ...............-................. ......................... does not ........................... ................ ...............
.............. .............. solid structure.
2. Speaking. (pair-work) Answer the following questions.
a. Why is it difficult to cultivate a fine-texture soil?


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b. Why is a medium-textured soil suitable for plant growth?
c. What happens to coarse-textured soil in a heavy rain storm?
d. What are the advantages of each type of soil?
e. What are the disadvantages of each type of soil?
f. How can farmers cultivate a coarse-textured soil?
g. How can a fine-textured soil be used most efficiently?

III. READING A
1. Pre-reading task.
a. Find the difference between soil, land and earth.

SOILS
Soils are very complex natural formations which make up the surface of the earth. They
provide a suitable environment in which plants may obtain water, nutrients and oxygen for
root respiration, and firm anchorage. Soils are formed by the weathering of rocks, followed
by the growth and decay of plants, animals, and soils micro-organisms. If a farmer is to
provide the best possible conditions for crop growth, it is desirable that he should understand
what soils are, how they were formed and how they should be managed.
The topsoil and surface soil is a layer about 8-45 cm deep which may be taken as the
greatest depth which a farmer would plough or cultivate and in which most of the plant roots
are found.
Loose, cultivated, topsoil is sometimes called mould.
The subsoil, which lies underneath, is an intermediate stage in the formation of soil from
the rock below.
A soil profile is a section taken through the soil down to the parent rock. In some cases
this may consist of only a shallow surface soil 10-15 cm on top of a rock such as chalk and
limestone. In other well-developed soils (about a metre deep) there are usually three or more
definite layers (or horizons) which vary in colour, texture and structure.
The soil profile can be examined by digging a trench or by taking out cores of soil from
various depths with a soil auger.
A careful examination of the layers (horizons) can be useful in forming an opinion as to
how the soil was formed, its natural drainage and how it might be farmed. Some detailed soil
classifications are based on soil profile.
II. Check your understanding.
A. Read the text carefully, then answer the following questions:
1. What are the four main constituent parts of soil?
2. What should the farmer understand about soil?
3. How many types of soil are there?
4. What soil is called mould
5. How are soils formed?
6. How do you take a soil sample?
7. What can a soil sample tell you?
B. Find the words with opposite meaning to the following words in the passage.
- simple : - development : - concentrating :
- loose : - deep : - single :
- not wanted : - wash away : - general :
C. Look at paragraph 2 and say what these words refer to:
line 1: which .................................... . line 9: .............................................
line 2: which ................................... . line 13: .............................................
line 8: which ................................... . line 17: .............................................
D. Look at the passage again. Which words correspond to the definitions below:


6
1. how particles are arranged in a substance
2. the process of pressing particles closely together
3. a ditch dug in the ground
4. the middle, or most important, part of anything
5. a system for taking away water
6. a group into which something is put
7. what is based on to classify soil in full detail
8. loose cultivated surface soil.
9. small organisms living in soil.
10. prepare and use land for growing crops
..................................
..................................
..................................
..................................
..................................
...................................
...................................
..................................
..................................
...................................

E. Matching the given words with each picture from smallest particle to largest.
A. gravel. B. clay. C. sand. E. stone. F. silt. G. rock.



1.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.


PART B:
I. READING B AGRICULTURAL POLICY
Agricultural policy in the United Kingdom since 1973 has been determined primarily by
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU, which aims to ensure stable markets, a fair
standard of living for producers, and regular supplies of food at reasonable prices for
consumers. The costs to EU taxpayers of the CAP, which accounts for more than 50 per cent
of the EUs budget, and the mechanisms of maintaining farm prices through grants and
subsidies, and through tariffs on cheaper imports, have come under increasing criticism since
the early 1980s by Britain, by developing countries, and by the United States.
Various reforms have been implemented in an attempt to reduce costs, subsidies, and the
huge levels of overproduction, which generated butter mountain and wine lakes during
the 1970s and 1980s. These have included schemes to encourage farmers to take land out of
agricultural production, to adopt more environmentally kind, but less productive methods of
farming, to impose production quotas on certain products, like milk, and to reduce subsidies
on others.
In Britain agricultural marketing is carried out by private traders, producers cooperatives,
and marketing boards for certain products. The number of marketing boards has been steadily
reduced over the past 20 years. In November 1994 one of the largest, the Milk Marketing
Board for England and Wales, ceased to exist and was replaced by a producers cooperative,
Milk Marque.
Britains food industry is one of the worlds largest and most successful, with a highly
developed retail, supply, and distribution network. Its supermarket chains supply an ever-
increasing choice of food products to the British consumer and are among Europes most
profitable companies. The 1997 merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan created one of
the worlds biggest food and drinks conglomerates.
II. Word study.
A. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following words.
1. define : a. ........................ 6. suitable: f. ........................
2. firm: b. ........................ 7. fund: g. .......................
3. norm: c. ........................ 8. project: h. .......................
4. collective: d. ........................ 9. provide: i. ........................


7
5. usual: e. ........................ 10. systems: j. ........................
III. Grammar. Word Formation
A. Practice. New words are formed by adding a suffix to other words.
Find the words formed in this way in the passage to complete the exercise below.
1. produce production
- contribute ..
- compact
- examine
-
- ....
2. employ employment
- require
- manage
-
-.
-.
3. produce producer
-.
-.
-.
-.
-.
4. reason reasonable
- desire
- suit
5.product productive
-..
-..
6.agriculture agricultural
-.
-.

B. Complete the following sentences, using the right form of the given word.
1. The government gives some subsidies to the basic food to...............the normal
production. (maintenance)
2. Five dollars for a big chicken is....................enough in New York. (reason)
3. There should be a complete........................of all the local authorities. (implement)
4. British Agriculture...................just 2% of the population and ...................1.9% of GDP
but it achieves high levels of efficiency and....................... . (employment ; contribution ;
produce)
5. Will the new power station be able to supply us cheap energy..................? (require)
6. Agricultural policy aims to ensure stable markets, a fair standard of living for .............,
and regular supplies of food at...............prices for consumers. (produce ; reason)
7. Various reforms have been...................in an attempt to reduce costs, subsidies, and the
huge levels of ................... . (implementation ; overproduce)
8. In Britain agricultural marketing is carried out by private traders, producers
..................., and marketing boards for certain.................. .(cooperate; produce)
IV. Comprehension check.
1. What are the main points of the policy?
2. What is the aim of the policy?
3. Who gets the most benefits from the policy?
4. Are there any agricultural policies in your country?
5. Do the policies help to develop the agriculture?
6. What is the agriculture of your country?
7. What is the most dominant sector in the agriculture?
8. Where is rice mainly grown?
9. What population does the agriculture employ?
10. What percentage of GDP does the agriculture account for?
11. What do you think about your agriculture now and in he future?
12. Are there any plans for developing your agriculture?
13. According to you can we develop our livestock rising like Holland or USA?
14. As a future agronomist do you have any special plans for the agriculture?
15. What economic sector can be developed best in our agriculture?

__________ __________

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today



8
UNIT 2 TROPICAL SOILS
I. Word study
1. Fill in the gaps with given words.
due to ; erode ; waterlogged ; compound ; presence ; friable ; laterite ; penetrate

a. Metals are .by acids.
b. Common salt is a of sodium and chlorine.
c. The train was delayed ..the bad weather.
d. The dogs were trained to detect the of drug.
e. Soil with large particles is
f. Almost roads in the countryside are made of .. .
g. The heavy rain had . right through her coat.
h. The area is often . in rainy season.
II. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What countries are tropical?
2. Read the passage and answer these questions as quickly as possible.
a. What colour is laterite?
b. What are the three major soil types mentioned in the passage?

TROPICAL SOIL
The soil of hot, tropical areas varies in texture, structure and colour and in their value for
agriculture. A group called Tropical Red Earths is a very common soil type in, for example,
tropical Africa. The group includes yellow, orange and brown soils as well as red. Their colour
is due to the presence of certain minerals, mainly iron and aluminium oxides. They are usually
rich in clay but they are quite friable and easily cultivated. A common type of soil in this
group is laterite. It is a red-brown soil, which becomes very hard when it is dry. Laterite often
forms a very hard crust on or below the surface. Plants are unable to grow through it and water
cannot penetrate it. These soils are usually eroded by water running over the surface.
Black or dark-coloured soils are found in lowland areas, which become flooded or
waterlogged, and in valleys. They are usually rich soils and valuable for cultivation (rice). The
grey and light-coloured soils contain calcium compounds and are often found over limestone
rock.
A. Say whether the information in the following sentences is true or false. Correct any false or
partly false information.
1. There is only one type of soil in tropical countries.
2. Soils which are rich in iron oxides are common in tropical Africa.
3. These soils are fine-textured and usually solid in structure.
4. Laterite is an example of Tropical Red Earths.
5. Laterite has properties which make it difficult for plants to grow.
6. Laterite is a well-drained soil.
7. Important nutrients are leached out of laterite soils.
8. Black or dark-coloured soils are poorly drained.
9. Black or dark-coloured soils usually have large soil particles.
10. Black or dark-coloured soils retain important plant nutrients.
B. Writing and speaking. Answer the following questions
1. Can you say anything about the pH value of Tropical Red Earths from the information
given in the passage?
2. Find out about the properties of soils in your area. (type of soil, colour, texture and
structure of the soil). Which crops grow on them?



9
C. The pH value of soil water.
We use the pH scale to describe the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. A soil with a pH value
between 1 and 6 is acid, whereas a soil with a pH value of 7 is neutral and a soil with a pH
value between 8 and 14 is alkaline. Most soils have a pH value between 8 and 6. Most crops
do not grow well in very acid or very alkaline soils.
. .tea. coffee. citrus. bananas.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1. Writing1. Now make similar sentences about tea, coffee, citrus crops, rice, tomato and
sweet potatoes as the given example.
Example: Bananas grow well in slightly acid or neutral soil, but they do not grow well in
very acid soil.
a. Tea.......................................................................................................................
b. Coffee..................................................................................................................
c. Citrus.................................................................................................................
d.
e. ..
2. Writing 2. Write comparison
Example: blackberry/cherry. Blackberry grows well in acid soil, but carrot doesnt.
a. grape/cauliflower ... .
b. soybean/celery ... .
c. onion/peanut . .
d. .
e. .
f. .
Acid and Alkaline Tolerance
Quite acid (4.0 6.0) Slightly acid (6.0 7.0) Neutral to alkaline (7.0 7.5)
- blackberry
- blueberry
- bracken
- chestnut
- coffee
- conifer
- lupine
- marigold
- moss
- oak
- potato
- peanut
- raspberry
- sweet potato
- tea
- watermelon
- apple
- apricot
- beans
- buckwheat
- cherry
- egg-plant
- gooseberry
- grains
- grape
- parsley
- pea
- peach
- pear
- pumpkin
- soybean
- strawberry tomato
- alfalfa
- beet
- broccoli
- cabbage
- carrot
- cauliflower
- celery
- clover
- cucumber
- leeks
- lettuce
- onion
- silver beet
- spinach
- swiss chard
- zucchini
Acid and alkaline tolerances of selected crops.

3. Exercise 3. (pair-work)
Ask and say about the tolerance of the crops in the box as example below.
- A: What crops grow well in an acid soil?
- B: Blackberry, potato and watermelon grow well in acid soil.
- A: What crops do not grow well in an acid soil?


10
- B: The crops do not grow well in an acid soil such as: onion, spinach and cauliflower.
- A: In what soil do beans grow well?
- B: Beans grow well in slightly acid or neutral soil, but they do not grow well in very
acid soil.

III. READING B
1. Read the following passage and answer these questions.
a. Which of these would you expect to find in tropical soils? Discuss and explain your
answers.
- soil erosion
- nutrient deficiency
- an excessive amount of water
- an insufficient quantity of water
- an excess of nutrients
b. How much kaolinite clay do tropical soils usually contain?
c. What is this section of the reading passage about?
- tropical soils and their management
- the differences between tropical and temperate soils
- the differences between tropical and temperate soil management.
THE MANAGEMENT OF TROPICAL SOILS
The management of tropical soils involves different principles from those of temperate
soils. This is because both the climate and the soils are different. In the tropics there is a low
temperature range and a high average temperature. The rainfall is usually very heavy in the
rainy season but inadequate in the dry season, where there is one.
Tropical soils contain a large amount of kaolinite clay and if they are low in iron and
aluminium, their structure may be excessively poor and unstable. If, on the other hand, the
soil contains adequate amount of iron and aluminium, their oxides and hydroxides will
cement the kaolinite particles together in relatively large aggregates and this will improve soil
structure.
When managing tropical soils, therefore, two basic principles are involved. The first is to
use a method of farming which involves a minimum of clean cultivation since the latter
leaves the soil bear and consequently liable to water erosion and loss of nutrients by leaching.
The second is to use a method which maintains sufficient organic matter in the surface soil.
This helps to keep bases and phosphates available in the soil, is a good source of plant
nutrients and maintains good structure in the surface soil.
2. Writing and speaking. (pair or group-work) Find the answer to the followings.
a. Give two ways in which tropical climates differ from temperate climates.
b. Name two common bases found in some tropical soils.
c. Name two factors, which improve soil structure and explain their effect.
d. Explain why a soil may contain insufficient phosphates.
e. Give one function of iron oxide in the soil.
f. Give the two advantages of each of the basic principles in managing tropical soils.

IV. Grammar SENTENCES and SENTENCE PATTERNS
A. Phrases and Clauses.
The various parts of speech are grouped into phrases and clauses which make up the basic
sentence.
1. Phrases.
Phrases are groups of related words that do not contain a subject-verb combination or
express a complete thought. There are noun, prepositional, participial, verb and infinitive
phrases.


11
* Noun phrase: - my brand new car - the famous film star
* Prepositional phrase: - over the wall - around the block
* Participial phrase: - playing the piano - buying the book
* Verb phrase: - will be given - is coming
* Infinitive phrase: - to think - to draw
2. Clauses.
Clauses are groups of related words that contain a subject-verb combination. Independent
clauses express a complete thought and can stand by themselves as sentences. Subordinate
clauses serve as part of a sentence but do not express complete thought and cannot stand by
themselves. They are subordinate to independent clauses.
* Independent clauses:
- the weather was warm and dry
- John got free tickets to the play
- They took the wrong road
* Subordinate clauses:
- by the time June arrived
- because he works at the theatre
- when they came to the turn
* Complete sentences:
- By the time June arrived, the weather was warm and dry.
- John got free tickets to the play, because he works at the theatre.
- When they came to the turn, they took the wrong way.

B. Practice. Analyze the following sentences
1. Underline and name the phrases in the following sentences.
a. We have only three days to practise until the band contest.
b. In this case some of the nitrate retains in the subsoil.
c. This gives two further important principles in tropical soil management.
d. The first of these is to prepare the land and sow the crops early enough to use the surplus
nitrogen after the dry season.
e. The second is to grow crops with sufficiently deep roots to use nitrogen before it is
washed into subsoil.
2. Find and underline the clauses in the following sentences.
a. Precipitation is rain, snow, fog, sleet, hail and frost, which undergo two main processes:
condensation and evaporation.
b. The place where you live is a microclimate of the large general climate.
c. Microclimates can be a rich source of diversity, so your design should take advantage of
them rather than eliminate them.
d. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals that will
grow in your garden.
e. You may be able to grow an almond tree if you live in a cool moist climate simply by
positioning it against a sunny sheltered wall.
f. Although much farming is still by traditional methods, there has been a significant
change in the technologies available since independence.
g. The raising of livestock, particularly horned cattle, buffalo, horses, and mules, is a
central feature of the agricultural economy.
h. The demand for chemical fertilizers and high-yielding seed varieties has increased
markedly, particularly since the much-publicized Green Revolution of the 1960s and
early 1970s - which particularly benefited richer farmers in wheat-growing areas like
Uttar Pradesh and Punjab states.



12
PART B.
I. READING C.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. Is India in Europe?
b. What is Indian agriculture?
c. What agricultural products of India are popular in the world?
AGRICULTURE OF INDIA
About two-thirds of Indias population depends on the land to make a living. Agriculture
generates an estimated 28 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Most farms are very
small - the average size of holding nationally is 2.63 hectares, but more than a third of
holdings are considered too small for the subsistence needs of farming family. In term of area
sown the leading crop is rice, the staple food of a large section of the Indian population.
Wheat ranks next in importance to rice, and Indian also among the leading producers in the
world of sugar cane, tea, cotton, and jute. Annual production of these commodities in the
mid-1990s was sugar cane, 275.5 million tones; rice, 82 million tones; wheat, 65.8 million
tones; tea, 737,400 tones; cotton lint, 1.9 million tones; and jute, 1.5 million tones. Other
important crops are vegetables, melons, sorghum, millet, maize, barley, chickpeas, bananas,
mangoes, rubber, coffee, linseed, groundnuts (peanuts), and various spices.
The raising of livestock, particularly horned cattle, buffalo, horses, and mules, is a central
feature of the agricultural economy. In the mid-1990s India had about 193 million cattle,
substantially more than any other country in the world. These animals, like buffaloes, horses
and mules, are utilized primarily as beasts of burden, although the vegetarianism associated
with the Hindu custom is followed by few, especially in north India. Lack of pasture and
water supplies means most Indian cattle are of poor quality. The countrys 78 million buffalo
are largely raised in the delta regions. In the dry regions of Punjab and Rajasthan camels (1.5
million) are the principal beasts of burden. Sheep (44.8 million) and goats (118 million) are
raised mainly for wool.
Although much farming is still by traditional methods, there has been a significant change
in the technologies available since independence. The area under canal irrigation systems
financed by the government has expanded enormously; there has been an even greater
expansion in the area watered by well-based systems. By the early 1990s about 45 per cent of
the total cultivated area was irrigated. The demand for chemical fertilizers and high-yielding
seed varieties has increased markedly, particularly since the much-publicized Green
Revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s - which particularly benefited richer farmers in
wheat-growing areas like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab states.
1. Comprehension check.
A. Find the word or words, which may link with the following to make a phrase.
* Example:
a. method (noun phrase)
traditional method
effective traditional method
an effective traditional method
* practice.
1. government..........
2. area ..........
3. systems ..........
4. economy ..........
5. expansion
6. region
7. product ....
b. depend (verb phrase)
depend wholly
depend wholly on the land
depend wholly on the land for food

1. consider
2. cultivate
3. lead
4. increase
5. produce
6. grow
7. supply


13
8. farm
9. crops
10. fertilizer ....
8. irrigate
9. utilize
10. change

B. Answer the following questions.
1. How many percent of gross domestic product does Indian Agriculture generate?
2. What size are farms in India?
3. What are the main farming products of Indian Agriculture?
4. How many cattle are raised in India?
5. Where are most buffaloes raised?
6. Why are most Indian cattle of poor quality?
7. What are camels in India mainly used for?
8. What is the Green Revolution about?
9. What agricultural products does India export to other countries?
10. Why isn't the raising of livestock in India increased?
C. Writing.
1. Write out five leading agricultural products of India.
........................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................

.

2. Write about the raising of livestock in India.

..
..
.


__________sc__________

Make hay while the sun shines




















14
UNIT 3 SOILS - A LIVING ORGANISM
I. Word study.
A. Which set of words do the definitions refer to?
1. Get back from used material by treating it.
2. Force that attracts objects in space towards each other and on
the earth pulls them towards the centre of the planet.
3. Way a surface of soil looks firm, soft or hard.
4. Way in which the mineral fractions together build the soil.
5. Organism so small that it can be seen only under a microscope.
6. Substance from which soil is built.
7. Way or techniques that assist micro-organisms and nutrients in
soil in increase.
a. micro-organism.
b. soil materials.
c. soil improvers.
d. cycle waste.
e. force of gravity.
f. soil texture.
g. soil structure.

B. Match the word on the left with the word with opposite meaning on the right.
1. alkali solution...........a. develop 11. adequate............. k. release
2. soluble..................... b. decline 12. decay .................... l. alkaline
3. absorb..................... c. lose 13. increase................. m. dry
4. acidic...................... d. centrally 14. mulch................... n. percolation
5. moisture................... e. deposit 15. promote........... o. inorganic things
6. evaporation............... f. poisons 16. solubility............... p. build-up
7. roots......................... g. decrease 17. nutrients.... ........... q. harmful
8. organic matter....... h. keeping 18. leaching................ r. lack
9. breakdown.............. i. acid solution 19. laterally................ s. bear
10. beneficial ............. j. precipitable 20. benefit ................. t. leaves

II. READING A:
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. Is soil a living organism? Why do people think of soil as a living organism?

SOILS - A LIVING ORGANISM
You can think of soil as living organism which recycle waste, promotes active growth,
stores and cleanses water, and act a basic life source for all living things. And like all living
things, soil can be healthy or unhealthy.
A healthy soil has a good balance of water, gases, mineral fractions, living organisms and
decaying organic matter. Together these components interact to give life to the soil.
Soil Components
1. Water / moisture
Water in soil becomes a weak acid or alkali solution, which carries the soluble nutrients
that plants absorb through their roots.
We talk about the pH of the solution; the pH refers to acidity or alkalinity which, in soils,
is a measure of solubility of nutrients. The pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. If a soil has a
pH of 8 then some nutrients will be more soluble than others and the soil is said to be
alkaline. If a soil has a pH of 5 then the solubility of its nutrients will be different and the soil
is said to be acidic. A soil with a pH of 7 is neutral.
Soil pH can be changed by adding lime to an acid soil to make it more alkaline, and
sulphur can be added to an alkaline soil to make it more acidic. Most plants grow within a pH
range of 5.5 to 8.
It is important to understand how water moves through the soil so that when you add water
you can help to keep it there and prevent leaching of valuable plant nutrients. Water moves
through the soil under the force of gravity. While plant roots absorb some of the water, much
of it moves downwards into the lower soil layers and is eventually absorbed into the


15
underlying water table. During periods of heavy rain or over-watering, soil nutrients are
washed from the root zone.
Moisture moves upwards due to the evaporative effects of sunlight and wind, and from the
pull of soil water by the plant roots to the leaves.
By reducing evaporation from the soil surface and percolation you can increase the
amount of water available to plant roots. This can be achieved by surface mulching, digging
organic matter into the soil and constructing swales.
Water also moves laterally along bedding rocks in the water table. You can plant deep-
rooted plants to benefit from this water source.
2. Air
Gases in soils change their pressure and type during the day and different seasons. They
also move into and out of soils. How freely they move depends some extent on the texture
and structure of the soil.
Gases in the air are exchanged with those given off by plant roots and by soil micro-
organisms. If there is adequate oxygen then soil tends to be sweet smelling. If there is little
oxygen then other gases such as sulphur dioxide can build up and the soil will smell rotten.
It has recently been found that ethylene gas is particularly beneficial to plant growth.
(Ethylene gas is known as the 'ripening' gas and is given of as bananas, oranges and other
fruit ripen.) In soil ethylene cycles with oxygen, increasing the build-up of micro-organisms
and other soil materials. Techniques that let more oxygen into the soil, such as forking small
areas or deep-ripping fields, are soil improvers because they assist the ethylene cycle.

III. Comprehension check.
A. Are the following statements true or false according to the passage?
1. Soil can promote the active growth of trees.
2. The pH is a measure of solubility of nutrients.
3. A soil which has a pH under 7 is said to be acidic.
4. Farmers often add some lime to a soil to make it more acidic.
5. Moisture may move upwards due to the evaporative effects of sunlight and wind.
6. Soils are different from each other because they have the different pH of solubility.
7. When water moves through the soil, it may bring plant nutrients into water table.
8. How freely gases move out of soil depends on the texture and structure of the soil.
9. Oxygen with ethylene may help to increase the build-up of micro-organism.
10. One of the techniques of improving soils is to let more oxygen into the soil.
11. Soil is considered as living organism because it acts as a basic life resource for all living
things.
12. The pH of the solution in a soil is never changed.
13. The understanding how water moves through the soil is very important for farmers to
prevent leaching of valuable plant nutrients when watering.
14. Mulching the soil surface or digging organic matter into the soil can reduce evaporation
from the soil surface.
B. Speaking (pair or group-work) Ask and answer the following questions.
1. What are the main soil components?
2. How do they interact to each other?
3. What soil is regarded to be healthy and what unhealthy?
4. What is the PH value?
5. What can the PH tell you about the soil?
C. Translation. Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese.
1. A healthy soil has a good balance of water, gases, mineral fractions, living organisms
and decaying organic matter. Together these components interact to give life to the soil.


16
2. Water in soil becomes a weak acid or alkali solution, which carries the soluble nutrients
that plants absorb through their roots.
3. We talk about the pH of the solution; the pH refers to acidity or alkalinity which, in
soils, is a measure of solubility of nutrients.
4. It is important to understand how water moves through the soil so that when you add
water you can help to keep it there and prevent leaching of valuable plant nutrients.
5. While plant roots absorb some of the water, much of it moves downwards into the lower
soil layers and is eventually absorbed into the underlying water table.
6. Gases in soils change their pressure and type during the day and different seasons. They
also move into and out of soils. How freely they move depends some extent on the
texture and structure of the soil.
7. Gases in the air are exchanged with those given off by plant roots and by soil micro-
organisms.
IV. GRAMMAR. SUBJECT and PREDICATE
The subject is the topic of the sentence. The predicate is what is said about the subject.
Subject Predicate
- The balloon floated up through the trees.
- New York City is the major cultural centre.
- The lion tamer astonished the audience.
In most cases, as in the preceding examples, the subject of a sentence comes first, followed
by the predicate. However, there are instances when the subject is placed after the predicate,
omitted from the sentence, or placed inside the verb.
- Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.
- Wash the car by tonight. (subject 'you' is understood)
- Are your parents coming tomorrow?
- There are four chickens in the yard. (there occupies the place of the subject, but four
chickens is still the subject of the sentence)
A. Forms of the subject
The most common forms of the subject are nouns, pronouns, and proper nouns.
- Carol came to the party last night.
- Why don't you pick up some lettuce for tonight?
- Who left these socks here?
At times, noun phrases and clauses, gerunds and gerund phrases, and infinitive phrases can
also function as the subject.
- Noun phrase: - The girl on the right is my niece.
- Noun clause: - What they said upset Bill.
- Gerund: - Swimming is my favorite sport.
- Gerund phrase: - playing checkers kept him from thinking about his injuries.
- Infinitive phrase: - To see clearly is an artist's greatest task.
1. Complete subject.
The noun or pronoun and all its modifiers are known as the complete subject.
- The ship in the harbor seemed small and frail.
- What he said in the car surprised us all.
- The trees, which had been damaged in the storm, were cut down the next day and burned.
2. Simple and compound subjects.
a. The noun and pronoun by itself is known as the simple subject. It is important to identify
the subject because it controls the form of the verb used in the sentence.
- The ship in the harbor seemed small and frail.
- Daffodils open in early spring.
- They reported the fire immediately.


17
b. The compound subject is composed of two or more nouns, pronouns, or phrases or clauses
to express the topic of a sentence.
- Noun: - The wheat and oats ripened late this year.
- Pronouns: - She and I used to be best friends in high school.
- Noun clauses: - What he wanted and what he got were two different things.
- Gerund phrases: - Hiking in the mountains and camping out at night are experiences
everyone should enjoy.
B. Forms of the predicate.
The predicate always contains a verb. An action verb generally will have an object as well
as various verb modifiers. A linking verb will have a complement along with its verb
modifiers.
Thus, the predicate usually is composed of a verb, object or complement, and verb
modifiers.
1. Predicate with Action Verbs.
The most common form of predicate is one in which the verb describes some sort of action.
The verb is followed by a direct object (d.o.) and, in some cases, by an indirect object (ind. o.).
Example:
- John threw the ruler to his partner.
- I bought two newspapers and one magazine.
- Carl Lewis won four gold medals in the Olympics.
- She called a taxi for him.
Some action verbs can drop their objects and still make sense. The predicate then consists
of the verb only.
- They have been practising.
- We were reading.
- The report disappeared.
- The weather has changed.
Action verb can also take complement. Nouns, pronouns, prepositional phrases, adjectives,
and verb phrases can serve as complements in the predicate.
- He taught the dog to roll over. (infinitive phrase-complement)
- I called him prince. (noun-complement)
- They made camp on the hill. (prepositional phrase-complement)
- We saw Peter walking along that way. (participial phrase-complement)
- Her pony behaved beautifully. (adverb-complement)
- She lay down in the tall grass. (adverb and prepositional phrase-complement)
2. Predicate with linking verbs.
Linking verbs that express being, seeming, or becoming need a predicate or verb
complement to complete them. The more common of these verbs include seem, become, grow,
taste, smell, appear, look, feel, and sound.
- He looks sick. (he looks is incomplete. The adjective sick acts as the predicate
complement.)
- I feel that you should apologize for your absence. (The noun clause that you should
apologize for your absence is the verb complement.)
3. Compound Predicate.
At times a sentence will contain more than one verb, object, or complement. These
structures are known as compound verbs, compound objects, and compound complements.
- I gave the stove to Francis and the bookcase to Jill. (compound direct object)
- Sammy's week at camp was long and lonely. (compound complement)
- Jenny reads the ad and takes note carefully. (compound verb)


18
C. Practice. Underline the subject, predicate, direct and indirect objects in the following
sentences.
1. They sent me a lot of postcards of the city.
2. Her mother often buys clothes for her and her brother.
3. His grandfather usually tells him interesting stories.
4. When Annie was in Rio, she taught English to the Brazilian children.
5. They grow different vegetables for their families in their gardens.
6. A healthy soil has a good balance of water, gases, mineral fractions, living organisms and
decaying organic matter.
7. By reducing evaporation from the soil surface and percolation you can increase the amount
of water available to plant roots.
8. They often wrote to me when they were at Oxford University.
9. In order to change soil pH farmers add lime to an acid soil to make it more alkaline.
10. You can plant deep-rooted plants to benefit from this water source.

PART B FURTHER READING
I. READING B:
A. Pre-reading task. Read the text and write out the names of the edible fruit and horn cattle
in Australia.
1. Fruit trees:
.......................................................................................................................................
...............................................
2. Horn cattle:
....................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................
AGRICULTURE OF AUSTRALIA
Although the agricultural sector is now far less significant in terms of GDP and
employment (5 per cent of the workforce in the mid-1990s), the prosperity of much of the
country continues to depend heavily on livestock rising and crop farming. The pastoral sector
was established in the early days of settlement, when the first Spanish merino sheep were
introduced from South Africa, and grazing lands today account for almost 90 per cent of the
farmed area. This reflects the fact that, although livestock is raised in all productive areas,
much of the pastoral sector is located in the semi-arid zone of Australia; about one-third of
sheep and an even larger percentage of cattle are raised on huge properties known as
station in this zone.
Australia is the worlds largest producer and exporter of wool, particularly fine merino,
although income from wool exports is now less than 8 per cent of total export earnings.
Overproduction led to a significant fall in international wool prices in the late 1980s; in 1990-
1991 more than 10 million sheep were culled from the national flock in an effort to boost the
market. In 1992 Australia had some 146.8 million sheep, which produced 863,000 tones of
wool and 41,000 tones of lamb and mutton. Almost half the countrys wool is produced in
New South Wales and Western Australia. Victoria is the leading producer of lamb and
mutton.
Cattle are raised in all of Australias states and territories, but Queensland is the leading
producer; it had approximately 40 per cent of the national herd of 24.06 million heads in the
mid-1990s. Australia produces both beef and dairy cattle. Dairying is confined primarily to
the high-rainfall coastal fringe and to the southeast, especially in Victoria. Farms usually
employ high-tech methods. In contrast, the huge cattle stations of the north are more
reminiscent of the American Wild West, although the cowboys mounts these days are as
likely to be helicopters and motorcycles, as horses; the road train (a large truck pulling


19
several trailers) has also predominantly replaced the old stock routes in moving cattle around
the territory and to market. Output of beef in the mid-1990s was more than 1.7 million tones,
and of milk 7.3 million litres.
Although only about 10 per cent of the total area of Australia is under crop or fodder
production, this acreage is not great economic importance. Wheat crops occupy about 45 per
cent of cultivated acreage, and fodder crops and other grains occupy 20 per cent. Wheat
production is highly mechanized and the crop is grown in all states; the south-eastern and
south-western regions of the country are responsible for the bulk of production. Annual
production has decreased in recent years because of shifts into new, higher earning crops.
Output was about 10.7 million tones in 1992, compared with more than 14 million tones in
the early 1990s; about 70 per cent is exported. About 32.7 million tones of sugar cane were
produced in 1994. Many types of fruit are grown, including apples, bananas, grapes, oranges,
pears, pineapples, and papayas. The major wine-producing areas are in the Barossa Valley of
South Australia, in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, and in parts of north-eastern, southern,
and western Victoria. Special varieties of grapes are grown, especially in the Murray Valley,
for the production of raisins.
Irrigation is of importance to arable farmers in all but the highest rainfall areas. However,
increased soil salinity is becoming a problem in several areas, threatening production.
Experiments with bio-technologies are being carried out with the aim of reducing the impact
of soil salinity and cutting the use of expensive water resources.
B. Comprehension check. Are these statements true or false?
1.__Australian Agriculture employs half of workforce of the country.
2.__Crop-farming area accounts for 90 per cent of the farmed land of Australia.
3.__Australia is the world's leading country of wool export.
4.__Most cattle are raised in Queensland.
5.__Australia imports beef and milk.
6.__Nearly 45 per cent of farmed area is for wheat crops.
7.__Nowadays soil salinity is becoming a big problem in several areas in Australia.
8.__Australia is carrying out a lot of experiments with bio-technologies with the aim of
reducing the impact of soil salinity.
9.__Irrigation is not important for the highest rainfall areas.

II. Word formation.
Find the words in the passage which have the same root.
Example: produce -> production -> products
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
.............

_________ee_________

Time and tide wait for no man.


20
UNIT 4 UNHEALTHY SOILS
I. Word study.
A. Match the words which have similar meaning.
a. removal
b. desert
c. protect
d. harvest
e. yield
f. marginal land
g. plough
h. expose
i. evolution
j. hoof
k. contaminate
l. leach
n. deposit
1. bear produce or provide (a natural product)
2. poor soil which is not enough fertile for farming.
3. removing or being removed.
4. break up the surface of soil before planting.
5. barren land.
6. process of gradually developing
7. keep something safe from harm.
8. cutting and gathering of food crops.
9. horny part of the foot of a horse, an ox or a deer.
10. dangerous or disease-carrying substances.
11. uncover or being unprotected.
12. remain, cause to settle
13. wash away.
B. Fill in the gaps with one of the words above, making any changes necessary.
1. What is the.of wheat per acre?
2. From the plough to the tractor is a long .of farming methods.
3. Vast areas of land have become .because of deforestation.
4. The meadow has been.up.
5. The vaccine was used to.the whole population against infection.
6. The soil was washed away by the flood, . bare rock.
7. Farmers are very busy during. .
8. After having built the factory the water of the river was .by chemicals.
9. plant nutrients may be . into subsoil by heavy rain.
10. Natural salts arein the upper layers of the soil as the water evaporates.
II. GRAMMAR. SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION
English has four basic sentence constructions: simple, compound, complex, and
compound-complex sentences. Each construction uses the same basic elements of sentence
structure parts of speech, phrases, and clauses.
A. Simple Sentence.
The simple sentence is an independent clause with no subordinate clauses. It begins with a
capital letter and closes with an end mark. Simple sentences can vary considerably in length.
Example:
- I bought four apples at the farmers' market.
- I bought four apples, a basket of tomatoes, a bag of green beans, and three melons at the
farmers' market.
- The farmers' market is a classic example of producers selling directly to consumers and
avoiding the attempts of agents to control the supply or to manipulate the price.
B. Compound Sentence.
The compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses but no subordinate
clauses. The two independent clauses usually are joined by a comma followed by a
conjunction (but, and, nor, yet). They may also be joined by a semicolon, a semicolon
followed by a linking adverb (therefore, however, because, since), or a colon.
* Conjunction: - I don't know where he went, and no one has seen him since this afternoon.
* Semicolon: - Harold the first fought in Northern Ireland; his campaigns generally were
successful.
*Linking adverb: -Vivian wanted to stay another week in Ashville; however her parents
refused to send her more money.


21
* Colon: - You must have heard the news: we're all getting bonuses this year!
C. Complex Sentence.
The complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more subordinate
clauses. When a subordinate clause introduces the sentence, it is usually followed by a
comma unless it is very short.
- The library closes early in summer when the students are out of school. After the clear
days of Indian summer, the autumn skies grow heavily and dark. Linda told us on the phone
that they had had a flat tire last night and that the car wouldn't start this morning.
- When you come in the front door, make sure you push it shut, because the lock doesn't
always catch.
D. Compound-complex Sentence.
The compound-complex sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses and
one or more subordinate clauses.
- John Lennon wrote many ballads, and he recorded them while he was in England.
- The letter carrier, Who is always punctual, didn't come today; I wonder if she is ill.
- He should telephone you as soon as he arrives; but if for some reason he doesn't call, tell
me immediately.
E. Practice: Which types of sentence do the followings belong to? Underline the subject and
predicate.
a. Wheat production is highly mechanized and the crop is grown in all states.
b. Special varieties of grapes are grown, especially in the Murray Valley, for the production
of raisins.
c. Experiments with bio-technologies are being carried out with the aim of reducing the
impact of soil salinity and cutting the use of expensive water resources.
d. Cattle are raised in all of Australias states and territories, but Queensland is the leading
producer.
e. As these raw materials are broken down they become humus.
f. When mulches are made from organic materials, such as hay, grass clippings, straw,
newspaper and old woolen, they will gradually add to the soil organic matter and nutrient
bank as they break down.
g. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds so that plants can absorb the nutrients.
h. It is a red-brown soil which becomes very hard when it is dry.

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What does an unhealthy soil mean?
b. What makes soil unhealthy?

UNHEALTHY SOILS
There are a number of reasons for damaged soils, however the fundamental cause of soil
decline is the removal of surface vegetation. With the exception of natural deserts, soil is
always protected by vegetation. In an effort to harvest greater yields, more and more marginal
land has been ploughed up, and of course, the natural vegetation removed. This has been
disastrous for the soil which, after being dosed with chemicals, is then left exposed and
unprotected from animal hoofs, wind, rain, cold and heat. In effect, thousands of years of
evolution of soil interaction with plants, animals, air and water is reversed by modern
agriculture.
Excessive use of artificial fertilizers has also caused soil problems. A special case has
taken place in Australia where huge amounts of phosphates were added to soils to grow
European grasses and clovers. However about 90 % of the fertilizer was insoluble and lay in
the soils unused and is now resulting in extremely acid soils and dying pastures.


22
Overdosing with fertilizer has also led to the contamination of surface and ground water.
Excess fertilizers which are not used by crops are washed into rivers, lakes and streams in
run-off. Excess fertilizer can also be leached through the soil into the water table.
Soil salinity is another example of unhealthy soil. Basically, it is caused by rising water
tables. As the water table rises towards the surface, naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer. The concentration of salts is toxic to plants.
This worldwide problem occurs in two ways:
1. Dry-land salting
Deep-rooted trees and shrubs are removed and replaced with shallow-rooted pasture
species which use less water. As more water moves through the soil the water table rises and
natural salts are brought to the soil surface. Plants and crops die because they are unable to
tolerate the high salt levels. Farmers call this the 'White Death'.
Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas where vegetation has been removed from
recharge areas, i.e. hills and slopes.
2. Irrigation salinity
Irrigation water which is surplus to the crops' needs causes the water table to rise. Natural
salts are then deposited in the upper layers of the soil as the water evaporates. Soluble
fertilizers, which are often added regularly to the irrigation water, further contribute to the
concentration of salts in the upper soil layer.
An accumulation of biocides (i.e. chemicals used to kill organisms, including fungicides,
weedicides, miticides and insecticides) also causes soil decline. Many biocides have a very
long life in the soil. This means they continue to exist unchanged in the soil because they
cannot move into one of the cycles of matter. The shortest life for a biocide is a few hours;
other can last up to 40 years.
Bill Mollison recommends that people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase land
which has been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit, as these crops will have
been heavily doses with biocides. If your land has been used for such crops, a forest of long-
term precious timbers may work as a 'cleansing crop'.

Tree removal and salinity
A. Before tree removal













Crop growing well
Recharce area Water table



__ __ -- __ __ -- -- __ -- __ __ -- -- __ __ -- __ __ __ -- __ -- __ discharce area


23
B. After tree removal







Crop dying
Water table salt
__ __ -- __ __ -- __ -- __ -- __ -- __ -- __ __
__ __ __ --__ __ Recharge area __ -- __ __ -- __ -- __ -- __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ -- ___ __ -- __ _- __ -- __ __ -- __ -- __ __ __ -- __ __ __ -- -- _ _salt
__ -- __ __ __ -- __ _ __ -- __ __ -- __ __ -- __ -- __ -- __ __ _ discharge area __-- __
__ -- __ __ -- __ _- __ -- __ __ -- __ -- __ __ -- __ _ __ -- -- __ --- _ - -- _

2. Comprehension check.
A. Say the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
a.__One of the most fundamental reasons causing soil decline is the removal of surface
vegetation.
b.__Soil is protected by vegetation.
c.__Unhealthy soil may be caused by excessive use of artificial fertilizers.
d.__Soil salinity also causes unhealthy soil.
e.__Natural salt is brought to soil surface by rising water table.
f.__Biocides are also a reason which causes soil decline.
g.__Some biocides exist unchanged in soil because they cannot move into the cycle of
matter.
h.__People should not buy the land in which bananas, sugar canes or deciduous fruit trees
are grown.
i.__To cleanse unhealthy soil in which it is better to grow a forest with long-term precious
timbers.
j.__There are five major reasons causing soil decline.
B. Writing and speaking.
a. What are the main reasons for damaging soils?
b. What reason is the most common in many countries in the world?
c. What reasons are popular in your area/country?
d. How does soil salinity occur?
e. What do farmers have to do to stop the soil decline?
C. Decide which words the words in italic in the following sentences refer to.
a. In an effort to harvest greater yields, more and more marginal land has been ploughed up,
and of course, the natural vegetation removed. This has been disastrous for the soil which,
after being dosed with chemicals, is then left exposed and unprotected from animal hoofs,
wind, rain, cold and heat. In effect, thousands of years of evolution of soil interaction
with plants, animals, air and water is reversed by modern agriculture.
b. A special case has taken place in Australia where huge amounts of phosphates were
added to soils to grow European grasses and clovers.
c. Excess fertilizers which are not used by crops are washed into rivers, lakes and streams in
run-off.
d. Deep-rooted trees and shrubs are removed and replaced with shallow-rooted pasture
species which use less water.


24
e. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas where vegetation has been removed from
recharge areas, i.e. hills and slopes.
f. Irrigation water which is surplus to the crops' needs causes the water table to rise.
g. Soluble fertilizers, which are often added regularly to the irrigation water, further
contribute to the concentration of salts in the upper soil layer.
h. Many biocides have a very long life in the soil. This means they continue to exist
unchanged in the soil because they cannot move into one of the cycles of matter.
D. Translation. Find the difference between the words as in the following sentences, then
translate them into Vietnamese.
a. Bill Mollison recommends that people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase
land which has been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit, as these crops
will have been heavily doses with biocides.
b. As more water moves through the soil the water table rises and natural salts are brought
to the soil surface.
c. Natural salts are then deposited in the upper layers of the soil as the water evaporates.
d. As the water table rises towards the surface, naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer

PART B
I. READING B.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What agricultural products of The United States are world-popular?
b. What agricultural products does The United States export?
c. How many percent of workers does the agriculture of The United States employ?
d. How many percent of annual GDP does it account for?

AGRICULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES
The United States has been the worlds leading industrial nation since early in the 20
th

century. Farming only accounts for less than 2 per cent of annual GDP and employs less than
3 per cent of US workers, yet the nation leads the world in many aspects of agricultural
production. Farmers not only produce enough to meet domestic needs, they also enable the
United States to export more farm products per year than any other nation in the world. The
total annual value of farm output increased from about $55 billion in 1970 to about $187
billion in 1992. Excluding inflation, the increase in the farm output was two per cent
annually.
The small subsistence farm run by a farmer primarily to meet personal needs has virtually
disappeared from the American scene; most agricultural products are grown on large
commercial farms for shipment to urban and industrial markets. The number of farms in the
United States decreased from more than 5.6 million in 1950 to about 2.1 million in 1993. At
the same time, average farm size increased 86 hectares to 191 hectares. In the early 1990s
livestock and livestock products accounted for 50.5 per cent of the value of all farm
marketing, and crops for remainder. California led all states in the yearly value of farm
receipts; it was followed by Texas, Lowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, and Kansas.
Beef cattle rank as the most valuable product of the nations farms, accounting for almost
one quarter of total annual farm receipts. Many are raised on large ranches in south-western
states. Dairy products represent about 12 per cent of the yearly value of farm marketings and
are the second most valuable item coming from American farms. Other major livestock and
livestock products include pigs, chickens, eggs, turkey, and sheep and lambs.
Leading agricultural crops are corn, vegetables, soya beans, fruits and nuts, wheat, cotton,
and tobacco. Illinois, Lowa, Nebraska, and Indiana together produce more than half of the
annual corn crop, while Kansas usually leads all states in fearly wheat production. For more


25
than a century and a half, cotton was the predominant cash crop in the South. Today,
however, it is no longer important in some of the traditional cotton-growing areas east of the
Mississippi River and is now concentrated in relatively flat areas amenable to large-scale
mechanization, such as the lower Mississippi Valley, the plains of Texas, and the Valleys of
California and Arizona. Tobacco remains an important cash crop. The leading tobacco-
producing states are North Carolina and Kentucky.
Other leading crops include peanuts, peaches, tomatoes, and apples. More than 60 per cent
of the oranges and about 50 per cent of the tomatoes are produced in Florida; some 90 per
cent of the grapes are raised in California; and about 50 per cent of the commercial apples
come from orchards in Washington State.
2. Word study.
A. - Find the words with the opposite meaning. Find the words with the same meaning.
a. produce - increase
b. plains - consume
c. decrease - mountains
d. domestic - develop
e. decline - less powerful
f. predominant - foreign
g. employ - manual
h. mechanical - unemployment

1. products - account for
2. raise - sector
3. represent - raising animals
4. amenable - grow
5. plant - goods
6. aspect - suitable
7. livestock - cash crops
8. commercial crops - breed
B. Complete the following sentences with one of the word above.
a. The number of farms in the United States................from 5.6 million in 1950 to 2.1 million
in 1992 but average farm size....................from 86 hectares to 191 hectares.
b. Starvation and criminal are the.......................of wars.
c. The fishing industry.....................about 55 per cent of British fish supplies and involves
both deep-sea fishing and fish-farming.
d. New plantings in 1994 totaled 17,300 hectares of which private owners ................. almost
92 per cent (15,900 hectares).
e. The United States leads the world in many................of agricultural production.
f. US farmers not only produce enough to meet.................needs but also enable to US to
export more farm..............per year than any other nation in the world.
C. Write complete the following sentences.
a. Grain consists of ......................................................................... .
b. Vegetables consist of .................................................................. .
c. Livestock products include ......................................................... .
d. Fruit crops include ...................................................................... .
e. Farming products include............................................................ .
f. World leading crops..
II. Checking your grammar.
A. Give some examples, using the comparison structures below.
a. S - V (not) + as/so + adj. + as ............................................... .

1. ...............................................................................................
2. ...............................................................................................
short adj.+ er + than.............................................. .
b. S - V + more / less + long adj. + than .............................. .

3. ..................................................................................................
4. ..................................................................................................


26
short adj.+ est .
c. S - V + the + most + long adj. (of all)

5. ..................................................................................................
6. ..................................................................................................
B. Writing & Speaking
1. Making comparison the farms in America with the farms in your country.
2. Write the answers to the following questions.
a. Where do you think the following crops grow best in your country? Why?
(rice ; coffee ; tea ; rubber ; citrus fruit ; coconut palm; tomato; carrot; melon)
b. Do you think big farms are better or worse in your country? Why?
c. Where do you think livestock is raised best in your country? Why?
3. Make comparison with the total annual value of farm outputs of US Agriculture, using the
diagram below.
?
$187 billion

?
$55 billion



1970 1982 1992 2002

=> The total annual value of farm output increased from about $55 billion in 1970 to about
$187 billion in 1992 .
How much did it increase in the following years?
- In 1982: .........................................................
.
- In 2002: ........................................................


______e______

No man can serve two masters.















27
UNIT 5 REPAIRING AND IMPROVING DAMAGED SOILS
I. Word study.
1. Find the words which have similar meaning.
a. animal manure
b. bacterium
c. compost
d. cover crops
e. desiccation
f. erosion
g. excrete surplus
h. green manure
i. insulate
j. legumes
k. moderate
l. nodules
m. organic content
n. organic mulch
o. pea flower
p. permaculture
q. retention
r. slash
s. weed barrier
t. dung
u. characteristic
- distinctive feature of something
- permanent cultivation
- a fence with grass.
- crops used for covering soil surface.
- holding something in position.
- manure made from green trees
- fix some different types of manure.
- dung with urine of animals.
- cut
- plant species which have bacterium in their roots.
- organic things used for mulching soil surface.
- release the amount left ever after having used.
- the flower of peas (edible fruit)
- amount of organic matter.
- small pieces in the legume root.
- protect from something by keeping away.
- make something dry.
- microscopic organisms
- animal excrement.
- process destroying soil gradually.
- make something less violent.

2. Fill in the gaps with words above.
a. The methods used to repair soil will vary according to the climate and site...........................
; however, in all cases ............................is the very best soil improver.
b. Green manuring, mulch-covering and fertilizing are the ways which increase the
..and nutrient status of soils.
c. The.. crop can be .. two or three times while it is growing and
then chopped into the soil before it flowers and seeds.
d. There are plants which have a .. living in their roots.
e. Bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen in forms the plant can use and..
nitrogen into the soil around the root zone.
f. You can check the bacterium's presence by digging up a piece of root - it should have
small white.. on it.
g. The root systems open up the soil to air and water and protect the surface from erosion
and.. .
h. Pumpkins and potatoes are particularly good.. .
i. ..are peas, beans, broad beans, acacias, and all plants with a .. .
j. A..is a protective covering of the soil surface which moderates summer and
winter temperatures by..the soil from extreme heat and cold.
k. A mulch also prevents .., assists .. of soil moisture, and acts as
a.. .
l. chickens and pigs have a strong manure which should be..before it is applied
to gardens.
m. Manure from cows and horses is weaker unless the animals have been stabled and urine is
mixed with the.. .
n. Animals carry out many functions; one of which is to supply plant nutrients in the form
of.. .


28

II. READING A.
A. Pre-reading questions.
a. What techniques do farmers in your areas often use to repair and improve their damaged
soils? List them out.
REPAIRING AND IMPROVING DAMAGED SOILS
Soil can be quite rapidly repaired and rebuilt. In permaculture, soil repair is fundamental to
productivity and health. The methods used to repair soil will vary according to the climate
and site characteristics; however, in all cases organic matter is the very best soil improver.
The following techniques describe ways of increasing the organic content and nutrient status
of soils.
1. Green manuring
This technique involves specifically planting a crop to cut and return to the soil as high
quality organic matter. Often gardeners do this in winter, using plant species such as rye
grass, lupines or barley. In summer they plant wheat, lucerne or buckwheat. The green
manure crop can be slashed two or three times while it is growing and then chopped into the
soil before it flowers and seeds. This technique improves soil texture and structure, as well as
providing fertilizer.
2. Legumes
There are plants which have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, living in their roots. The
bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen in forms the plant can use and excrete surplus nitrogen
into the soil around the root zone. In return, the bacteria receive energy from the plant.
All legumes are 'nitrogen-fixing' providing the correct bacterium which is present in the
soil. You can check the bacterium's presence by digging up a piece of root - it should have
small white nodules on it. Split the nodule open, if it is pink inside then the plant is nitrogen-
fixing.
Legumes are peas, beans, broad beans, acacias, and all plants with a pea flower.
3. Cover crops
These are very like green manure crops. They carry out the same functions (improve soil
structure and texture); in addition they provide edible products. Cover crops are especially
good for hard, compacted soils. The root systems open up the soil to air and water and protect
the surface from erosion and desiccation. Pumpkins and potatoes are particularly good cover
crops.
4. Organic mulch
A mulch is a protective covering of the soil surface. It moderates summer and winter
temperatures by insulating the soil from extreme heat and cold. It also prevents erosion,
assists retention of soil moisture, and acts as a weed barrier.
When mulches are made from organic materials, such as hay, grass clippings, straw,
newspaper and old woolen underfelt, they will gradually add to the soil organic matter and
nutrient bank as they break down.
5. Animal manure
In permaculture, animals are very important part of the system. They carry out many
functions; one of which is to supply plant nutrients in the form of manures.
On the whole, animals which eat meat such as chickens and pigs have a strong manure
(the manure contains more nitrogen) which should be composted before it is applied to
gardens. Manure from cows and horses is weaker unless the animals have been stabled and
urine (nitrogen) is mixed with the dung.
B. Comprehension check.
1. How can soil be repaired and rebuilt?
2. What methods are used to repair and improve damaged soil?
3. What techniques are used to increase soil organic matter and nutrient status?


29
4. What is green manuring?
5. How does green manuring affect the soil?
6. Why do farmers often grow legumes on the lands?
7. What species are legumes?
8. What functions do the cover crops have?
9. What species are the best cover crops?
10. What advantages does the organic mulch bring to soils?
11. Why are animal manures useful to soils?
12. When is the animal manure used better for plants?
13. What do farmers often do to reduce evaporation from the soil surface?
14. Why do soils need to be covered?
15. Are there any other techniques the farmers in your area often use to repair and rebuild
their land?
C. Writing and speaking.(group-work)
1. One of you has some problems with your soil such as: erosion; salinity or unhealthy .
In turn, ask and give advice on how to repair and improve it. Which technique is the
most efficient.

D. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.

facilitated ; required ; bacteria ; obtain ; molecules ;
release ; rates ; to make ; nutrients ; transformed

CYCLING OF MATTER
Matter consists of many elements and(1)that make up the gases, vitamins, proteins,
minerals, and other(2)of life. The total amount of matter in the world is constant and
cycles through living and non-living materials (air, rocks, trees, animals, etc.). The cycling of
matter is driven by the sun and is(3)by the flow of energy.
There are various forms and(4)of cycling of matter. An important example is the
cycling of nitrogen - one of the major elements(5)for plant and animal growth. Nitrogen,
one of the main gases in air, is(6)into a soluble form by bacteria living in soil or water.
Plants use this form of nitrogen(7)protein, which then re-enters the soil as the plant
matter dies and decays. Animals(8)nitrogen by eating plant material or other animals,
and(9) nitrogen in their excreta and when their bodies decay. The nitrogen is then
returned to the atmosphere as a gas by the action of (10) - thus completing the cycle.

III. GRAMMAR. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
A. Complex Sentence.
The complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more subordinate
clauses. When a subordinate clause introduces the sentence, it is usually followed by a
comma unless it is very short.
- The library closes early in summer when the students are out of school. After the clear days
of Indian summer, the autumn skies grow heavily and dark. Linda told us on the phone that
they had had a flat tire last night and that the car wouldn't start this morning.
- When you come in the front door, make sure you push it shut, because the lock doesn't
always catch.
B. Compound-complex Sentence.
The compound-complex sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses and
one or more subordinate clauses.
- John Lennon wrote many ballads, and he recorded them while he was in England.
- The letter carrier, Who is always punctual, didn't come today; I wonder if she is ill.


30
- He should telephone you as soon as he arrives; but if for some reason he doesn't call, tell me
immediately.
C. Practice.
Exercise 1. Find the subject and predicate, then decide which is compounds or complex?
1. If a soil is almost pure clay or pure sand then it will be a 'difficult' soil in which to grow
plants.
2. There are many animals living in the soil, which range from microscopic organisms to
beetles.
3. Plants and crops die because they are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.
4. As these raw materials are broken down they become humus.
5. Animals carry out many functions, one of which is to supply plant nutrients in the form of
manures.
6. There are plants which have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, living in their roots.
7. You could try to find a cultivar which has a known resistance to fungal diseases and plant
it in a place where it receives drying breezes.
8. As the water table rises towards the surface, naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer.
9. The bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen in forms the plant can use and excrete surplus
nitrogen into the soil around the root zone.
Exercise 2. Write complete the following sentences.
1. If the weather is good the farmers in the area.
2. The soil is badly damaged because
3. The farmer has added some lime to their soil
4. Farmers often cover their soils.
5. They plant some kinds of legumes in their soil
6. In all cases, it is better to use organic matter
7. Mulches made from organic materials will gradually add to the soil organic matter and
nutrient bank .
8. In permaculture, animals are very important part of the system. because.
9. Animals carry out many functions; one of which. .
10. Chickens and pigs have a strong manure which should be composted .

PART B:
I. Word study.
1. Find the words which have similar meaning.
1. soil particle
2. coarse texture
3. gravel
4. gritty soil
5. beetle
6. clipping
7. straw
8. hay
9. humus
10. conversely
11. food craps
- dry grass
- small piece of soil
- a relatively small type of stone
- a type of insect with hard wings
- in contract
- stem of the rice after harvesting
- fertile mould
- cutting
- food waste
- a soil with grits
- a soil with large sands

2. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

compacted ; sawdust ; releases ; microscopic ; jute ; absorbed
molecules ; scraps ; shrink ; compacted ; beetle ; humus



31
a. Cover crops are especially good for hard, soils.
b. Organic matter is anything which was once living, including food , grass
clippings, hay, straw, leaves, , and even fur coats, bags and
old cotton curtains.
c. There are many animals living in the soil, ranging from organisms to
.
d. As these raw materials are broken down they become - a fine, sticky, sweet-
smelling nutrient-rich substance which slowlyplant and animal
micronutrients.
e. Humus naturally helps sandy soils to hold water and nutrients and conversely, helps
clay soil to become more open.
f. If the soil is gritty it will when dry and swell when wet.
g. The soil animals aerate the soil, create water channels, break down large to
smaller ones which can be by plant roots.

PART B
I. READING B.
A. Pre-reading task. Read the following passage to find the answer to the questions below.
a. Write out the types of soil.
b. Write out the characteristics of soil.
c. The functions of micro-organism to soil.
d. The functions of organic matter.

SOIL COMPONENTS (2)
1. Mineral Fractions
These are rock and clay particles in the soil. It is possible to determine a soil's
characteristics by its feel. When the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel and the
soil has a rough feel, its texture is said to be gritty. If the soil is gritty it will:
drain quickly, and dry out quickly;
have few soil fungal diseases;
leach out soil nutrients (wash them to lower soil layers)
Clay soils have minute particles, giving the soil a smooth feel and a silky texture. If the
soil is silky it will:
drain slowly and hold water for a longer time;
shrink when dry and swell when wet;
hold soil nutrients on the surface of clay particles;
form a claypan (a concrete-like layer) when vegetation is removed from the soil surface.
If a soil is almost pure clay or pure sand then it will be a 'difficult' soil in which to grow
plants. In both cases the soil texture and structure is improved by adding large quantities of
organic matter.
2. Micro-organisms
There are many animals living in the soil, ranging from microscopic organisms to beetles.
They aerate the soil, create water channels, break down large molecules to smaller ones
which can be absorbed by plant roots, and in themselves are a part of the soil nutrient bank
and will eventually become part of the organic matter.
Soil with good air-water balance and plenty of organic material will have millions of
micro-organisms assisting faster nutrient breakdown and cycling.
3. Organic Matter
It is not really possible to have too much organic matter in a food garden. Organic matter
is anything which was once living, including food scraps, grass clippings, hay, straw, leaves,


32
sawdust, and even fur coats, jute bags and old cotton curtains. All of these will break down in
the soil and become part of your soil nutrient bank.
As these raw materials are broken down they become humus - a fine, sticky, sweet-
smelling nutrient-rich substance which slowly releases plant and animal micronutrients. Its
nature is such that it helps sandy soils to hold water and nutrients and conversely, helps
compacted clay soil to become more open.
B. Comprehension check. Answer the following questions.
1. What characteristics does a gritty textured soil have?
2. What characteristics does a silky textured soil have?
3. Why is it difficult to grow plants in clay soil?
4. How can gritty and silky textured soils be improved?
5. Are there any animals living in soils?
6. Are these animals harmful or useful to plant growth? Why?
7. What is organic matter?
8. Why is organic matter useful to the soil?
9. What do farmers do to increase the micro-organisms in their soils?
10. How do farmers improve their unhealthy soils?
C. Writing. Write complete the following sentences.
1. If the soil is gritty it .
2. If the soil is silky it ..
3. If a soil is almost pure clay
4. If a soil is pure sand it .
5. If a soil has good air-water balance with plenty of organic material it
.....
6. If the raw materials such as food scraps, grass clippings, hay, straw, leaves, sawdust, and
even fur coats, jute bags and old cotton curtains are broken down they
..
D. Translation. Translate the following passage into Vietnamese.
Mineral Fractions are rock and clay particles in the soil. It is possible to determine a soil's
characteristics by its feel. When the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel and the
soil has a rough feel, its texture is said to be gritty. If the soil is gritty it will:
drain quickly, and dry out quickly;
have few soil fungal diseases;
leach out soil nutrients (wash them to lower soil layers)
Clay soils have minute particles, giving the soil a smooth feel and a silky texture. If the
soil is silky it will:
drain slowly and hold water for a longer time;
shrink when dry and swell when wet;
hold soil nutrients on the surface of clay particles;
form a claypan (a concrete-like layer) when vegetation is removed from the soil surface.
If a soil is almost pure clay or pure sand then it will be a 'difficult' soil in which to grow
plants. In both cases the soil texture and structure is improved by adding large quantities of
organic matter.

__________g___________

Good wine needs no bush





33
TEST 1 (Unit 1 Unit5) (score: 100 marks)
I. SECTION 1: (Grammar and Vocabulary) (45 marks)
A. Vocabulary. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
1. Clay soils have minute particles, giving the soil a smooth feel and a .................. texture.
A. gritty B. silky C. fine D. B or C
2. A coarse-textured soil can retain. .
A. air B. water C. nutrients D. B or C
3. A medium-textured soil has a ........................ structure.
A. loose B. solid C. friable D. stable
4. .................... often vary in colour, texture and structure.
A. soil augers B. soil layers C. soil profiles D. soil micro-organisms
5. A soil with coarse texture is called ........................ .
A. clay B. loam C. silt D. sand
6. All legumes are 'nitrogen-fixing' providing the correct bacterium which is present in the
soil.
A. gift B. showing C. indicated D. existent
7. A mulch moderates summer and winter temperatures by insulating the soil from extreme
heat and cold.
A. changes B. balances C. maintains D. exchanges
8. ...................... can tell us how the soil was formed, drained and cultivated.
A. top soil B. soil layers C. soil improvers D. soil profile
9. All of these raw materials will...............in the soil and become part of the soil nutrient
bank.
A. increase B. develop C. grow D. break down
10. ....................... is a section taken through the soil down to the parent rock.
A. soil mould B. surface soil C. subsoil D. soil profile
11. Chickens and pigs have a strong manure which should be composted before it is applied to
gardens.
A. mixed with compost B. added to fertilizer C. made to be weaker D. A or C
12. Cover crops are especially good for hard, compacted soils.
A. coarse-textured soils B. soils with friable structure
C. soils with solid structure D. deserted soils
13. Cover crops carry out the same functions; in addition they provide edible products.
A. eatable food B. wood C. materials D. fruit
14. During periods of heavy rain or over-watering, soil nutrients are washed from the root
zone.
A. watering too much B. watering little C. waterlogged D. flood
15. Climate is the primary determinant of vegetation.
A. main factor B. main element C. main role D. main point
16. Find-textured soils do not hold ........................ .
A. air B. plant nutrients C. water D. all are correct
17. Fine-textured soils are usually ...................... drained.
A. well B. imperfectly C. quickly D. poorly
18. Gases in soils ....................... their pressure and type during the day and different seasons.
A. increase B. change C. exchange D. decrease
19. Plant nutrients are often leached out of ............................... .
A. coarse-textured soils B. fine-textured soils C. medium textured soils D. B & C


34
20. How freely gases move into or out of soil depends some extent on . of the soil.
A. the pH B. the organic matter C. the texture and structure D. the temperature
21. Humus is a fine, sticky, sweet-smelling nutrient-rich substance which slowly releases
plant and animal micronutrients.
A. absorbs B. provides C. becomes D. gives
22. If the soil is silky, it will ................. when dry and ................. when wet.
A. swell / shrink B. shrink / swell C. compact / open D. open / compact
23. If the soil is silky, it will..................soil nutrients on the surface of clay particles.
A. wash B. leach C. release D. hold
24. The PH is a measure of solubility of. .
A. soil temperature B. nutrients. C. water D. soil texture
25. If the soil......................, it will drain slowly and hold water for a longer time.
A. is silky B. has a fine texture C. has small particles D. all are correct
26. If there is ............................ oxygen the soil will smell rotten.
A. little B. a lot of C. inadequate D. A or C
27. Reducing evaporation from the soil surface can be achieved by ......................... .
A. surface mulching B. watering too much C. constructing swales D. A & C
28. Soil texture is the. of different particle sizes in the soil.
A. proportion B. amount C. quality D. quantity
29. Soils are different from each other because they have the different.. .
A. PH of solubility B. moisture C. nutrients D. texture and structure
30. If the soil...................., it will drain and dry out quickly.
A. has a fine texture B. has a coarse texture C. is gritty D. B or C
B. Grammar. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
31. Nitrogen is one of the major elements ................ for plant and animal growth.
A. requirement B. requiring C. require D. required
32. Nitrogen, one of the main gases in air, is transformed into a soluble form by bacteria
..................... in soil or water.
A. lives B. lived C. living D. live
33. When the soil has a rough feel, its texture is said...................... .
A. being silky B. to be silky C. being gritty D. to be gritty
34. There are many animals living in the soil,................ from microscopic organisms to
beetles.
A. ranging B. range C. to ranging D. ranged
35. There are plants which have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, .................. in their roots.
A. lives B. lived C. live D. living
36. The animals aerate the soil, create water channels, break down large molecules to smaller
ones.................can be absorbed by plant roots.
A. which B. what C. who D. of which
37. The three most important elements .................... to the soil by fertilizers are nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium.
A. adding B. added C. additional D. add
38. As these materials are broken down.....................become humus.
A. which B. that C. they D. A or B
39. The animals themselves are a part of the soil nutrient bank and will eventually...............
part of the organic matter.
A. be becoming B. became C. becoming D. become
40. If a soil is almost pure clay or pure sand then it will be a 'difficult' soil .........to grow
plants.


35
A. which B. in which C. that D. in that
41. The methods ......... to repair soil will vary according to the climate and site
characteristics.
A. used B. using C. use D. useful
42. The nature of organic matter helps sandy soils to hold water and nutrients and conversely,
helps ..................clay soil to become more open.
A. compacting B. compacted C. compact D. to compact
43. Soil with good air-water balance and plenty of organic material will have millions of
micro-organisms...................faster nutrient breakdown and cycling.
A. assisted B. assisting C. assist D. B or C
44. In summer hot air ............... from deserts draws in cooler, moist air from the oceans,
bringing rain as it moves in.
A. raising B. rose C. raised D. rising
45. It is not really possible..................too much organic matter in a food garden.
A. have B. to have C. having D. A or C
II. SECTION2: (Reading comprehension) (25 marks)
Reading 1: Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

presence; of; easily; mineral; main; more; correct; if; degree; acidity; nutrient; while

All plants are affected by the ...(1)... of acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The less the ...(2)...
supply, the more acid the soil becomes. Because ...(3)... salts are basic, an acid soil has a low
base content. ...(4)... makes some elements unavailable to plants. ...(5)...a soil is very acid,
with a PH value of less than 5.0, lime can be added to ...(6)... this acidity. The ...(7)...
constituent of lime is calcium, an important plant food. The ...(8)... of lime helps to make
essential elements of plant food more ...(9)... available to plants. Nitrogen, phosphorous and
potassium are ...(10)... easily available in a well-limed soil than in an acid soil.
Reading 2. Choose the correct answer.
The forests of the tropics produce a magnificent growth of trees, but commercial
lumbering is inhibited by problems that increase the cost of removal. The proliferation of
species that is common to all tropical forests creates difficulties because many species are
worthless. The lumberman combs the forests, therefore, moving the valuable trees that are
convenient to waterways, and floating them downstream to a sawmill. Unfortunately, tropical
hardwoods tend to grow slowly; an area once cleared needs substantial time to recover,
forcing the sawmill to become mobile. Distance to market tends to be considerable, raising
costs of transport. Because of these difficulties, only the most valuable woods can absorb the
high costs associated with production. Other trees are left untouched.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The high costs of commercial lumbering in the tropics.
B. The number of useless trees.
C. The transportation difficulties
D. The growth rate of hardwoods
2. According to the passage, one of the problems of commercial lumbering is: ..................
A. very few hardwoods grow in the forests.
B. many of the trees are useless for timber.
C. there is little variety in the types of trees in the forests.
D. selecting valuable trees is difficult.
3. The lumbermen search the forests for valuable trees and choose the ones that .................
A. are easy to cut down B. mature very slowly


36
C. are near to rivers D. are tropical species
4. According to the passage, the sawmills have to be mobile because they are .....................
A. used to transport wood. B. floated up the rivers.
C. moved away from cleared areas. D. transported near the market.
5. According to the passage, relatively few trees are removed from the forests because .............
A. only the most valuable justify the cost.
B. the tropical hardwoods are expensive to produce.
C. the proliferation of species cannot absorb the high costs
D. it is too expensive to transport the hardwoods
6. What can be assumed from the information in the passage?
A. Tropical forests produce too many trees.
B. Too many species grow in the forests.
C. Not enough species grow near the rivers.
D. Useful species do not reproduce quickly.
III. SECTION 3: (Writing) (30 marks)
A. Write complete the following sentences.
1. If the soil is gritty it .
2. If the soil is silky it ..
3. If a soil is almost pure clay it
4. If a soil is almost pure sand it .
5. If a soil has good air-water balance with plenty of organic material it
B. Combine the following pairs to make a complete sentence, expressing purpose.
1. The farmer has added some lime to their soil. He wanted to make it more alkaline.
2. Farmers often use different methods. They want to improve their soils
3. They plant some kinds of legumes in their gardens. They want to make them fertile.
4. Farmers cover their soil. They want to prevent their soils from erosion.
5. They use organic mulches. They want to add more organic matter to their soil.
C. Write questions for the underline words in the following sentences.
1. The United States has been the worlds leading industrial nation since early in the 20
th

century.
2. Farming only accounts for less than 2 per cent of annual GDP and employs less than 3
per cent of US workers.
3. Farmers not only produce enough to meet domestic needs, but also enable the United
States to export more farm products per year than any other nation in the world.
4. The small subsistence farm run by a farmer primarily to meet personal needs has
virtually disappeared from the American scene.
5. Most agricultural products are grown on large commercial farms for shipment to urban
and industrial markets.
6. The number of farms in the United States decreased from more than 5.6 million in 1950
to about 2.1 million in 1993.
7. In the early 1990s livestock and livestock products accounted for 50.5 per cent of the
value of all farm marketing.
8. California led all states in the yearly value of farm receipts.
9. Beef cattle rank as the most valuable product of the nations farms, accounting for almost
one quarter of total annual farm receipts.
10. Most of beef cattle are raised on large ranches in south-western states.





37
UNIT 6 CLIMATE
I. Word study.
A. Match the word with its definition.
1. determinant
2. precipitation
3. radiation
4. current
5. ecosystem
6. extreme
7. efficiency
8. condensation
9. undergo
10. advantage
11. impact
12. rotation
13. windbreak

- make use of something well, properly.
- strong effect on something.
- row of trees or a hedge, fence that gives protection from the wind.
- one complete movement of the earth.
- fall of rain, snow or sleet, hail or amount of rain falling in an area.
- main factor that can decide success or failure in something.
- process of water being concentrated by evaporation.
- the greatest or highest degree.
- the sending out of heat, energy in the form of rays.
- movement of water, air flowing in a certain direction.
- ratio of useful work performed to the total energy used.
- ecological unit consisting of a group of plant and living creatures
interacting with each other and with their surroundings.
- go through a distance.
B. Fill in the gaps with one of the words above.
1. The main of economic success is our ability to control inflation.
2. They took full. of the hotel's facilities.
3. As well as providing fruit, orange could be used as a .
4. The irrigation system has a tremendous.on the yield of rice.
5. Insectchanges in form as they increase in size and maturity.
6. Wind is caused by the earths and the differential heating of land and sea.
7. Dark bodiesthe greatest amount of light and laterit back as
heat.
8. Most ..................comes from the sun as light energy.
9. An understanding of wind patterns will help you to design your house which take
advantage, or minimize theof wind.
10. you can designwhich reduce failures of crops and animals caused by
climatic .
II. GRAMMAR. Subordinate clauses
Subordinate clauses can be classified under three headings: noun clause, relative clause
and adverbial clause.
1. Noun clause.
a. I don't know where Ann lives.
b. Do you understand what he has just said?
2. Relative clause.
a. The writer who wrote 'student life' is my teacher.
b. There are plants which have bacterium living in their roots.
3. Adverbial clause.
a. They want to learn English because they need it for their jobs.
b. The train had gone before we arrived at the station.
A. Practice.
Underline the subordinate clauses in the following sentences.
1. Light-coloured objects and organisms tend to reflect light, which can then be used or
absorbed by other plants, water and materials, or sent back into the atmosphere.
2. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals that will
grow in your garden.


38
3. After being absorbed it is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat energy or turned into
chemical energy by green plants when they photosynthesize.
4. Fertilizers are added to soil to replace nutrients that have been used by previous crops,
blown away or leached (washed away) into the subsoil by rain or irrigation.
5. If the soil is gritty it will drain and dry out quickly.
6. When the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel its texture is said to be gritty.
7. If the soil is silky it will drain slowly and hold water for a longer time.
8. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds so that plants can absorb the nutrients.
9. This means they continue to exist unchanged in the soil because they cannot move into
one of the cycles of matter.
B. Word formation.
There are many English words derived from other words with different prefixes or suffixes
such as: -ment; -ation; -ion; -ance; -al; -ent; -able; -ly; -en; -er; -or; -ist; en- . . .
1. Find out the words with these suffixes or prefixes in the passage.

Verb Noun: -ment
- development
- ..
-..
-..
Verb Adjective: -ent
-different
-..
-..
-..
Adjective Verb: -en
-widen
-..
-..
-..
Verb Noun: -ation (-ion)
-information - production
-..
-..
-..
Noun Adjective: -able (-eble)
-reasonable
-..
-..
-..
Adjective Verb: -ize
-modernize
-..
-..
-..
Verb Noun: er (-or)
-farmer
-..
-..
-
Noun Adjective: -al
-national
-..
-..
-..
Adjective Verb:En-
-enrich
-..
-..
-..
Noun - Noun
-biologist
-..
-.
-.
Noun Adjective: -y (ly)
-rainy
-..
-..
-
Adjective Adverb: -ly
-quickly ....
-..
-..
-.

2. Words derived from other words with prefixes such as: un-; in-; dis-; pre-; re-; de; en...
Find the words with these prefixes in the passage. unfair; incorrect; distribute; rebuild. . .
- ..................................................................................................................................
- .................................................................................................................................
- .................................................................................................................................
- .................................................................................................................................
- ..
- ..
- ..

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task. Read the passage and find the answer to the following.
a. What is climate?
b. What is the difference between climate and weather?
c. Is climate predictable? (can people predict climate?)



39
CLIMATE
Climate is the primary determinant of vegetation. Worldwide, different climates are
affected by precipitation, radiation and wind acting on the huge continental landmasses and
ocean currents.
When you understand and appreciate the workings of these wild energies you can design
ecosystems which:
- modify climatic extremes;
- reduce failures of crops and animals caused by climatic extremes;
- provide greater energy efficiency.
1. Precipitation
Precipitation is rain, snow, fog, sleet, hail and frost. These forms of precipitation undergo
two main processes which permaculturists use to their advantage: condensation and
evaporation. Knowledge of these processes is used to:
- design structures for good temperature control;
- select appropriate technologies for heating and cooling;
- retain water in soil and in dams.
Generally, by understanding patterns of precipitation you can plan your growing calendar
to take advantage of favorable conditions, and minimize the impact of unfavorable
conditions. For example, it is useful to be able to predict the likelihood of drought and to plan
accordingly designing water harvesting and storage systems.
2. Wind
Wind is caused by the earths rotation and the differential heating of land and sea. For
example, hot air rising from the deserts draws in cooler, moist air from the oceans, bringing
rain as it moves in.
Like precipitation, world climates have fairly predictable wind patterns (although these
seem to be changing with global warming). An understanding of these patterns will help you
to:
- harvest wind energy for electricity;
- design houses which take advantage, or minimize the impact of wind;
- plant windbreaks to provide protection for plants and animals.
3. Radiation
Most radiation comes from the sun as light energy. This energy can be absorbed by water,
plants, soils and animals. After being absorbed it is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat
energy or turned into chemical energy by green plants when they photosynthesize.
Dark bodies absorb the greatest amount of light and later radiate it back as heat. Light-
coloured objects and organisms tend to reflect light, which can then be used or absorbed by
other plants, water and materials, or sent back into the atmosphere. (Figure 1 shows how a
light-reflecting surface can be used to redirect sunlight to brighten a dark room.)
2. Comprehension check.
a. Can you determine certain vegetation in the area basing on climate?
b. Why are worldwide climates different from each other?
c. Why do farmers need to understand the workings of wild energies?
d. What are the forms of precipitation?
e. How many processes does precipitation undergo?
f. What can your understanding patterns of precipitation help you to do?
g. What causes wind?
h. How does light energy turn into chemical energy?
i. What absorbs the greatest amount of light?
j. What object reflects light most?


40
3. Fill in the gaps with given words.

cause ; which ; blowing ; rainfall ; summer ; seasonal ; moves ; heat ; blows

MONSOON
Monsoon is the(1)wind in South of Asia, especially in the Indian Ocean,(2)from
the South-west from April to October and from the North-east from October to April.
During(3)the inland parts of the continent(4)the air and create an area of low
pressure(5)brings in sea air and heavy(6) . The combination of this rain with
cyclones can(7)great destruction. During the winter, cool air(8)out from inland
areas and dry wind(9)towards the coast.

Figure 1. Figure 1 shows how a light-reflecting surface can be used to redirect sunlight to
brighten a dark room.














Light
coloured wall












Dark room

III. Speaking. (group-work of 4)
1. Talking about the using light-reflecting technology above in modern agricultural
production.
- Producing many kinds of flower; vegetable in any climates.
- Creating new species of plant.
- Conserving valuable genetic heritages of plant and animal.
- Building botanical gardens in different climates.
- Raising different breeds of animal in different countries.


41
IV. GRAMMAR. Present or Past participle phrases.
- When I wake up and think about the food needed for the day my mind goes to what is
growing in the garden - not to what is stashed in the refrigerator.
- All the aquatic organisms, including water plants, fish, crustaceans and water birds, are
interdependent on each other and their environment through food chains and food webs.
1. Practice. Put the right form of the word in brackets into the blanks.
a. Every crop ..................... or animal ..................... to market contains nutrients that were
once in the soil. (harvest; send)
b. The three most important elements..................... to the soil by fertilizers are nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium. (add)
c. This helps the plant to withstand mechanical damage such as..................... branches and
torn leaves. (break)
d. Government..................... seed is not likely to carry diseases or pests when it is bought.
(certify)
e. Seed that is bought locally or seed..................... by a farmer for his own use may carry
an infection which will quickly spread to the new crop. (produce)
f. Ducks eat more and are more efficient scavengers than hens; however they don't scratch
the ground so the..................... work..................... by hens is not available. (cultivate ; do)
g. In summer hot air..................... from deserts draws in cooler, moist air from the oceans,
..................... rain as it moves in. (rise ; bring)
h. You can design an ecosystem which may increase the..................... season and
biodiversity - for example, frosts can be avoided by use of vegetation and structures, or
warm breezes ..................... as ...................... . (grow ; redirect ; desire)
i. This will affect the type of plants that can be grown and the type of cultivation
techniques..................... . (use)
j. Bare soil is far more reflective of heat and light compared to...................soil. (cover)
k. The world does not have uniform ecosystems because of all the factors.....................
upon them. (act)
l. Nitrogen is one of the major elements..................for plant and animal growth. (require)
m. Nitrogen, one of the main gases in air, is transformed into a soluble form by bacteria
..................... in soil or water. (live)
2. Writing. Rewrite the following sentences using participle construction as example below.
Example:
* Worldwide, different climates are affected by precipitation, radiation and wind, which
are acting on the huge continental landmasses and ocean currents. => Worldwide,
different climates are affected by precipitation, radiation and wind acting on the huge
continental landmasses and ocean currents.
* When you understand and appreciate the workings of these wild energies you can design
ecosystems, which reduce failures of crops and animals, which are caused by climatic
extremes. => When you understand and appreciate the workings of these wild energies
you can design ecosystems, which reduce failures of crops and animals caused by climatic
extremes.
a. There are many animals living in the soil, which range from microscopic organisms to
beetles. => ..
.
b. Soil with good air-water balance and plenty of organic material will have millions of
micro-organisms, which assist faster nutrient breakdown and cycling. => .
.. .
c. Clay soils have minute particles, which give the soil a smooth feel and a silky texture.


42
=> .
. .
d. The methods which are used to repair soil will vary according to the climate and site
characteristics. =>
.. .
e. All legumes are 'nitrogen-fixing'. They provide the correct bacterium which is present in
the soil. =>
. .
f. Often gardeners do this in winter. They use plant species such as rye grass, lupines or
barley. => .
. .
g. There are plants which have a bacterium, Rhizobium species. They are living in their
roots. => ..
. .
h. The small subsistence farm which is run by a farmer primarily to meet personal needs
has virtually disappeared from the American scene. =>
... .
i. Beef cattle rank as the most valuable product of the nations farms, which are accounting
for almost one quarter of total annual farm receipts. =>
.
j. Bill Mollison recommends that people who wish to grow organic foods do not purchase
land which has been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit. => ..
.
k. Gases in the air are exchanged with those that are given off by plant roots and by soil
micro-organisms. => .
.
l. In soil ethylene cycles with oxygen, which increase the build-up of micro-organisms.
=> . .
m. Hot air which is rising from the deserts draws in cooler, moist air from the oceans, which
is bringing rain as it moves in.
=> .
.. .

PARTB
I. READING B.
1. Read the passage and answer the following questions.
a. What helps to retain nitrate in the soil?
b. When is there the most nitrate in the soil?
c. Why is the moderate rainfall important for farmers?
d. How do farmers plan their growing calendar?
e. What do farmers often do to reduce the influence of the climatic extreme on their
harvests?
f. What is this section about?
- microbiological activity in the rainy season.
- how wet and dry seasons are important for soil management
- the effect of excessive rainfall.
TROPICAL CLIMATE
The tropical climate, especially the sequence of wet and dry periods, is also an important
factor as it affects the availability of nitrogen in the soil. If the soil becomes too dry,
microbiological activity drops to a low level and therefore there is a lack of nitrate. After dry


43
weather, however, moderate rainfall increases the level of microbiological activity. This in
turn increases in the rate of decomposition of organic matter and there is in consequence a
surplus of nitrate. On the other hand, excessive rainfall washes the nitrate into the subsoil, too
deep for roots to use unless the soil structure is relatively good. In this case some of the nitrate
retains in the subsoil.
This gives, therefore, two further important principles in tropical soil management. The
first of these is to prepare the land and sow the crops early enough to use the surplus nitrogen
after the dry season. The second is to grow crops with sufficiently deep roots to use nitrogen
before it is washed into subsoil.
II. Word study.
1. Match the word with its definition.
a. affect
b. factor
c. sequence
d. period
e. sow
f. moderate
g. increase
h. lack of
i. retain
j. excessive
k. roots
l. decomposition
- cause something to become less violent
- put seed in or on the ground
- have an influence on st, sb.
- fact, circumstance that helps to produce a result.
- length of time
- something is rotten or being decayed
- without (something)
- lowest part of a tree in the ground
- something is too much, more than needed
- set of events happens continuously.
- develop, become more and more
- keep or store (something)

2. Say whether these statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
a. Too low a temperature causes insufficient microbiological activity.
b. Moderate rainfall is good for plant growth.
c. When there is a lack of nitrate, microbiological activity drops to a low level.
d. Excessive rainfall provides too much nitrate for plant growth.
e. If roots are too shallow, plants cannot use nitrate after heavy rain.
f. There is inadequate nitrate for crops sown early in the wet season.
g. The rate of decomposition of organic matter increases in dry period.
h. There is only one season in tropical countries.
i. If the level of microbiological activity increases it will make nitrate increase, too.
j. The first principle in tropical soil management is more important than the second one
because it makes much more profit from the work.
3. Fill in the gaps with the given words: thus; however; therefore; so; too; enough
- thus (adv): in this way; like this; as a result. Soil with a coarse texture consists of
relatively large particles. Thus it retains air in the spaces between the particles.
- However (adv) : to whatever extent or degree. You wont move that stone, however
strong you are.
- Therefore (adv) : for that reason. Most developing countries are not applying fertilizers
in proper nutrient ratios and are therefore ''mining'' soil K.
- So (conj) : and that is why. All the shops were closed so I didnt get anything.
a. Coarse-textured soils are usually well drained. ., many important nutrients
are leached out of the soil.
b. The methods which are used to repair soil will vary according to the climate and site
characteristics; ., in all cases organic matter is the very best soil
improver.


44
c. There are a number of reasons for damaged soils, .. the fundamental cause
of soil decline is the removal of surface vegetation.
d. If the soil becomes.dry, microbiological activity drops to a low level and
.there is a lack of nitrate.
e. After dry weather,.., moderate rainfall increases the level of
microbiological activity.
f. Medium-textured soils are usually imperfectly drained. .important plant
nutrients are available for plant growth.
g. Soil sample A has 10% sand, 20% silt and 70% clay. it has a fine texture.
h. You can either grow a green manure crop and chop it into the soil, or enclose your
animals..their stocking rate is higher and manure output is increased.
i. Land use must be economically viable, so one goal of development planning is to make
efficient and productive use of the land.
j. The tropical climate, especially the sequence of wet and dry periods, is also an important
factor as it affects the availability of nitrogen in the soil. On the other hand, excessive
rainfall washes the nitrate into the subsoil, ....deep for roots to use unless the
soil structure is relatively good. This gives, .., two further important
principles in tropical soil management. The first of these is to prepare the land and sow
the crops early..to use the surplus nitrogen after the dry season. The second
is to grow crops with deep.... roots to use nitrogen before it is washed into
subsoil.

__________.e__________

Prevention is better than cure
























45
UNIT 7 MICROCLIMATES
I. Word study.
A. Match the word with its definition.
1. temperature
2. influence
3. optimum temperature
4. germination
5. minimum temperature
6. seed
7. temperature range
8. eliminate
9. diversify
10. humidity
11. summation
12. microclimate
13. windspeed
14. topography
15. modify
16. monsoon
- action of natural force on something.
- the lowest temperature
- degree of heat or cold.
- part of a plant from which a new plant can grow.
- the best temperature for growth of plants.
- limit from lowest to highest temperature.
- start growing of plants.
- the climate in a certain area.
- cloudy without rain or sun.
- summing up.
- the fast or slow movement of the wind.
- make something change.
- various types.
- the seasonal wind in South of Asia
- ignore
- describing the general features of an area, place.
B. Fill in the gaps with words above.
a. Temperature and rainfall are two most important factors which.. the growth of
crops.
b. The minimum temperature for the.of wheat lies within a range of five
degrees.
c. It is possible for germination to begin at the.., but the
may die if the temperature rises much above or falls much below the optimum
.
d. The regional climate always has variations in temperature, rainfall, ..and
direction, relative..and light levels.
e. Local factors such as.., soil, vegetation, structures and water bodies
further...the environment.
f. Microclimates can be a rich source of .., so your design should take
advantage of them rather than ....them.
g. The place where you live is a.. of the large general climate.
h. In the.. areas of North-west India and West Africa, crops may have to be
replanted as many as eight times in one season.
C. Look and read
Two important factors which influence the growth of crops are temperature and rainfall.
A. Crop germination temperatures
Crops Minimum Optimum Maximum
- Wheat
- Runner bean
- Cucumber
0 - 5 C
9.4 C
15.5 - 18.3 C
25 - 31.1 C
32.7 C
31.1 - 37.2 C
31.1 - 43.3 C
46.1 C
43.3 - 48.8 C

Most of crops do not begin to grow if the temperature varies greatly from the optimum
temperature for germination. It is possible for germination to begin at the minimum
temperature, but the seed may die if the temperature rises much above or falls much below
the optimum temperature range. In many regions this is a serious problem. For instance, in
semi-arid areas such as the monsoon areas of North-west India and West Africa, crops may
have to be replanted as many as eight times in one season.


46
2. Practice.
a. Make sentences from the table.
Example: The minimum temperature for the germination of wheat / is approximately three
degrees centigrade / or lies within a range of five degrees.
* Now write three sentences about the germination temperatures for runner bean; cucumber;
rice; tomato; melon....
B. Crop grow temperature
Crops Minimum Optimum Maximum
- Wheat
- Runner bean
- Melon
5 C
9.4 C
18.3 C
28.6 C
33.6 C
33 C
42.5 C
46.1 C
43.8 C

Example: minimum
A: - What is the optimum growth temperature for wheat?
maximum
does not grow below a minimum of 5 C.
B: - Wheat grows best at a temperature of 28.6 C.
does not grow above a maximum of 42.5 C
a. Now ask and answer similar questions for runner bean, melon, cucumber, rice...
b. What is the maximum and minimum temperature in your country/area?
Are melon, runner bean, tomato, and wheat grown in your country/area? Why? Or why
not?
II. Writing and speaking. (group-work)
1. Writing.
a. Write out the conditions for the germination of rice.
b. Write out the growth temperature for water rice.
2. Speaking. (group-work)
Ask and say about the climate and vegetation in the central region of Vietnam. Group A
talks about the climate, temperature, rainfall. . Group B talks about the vegetation: the
forest; the crops and harvest , then make conclusion in comparison with the North and
South regions of Vietnam and then make comment on the agricultural production of our
country.
Example:
A: Where are you from Nam?
B: Im from Quang Tri province.
A: What is the weather like in your province?
B: Oh, its very hot in summer but it is rather cold in winter. It rarely rains from January to
August, and in the period there is monsoon blowing from south-west over the Truong
Son range, which brings with its extremely hot and dry air when it moves to the area.
But from September to January it often rains heavily increasingly day after day, which
causes flood in vast area and great destruction for the local people. In such climate the
agricultural production in the area is often lost by drought, typhoon, flood. Soil is
unhealthy by erosion and leaching. Animals are often infected by various diseases.
A: How do farmers in your province do to improve their soil? What crops and animals do
they grow on their farms?
B: They often use the traditional methods such as: green manuring, planting and ploughing
legumes under, plating cover crops, mulching and animal manures. The crops can grow
well in the climate such as: manioc, sweet potato; pineapple, peanuts, coffee, rubber,
orange, lemon, water-melon ect
A: Nam, can you tell me about some principles in managing the soil in your area, which the
farmers often use efficiently?


47
B: Well, the local farmers often use some principles according to the local climate, for
instance, the local farmers often prepare the land and sow the crops early after the dry
season. It has two advantages. The first is the crops can use the surplus nitrogen before it
is washed away or into the subsoil. The second is to prevent the crops from drough or
flood.

III. READING A
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. How many types of climate?
b. What is another name of microclimate?
MICROCLIMATES
Microclimate is the summation of environmental conditions at a particular site as affected
by local factors rather than climatic ones.
The regional climate always has variations in temperature, rainfall, wind speed and
direction, relative humidity and light levels. Local factors such as topography, soil,
vegetation, structures and water bodies further modify the environment. The place where you
live is a microclimate of the large general climate.
Overall, microclimates are more important than the regional or general climate in achieving
diverse and stable landscapes. However, all too often people fail to realize the potential of
microclimates and they have been referred to as environments unobserved and
environments ignored.
Microclimates can be a rich source of diversity, so your design should take advantage of
them rather than eliminate them. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of
plants and animals that will grow in your garden. For example, you may be able to grow an
almond tree if you live in a cool moist climate simply by positioning it against a sunny
sheltered wall.
2. Comprehension check.(pair-work)
Answer the following questions.
a. What is microclimate?
b. What factors affect microclimate?
c. What is the difference between the regional climate and the general climate?
d. Which climate is the most important for farmers? Why?
e. Why do farmers need to understand their microclimate?
f. Can people modify the microclimate? How can they do that?
3. Speaking. (group-work)
a. Talking about the advantages and disadvantages of monsoon.
b. How can people take advantages of microclimate?
c. What do farmers do to reduce the disadvantages of microclimate?

III. GRAMMAR. Adverbial clauses of condition
Do you remember the formation of conditional sentence type 1?
- If pests are not checked, they will damage the crop.
- Seeds will germinate if the conditions are right.
Exercise 1: Combine a part in A with a part in B to make a sentence.
A B
1. If you dont understand the soil ,
2. If a soil is badly drained ,
3. Crops are often lost
4. If agriculture fails,
5. If cows are not fed properly ,
6. You get better crops
a. if the soil is fertile
b. the world will starve
c. if they dont eat proper food
d. gleying will occur
e. it can become waterlogged
f. They will die


48
7. If the farmer does not look after the plants
8. People get sick
9. A tractor can be dangerous
10. If land isnt drained
g. if you dont know how to drive it
h. youll never be a good farmer
i. if you dont get enough water
j. their milk yield will fall

Exercise 2: Combine the following pairs to make complex sentences.
1. The soil is gritty. It drains and dries out quickly.
2. The soil is silky. It drains slowly and holds water for a longer time.
3. A soil is almost pure clay or pure sand. It is a 'difficult' soil in which to grow plants.
4. Pests are not controlled. They can easily destroy a crop.
5. There is adequate oxygen. Soil tends to be sweet smelling.
6. A soil has a pH of 8. Some nutrients are more soluble than others and the soil is said to be
alkaline.
7. There is little oxygen. Other gases such as sulphur dioxide can build up and the soil smells
rotten.
8. You understand your microclimate very well. You design the best plant for your garden.
9. Farmers cover their soil with organic matter. The soil is better.
10. The weather is good. The farmers in the area have a better harvest.
11. Manure from cows and horses is weaker. The animals have been stabled and urine is
mixed with the dung.

Exercise3. Write conditional sentences like example below.

Mineral
deficiency
Symptom of deficiency Writing conditional sentences
* nitrogen * plants stunted in growth, leaves
yellowish in colour
If a soil is deficient in nitrogen,
plants will be stunted in growth and
the leaves yellowish in colour.
- calcium a. plant roots dying at tips, or
remain short and stubby
a. ..................................................
......................................................
.....................................................
- phosphorous b. all parts of plant stunted in
growth, with bluish-green leaves,
poor fruit or seed development
b. ..................................................
......................................................
...................................................
- potassium c. plant tissues weak, prone to
attack by insect and fungus
c. ..................................................
......................................................
.....................................................
- magnesium d. leaves losing their green colour,
becoming yellow at tips,
between veins
d. ..................................................
......................................................
......................................................
- sulphur e. new leaves turning yellow,
roots and stems becoming long
and woody
e. ..................................................
......................................................
......................................................
- iron f. young leaves developing
chlorosis, veins remain green
f. ..................................................
......................................................
.....................................................
- zine g. foliage of field crops,
particularly lower leaves, has
intraveinal chlorosis
g. ..................................................
......................................................
......................................................

PART B.
I. READING B.


49
1. Pre-reading task.
a. Why does the world have different climates?
b. Does rubber grow well in the North of Vietnam? Why?
c. Why do the European countries import tea, coffee, and rubber?
d. What is ecosystem?
e. What make ecosystems in the world different from each other?
f. What do people need to do to reduce the limiting factors on ecosystem?
LIMITING FACTORS
The world does not have uniform ecosystems because of all the factors acting upon them.
Some limiting factors on ecosystems are climate, soil, day length, altitude, fire, human
activities, and distance from oceans. Climate is the main determinant of the vegetation of an
ecosystem; soil is generally the second most important factor.
In a permaculture system your aim is to design features, which are suited to and will
reduce limiting factors. For example, if you live in very hot, dry climate, the range of plants
you can grow is obviously limited by the harsh conditions. However, you can increase the
range of plantings by firstly selecting locally proven plants, i.e. plants that are known to
survive in your area, by mulching, and by designing appropriate irrigation systems. As the
initial plantings grow, they will change the soil, shade and humidity. You can then add
plants (or animals) to suit the new conditions.
1. Are the following statements true or false according to the passage?
a. World ecosystems are different from each other.
b. Climate is the factor that affects the vegetation more strongly than any other ones.
c. People can increase the range of plants and animals on their farms by designing suitable
ecosystem.
d. You can introduce plants or animals into a new condition by reducing limiting factors
on the ecosystem.
e. Plants can change their living conditions.
f. The aim of permaculture is to design new living conditions suitable to the plants and
animals living in the area.
2. Translation. Translate the passage into Vietnamese.
3. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.

comment ; days ; blowing ; parts ; variable ; temperature ; climate ; topic ; moderate

The weather in Britain
The weather in Britain is very(1), not only from season to season, but from one day
to the next. The fact that the weather is so unpredictable has made it a perennial(2)of
conversation, and when meeting or greeting someone, it is usual to make a(3)on the
weather. Typical informal remarks about the weather include such phrases as ''better today,
isn't it?'' or ''Bit nippy this morning'' or ''What a terrible day!''
Technically speaking, the(4)of the British Isles is(5)and moist, with generally
mild winters and cool summers. It owes its 'temperate' character to the influence of westerly
and south-westerly wind(6)off the Atlantic and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The
average midwinter(7)is in the range of 3C to 7C while that for midsummer is 11C to
17C. However, some winter(8)can be as cold as -5C and there have been summer heat
waves with temperatures as high as 32C, especially in the south and east, and even
in(9)of Scotland.

__________W+__________

Practice is the best master


50
UNIT 8: FERTILIZERS
I. Word study.
1. Find the words, which have similar meaning.
a. substitute
b. rich in nutrients
c. to gather
d. very thick
e. make use of something.
f. crowed in great number
g. grow fast
h. except for
i. too much, more that needed
j. provide
k. microscopic organism
l. very small water plant
- apply
- supply
- fertility
- mass
- excessive
- replace
- apart from
- bloom
- dense
- harvest
- alga (algae)
- bacteria (bacterium)
2. Find the words in bold matching with the following definitions.
a. something that frequently seen.
b. mixture of decayed organic matter added to soil to improve
the growth of plants.
c. great and sudden increase.
d. reduce greatly the quantity, size, power of something.
e. cause something to stop breathing by squeezing.
- choke
- explosion
- inevitable result
- decay
- compost

3. Fill in the gaps with the words in the reading passage.
a. Heavy rains may ..away nutrients into the subsoil.
b. Farmers often use fertilizers to their soil.
c. Artificial fertilizers are.of the chemical industry.
d. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are most important elements.. to the soil
by fertilizers.
e. Plants can absorb nutrients only in the form of soluble.. .
f. Excessive algal growth can..a waterway and result in dense
green.. of algae at the surface.
g. Because they..large quantities of plant nutrients, fertilizers will also cause
.. and bacteria in water to grow excessively.
h. An increase in nutrient levels to a high concentration can lead to or
blooms of algae and.. .
II. GRAMMAR. RELATIVE CLAUSES (Adjective clause)
Relative pronoun used in relative clauses: who; which ; that; whose. . . .
a. The boy gave me the dictionary. The boy lives in a flat on the second floor.
The boy who gave me the dictionary lives in a flat on the second floor.
b. That is the shop. It sells souvenirs.
That is the shop that sells souvenirs.
c. He works at a school. The school was built in the sixteenth century.
He works at a school which was built in the sixteenth century.
d. That is the girl. Her boyfriend is a famous writer.
That is the girl whose boyfriend is a famous writer.
e. Last summer I went to the countryside. I was born in the countryside.
Last summer I went to the countryside where I was born.
f. I dont remember the first day. I went to university on that day.
I dont remember the first day when I went to university.


51
A. Practice.
1. Fill in the gaps with one of the following relative pronouns: which; that; where; whose . . ..
a. Bill Mollison recommends that people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase
landhas been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit, as
these crops will have been heavily doses with biocides.
b. Soluble fertilizers,are often added regularly to the irrigation water, further
contribute to the concentration of salts in the upper soil layer.
c. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areasvegetation has been
removed from recharge areas.
d. Fertilizers are added to soil to replace nutrientshave been used by
previous crops.
e. Irrigation wateris surplus to the crops' needs causes the water table to rise.
f. Animals carry out many functions, one ofis to supply plant nutrients in the
form of manures.
g. There are plants have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, living in their
roots.
h. You could try to find a cultivar has a known resistance to fungal diseases
and plant it in a place where it receives drying breezes.
i. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals
.will grow in your garden.
j. There are several good reasons why you should avoid buying fish have been
caught or raised using these methods.
k. It is a red-brown soilbecomes very hard when it is dry.
2. Writing.
Combine the following clauses to make complex sentences, using relative pronouns.
a. Light-coloured objects and organisms tend to reflect light. The light can then be used or
absorbed by other plants, water and materials, or sent back into the atmosphere.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
b. There are many animals living in the soil. The animals aerate the soil, create water
channels, break down large molecules to smaller ones. The molecules can be absorbed by
plant roots .
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
c. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals. The
plants and animals will grow in your garden.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
d. There are many animals living in the soil. The animals living in the soil range from
microscopic organisms to beetles.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
e. Irrigation water causes the water table to rise. The water is surplus to the crops' needs.
..............................................................................................................................................
f. Animals carry out many functions. One of the functions is to supply plant nutrients in the
form of manures.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
g. There are plants. The plants have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, living in their roots.
..............................................................................................................................................


52
h. You could try to find a cultivar. The cultivar has a known resistance to fungal diseases
and plant it in a place. The cultivar receives drying breezes in the place.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
i. Water in soil becomes a weak acid or alkali solution. The water carries the soluble
nutrients. Plants absorb the nutrients through their roots.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
j. Precipitation is rain, snow, fog, sleet, hail and frost. They undergo two main processes:
condensation and evaporation.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
k. Fertilizers are added to soil to replace nutrients. The nutrients have been used by
previous crops, blown away or leached into the subsoil by rain or irrigation.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
.
l. On the whole, animals eat meat such as chickens and pigs. The animals have a strong
manure. The manure should be composted before it is applied to gardens.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
m. One large problem is finding out the names and getting hold of varieties. They will grow
in your local area.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
n. It is a red-brown soil. The soil becomes very hard when it is dry.
..............................................................................................................................................

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task. Answer the following questions.
a. How many types of manure are used in Vietnam?
b. Which manure is the most important for the growth rice?
c. Which is the most important for industrial crops?
FERTILIZERS
Plants need nutrients from the soil as well as air and water. Fertilizers are added to soil to
replace nutrients that have been used by previous crops, blown away or leached (washed
away) into the subsoil by rain or irrigation. Without the use of some form of fertilizer, a
decline in soil fertility is an inevitable result of agriculture. Apart from losses by leaching,
every crop harvested or animal sent to market contains nutrients that were once in the soil.
Fertilizers can come from natural sources such as compost and animal manures, or
artificial sources as products of the chemical industry.
The three most important elements added to the soil by fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. Plants need each of these elements in large amounts. Nutrients are not added
in the form of pure elements, however, but as water-soluble chemical compounds. For
example, phosphorus is often added in the form of superphosphate. Artificial fertilizers need
to be soluble compounds so that plants can absorb the nutrients.
The next most important elements for plants are calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Plants
also need a number of other elements, but only in the smallest of quantities. These are called
trace elements and include iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, cobalt,
sodium and chlorine. It is important that trace elements are present, but in very small
amounts; high concentrations can often be toxic to the plant.


53
Fertilizers and the environment
Provided fertilizers are correctly applied, they result in increased productivity and
improvement to the soil. However, problems can occur if fertilizers are washed into
waterways. Because they supply large quantities of plant nutrients, fertilizers will also cause
algae and bacteria in water to grow excessively. An increase in nutrient levels to a high
concentration (termed eutrophication) can lead to explosions or blooms of algae and bacteria.
Excessive algal growth can choke a waterway and result in dense green masses of algae at the
surface. Algal blooms deplete the oxygen supply in the water and fish and other organisms
may die.
2. Comprehension check. (pair-work)
Answer the following questions.
a. What do fertilizers add to soils?
b. How are soil nutrients lost?
c. What sources do fertilizers come from?
d. How do plants absorb soil nutrients?
e. What are the most important elements for plants?
f. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the chemical fertilizers?
g. How do the chemical fertilizers affect people's health?
h. Is it necessary to use chemical fertilizers? Why?
i. How can we reduce the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers on people's health?
j. What manure doesn't affect the consumers' health ?
3. Writing. Complete the chart below.
a. Write out the types of fertilizer, which are mentioned in the text.
b. Write about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of fertilizer.

Types of fertilizer The advantages and disadvantages
1. Fertilizers come from natural sources
....................................................................
.......................................................................
........................................................................
........................................................................
........................................................................
.......................................................................
.......................................................................
........................................................................
.......................................................................
2. Fertilizers come from artificial sources
....................................................................
.......................................................................
........................................................................
........................................................................
.......................................................................
......................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
- Advantages:
....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
- Disadvantages:
....................................................................
.....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
- Advantages:
..................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
- Disadvantages.........................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................

PART B
READING B. POTASSIUM IN PLANTS
I. Word study.


54
1. Match the word with its definition.
a. translocation
b. pore
c. catalyst
d. stress
e. shelf life
f. virgin soil
g. peat soil
h. pronounced
i. intensification
j. depletion
k. intensity
- concentrate labour and care in small area in order to produce large
quantities of food.
- move something from one place to another.
- being very noticeable
- a soil with peat and mud.
- substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without itself changing.
- tiny opening in the surface of a leaf, through which moisture can pass.
- pressure of nature
- land where cultivation has never been attempted.
- the cultivation becomes more intensive.
- time for which a stored item remains usable.
- make reducing
2. Read the passage and answer the following questions.
a. What are the functions of potassium in plants?
b. What will happen to a plant if it is deficient in potassium?
POTASSIUM IN PLANTS
Although K is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds, it is essential in
nearly all processes needed to sustain plant life. The function of K in the plant are so
numerous and complex that to the present day many of them are still not fully understood.
Potassium is known to play a vital role in photosynthesis, translocation of photosynthates,
regulation of plant pores (stomata), activation of plant catalysts (enzymes) and many other
processes. Plants deficient in K cannot use water and other nutrients from either soil or
fertilizer efficiently and are less tolerant to environmental stresses such as drought, excess
water, wind, and high and low temperatures. Also, plants deficient in K are less resistant to
pest and disease attack. Quality of potash deficient plants is also poor. Potash is known as the
quality nutrient because of its important effects on such factors as size, shape, colour, taste
and shelf life.
Potassium in soils
Most virgin soils initially contain adequate K for average crop yields. Sandy soils and peat
soils are inherently low in K.
Climate has a pronounced effect on soil K. In areas of high temperature and high rainfall
most soils other young soils of volcanic origin are low in native K reverses whereas soils in
low rainfall areas are often high in K.
Most soils become deficient in K as a result of crop intensification. Major factors
contributing to the depletion of soils under intensive cropping are:
Increased yields and increased removal of soil K as a result of neglecting to supply potash
together with high rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients.
Increased yields and increased removal of soil K due to the introduction of high yielding
varieties.
Increased removal of soil K through higher cropping intensity (several crops per year).
Increased removal of soil K due to the utilization of crop residues for fuel, for livestock
fodder or for industrial purposes.
For these reasons continued intensification of agriculture without the ''balanced'' use of
potash is not possible. Most developing countries are not applying fertilizers in proper
nutrient ratios and are therefore ''mining'' soil K. As a result far more K is being removed by
cropping than is returned in fertilizer programs.
II. Comprehension check.
Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false statements.
1.__K is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds.


55
2.__Potassium plays a vital role in many processes needed to sustain plant life.
3.__Without K plants can use water and other nutrients efficiently.
4.__K plays a vital role in photosynthesis, translocation of photosynthates, regulation of
plant pores and activation of plant catalysts.
5.__Plants deficient in K are less resistant to pest and disease attack.
6.__The deficiency in K may affect the size, shape, colour, taste and shelf life.
7.__There is a lot of potash in sandy and peat soils.
8.__One of the major factors contributing to the depletion of soils under intensive cropping is
the introduction of high yielding varieties.

III. Writing.
A. Writing conclusion.
Study the following example.
Symptom
The plant is stunted in
growth and the leaves are
yellowish in colour.
Connection words
This shows that..........
Conclusion
the soil is deficient in
nitrogen.
Example: The plant is stunted in growth and the leaves are yellowish in colour. This shows
that the soil is deficient in nitrogen.
1. Write conclusions based on observations as in the example above. Add conjunction if
necessary. Use connections: This suggests that; This indicates that; This is a sign that; We
may conclude that; This means that; So; Therefore... .

a. plant roots dying at tips, or remain short and
stubby
- sulphur deficiency in soil
a. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
b. all parts of plant stunted in growth, with bluish-
green leaves, poor fruit or seed development
- plant short of element magnesium
b. .............................................................................
................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
c. plant tissues weak, prone to attack by insect
and fungus
- soil deficient in potassium
c. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
d. leaves losing their green colour, becoming
yellow at tips, between veins
- deficiency of phosphorous in soil
d. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
e. new leaves turning yellow, roots and stems
becoming long and woody
- supply of calcium in soil is low
e. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
f. young leaves developing chlorosis, veins
remain green
- amount of zinc in soil insufficient
f. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................
g. foliage of field crops, particularly lower
leaves, has intraveinal chlorosis
- plant suffering from deficiency of
iron
g. .............................................................................
.................................................................................
.................................................................
................................................................


56

B. Writing recommendation.
Study the following example and write recommendation.

- nitrogen plants are stunted in growth and the
leaves are yellowish in colour.
add a nitrogenous
fertilizer such as urea.

Example: If the soil is deficient in nitrogen, plants will be stunted in growth and the leaves
are yellowish in colour. This deficiency can/could be corrected/remedied by
adding a nitrogenous fertilizer such as urea.
1. Write recommendation as example above.

Mineral deficiency Symptom of deficiency Recommendation
- calcium a. plant roots dying at tips, or remain
short and stubby
- spread lime over land
a. ..................................
.......................................
.......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
...........................................
..........................................
- phosphorous b. all parts of plant stunted in
growth, with bluish-green leaves,
poor fruit or seed development
- apply phosphatic
fertilizer: superphosphate
b. ..................................
......................................
......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
.........................................
.........................................
- potassium c. plant tissues weak, prone to attack
by insect and fungus
- add potassic fertilizer
like muriate of potash
c. ..................................
.......................................
.......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
.........................................
.........................................
- magnesium d. leaves losing their green colour,
becoming yellow at tips, between
veins
- add magnesium lime
or sulphate of potash
to soil
d. ..................................
.......................................
.......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
- sulphur e. new leaves turning yellow, roots
and stems becoming long and
woody
- add sulphate of
ammonia to soil
e. ..................................
......................................
......................................
.................................................................
................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
.........................................
........................................
- iron f. young leaves developing
chlorosis, veins remain green
- add ferric oxide to
soil
f. ..................................
......................................
......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
.........................................
.........................................
- zine g. foliage of field crops, particularly
lower leaves, has intraveinal
chlorosis
- spray zine sulphate on
soil or mix it with
fertilizer
g. ..................................
.......................................
.......................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
..........................................
.........................................
.........................................


57

III. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

breakage ; substitute ; to meet ; activation ; growth
sugars ; significant ; to move ; vital role ; which

Function of potassium in plants
Potassium is known to play a(1)in photosynthesis, the process by which the sun's
energy in combination with water and carbon dioxide is converted into(2)and organic
matter. It has also been shown that K plays a key role in the (3)of more than sixty
enzyme systems in plants. Contrasted to other elements (4)are involved in the formation
of the cell structure, K functions in the cell sap. Its high mobilitypermits it(5)quickly
from cell to cell or from older plant tissue to newly developing tissue and storage organs.
Inadequate K (6)the needs of all plant parts diminishes(7)and subjects crops to
undesirable traits such as increased disease, stalk and stem(8), and susceptibility to other
stress conditions. Nitrogen (N) is usually the most universally deficient plant nutrient but one
element cannot(9)for another. It has been said that N is the most important yield-
increasing plant nutrient, but K is the most(10)in stabilizing yields.

IV. TRANSLATION. Translate the passage into Vietnamese.
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................


__________w -__________

Judge a man by his work
















58
UNIT 9 THE FUNCTIONS OF PLANTS
I. Word study.
1. Find the words which have similar meaning.
a. operate or work
b. decrease
c. eatable
d. unchangeable state, quality
e. pleasant smell
f. great disaster
g. variety
h. strong unpleasant light
- edible
- diversity
- reduction
- catastrophes
- stability
- glare
- aroma
- epidemics
2. Match the words on the right with the definitions on the left.
a. placing plants into groups according to similarities of structure,
origin or flowers and fruit.
b. row of trees that give protection from the wind.
c. warm sunny place that is sheltered from the wind.
d. wood prepared for use in building or carpentry.
e. obtain juice by crushing or pressing.
f. group of animals or plants within a genus.
g. protective covering spread on soil surface to retain moisture.
h. power to remain undamaged or unaffected.
i. disease spreading quickly among many people, animals or trees in
the same place for a time.
- suntrap
- mulch
- epidemics
- resistance
- extract
- species
- classification
- timber
- windbreak
3. Fill in the gaps with the right form of the given words.
a. Olive oil isfrom black olives. (extraction)
b. Species diversity is fundamental toenvironment. (stability)
c. All plants growing in rainforests could have been.in the same group.
(classification)
d. All plants..by bees could have been allocated the same family. (pollination)
e. It is better to grow four or five varieties of onions because in addition to
continuous yields over a longer period, some varieties are more likely to survive disease
epidemics or other..catastrophes. (provide ; environment)
f. Aromatic oils can be extracted from the flowers and , of course, the tree itself will give
to the environment. (stable)
g. When you are planning the orchard you will need to..how the shape of the
manure trees will other trees planted nearby. (consideration / affection)
II. GRAMMAR . Adverbial clause of concession
Adverbial clauses of concession are introduced by: although; though; even though; even if;
no matter; however; much as; while; whereas. . . .
A. Example.
However rich people are, they always seem anxious to make more money.
Even though you don't like him you can still be polite.
No matter what you do, don't touch this switch.
Much as I 'd like to help, there isn't a lot I can do.
We work 8 hours a day, whereas the British people work only 5 hours.
B. Practice.
1. Fill in the gaps with one of the conjunctions above.
a. some villages are still set out in this way, governments and companies are
changing the traditional landscape and way of life for these people.


59
b. the annual rainfall is 1 cm per year, they manage to live well and stay
healthy because their society maintains strict ecological laws.
c. World climates have fairly predictable wind patternsthese seem to be
changing with global warming.
d. almonds prefer a mild Mediterranean climate they can still be grown in
cool areas by planting near a warm, east-facing wall with good drainage and excellent
wind protection.
e. K is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds, it is essential
in nearly all processes needed to sustain plant life.
f. Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystems, it is degraded.
g. their fruiting characteristics may not be as desirable as other varieties,
they will have a greater chance of establishing in the new environment.
h. you were not able to diagnose the disease, it would assist the veterinary
surgeon if you could describe the symptoms.

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task. Read the passage and find the answer to the following.
a. Write out the types of plant.
b. Write out the functions of plants.
c. Write out a good plant species diversity for your garden.
THE FUNCTIONS OF PLANTS
The system of plant classification that we now use is based on similarities of flowers and
fruit. However, a different classification system could have been used. For example, all plants
pollinated by bees could have been allocated the same family, or all plants growing in
rainforests could have been classified in the same group. This would change how we see
plants functioning in their environment.
Permaculture is interested in how plants function, and more specifically, their yields and
potential uses. We all know, for example, that an orange tree is evergreen and bears edible
fruit and aromatic leaves and flowers. So how would it function in a permaculture design? As
well as providing fruit, it could be used as a windbreak, as part of a suntrap, or as a timber
tree. The fruit can be eaten fresh, or can be used to make jam, preserves or juice. Aromatic
oils can be extracted from the flowers and , of course, the tree itself will give stability to the
environment.
Plant Species Diversity
We have seen how species diversity fundamental to stable environments. In permaculture
systems a diverse range of plant species will serve many functions in your garden, including
the following:
soil improvement
fire resistance
shade
mulch
nutrient cycling
variety of yields
glare reduction
windbreak
nitrogen supply
temperature modification
In the event of major or minor disasters such as floods and droughts, or a partner going
berserk with the slasher, some plants will survive if you plant a large enough diversity of
species and cultivars (cultivated varieties). For example, it is better to grow four or five


60
varieties of onions because in addition to providing continuous yields over a longer period,
some varieties are more likely to survive disease epidemics or other environmental
catastrophes.
One large problem is finding out the names and getting hold of varieties which will grow
in your local area. These are not usually available from commercial outlets but older
gardeners can often tell you about them and may be able to give you seeds or seedings.
2. Comprehension check.(pair-work)
Answer the following questions.
a. What do you base on to classify plants?
b. How many basic functions of plants are there? What are they?
c. What is a big problem in planting species diversity?
d. How is species diversity fundamental to stable environments?
e. What is the benefit from planting species diversity in the garden?
f. What are permaculturists interested in when they design their garden?
g. What should you do when you plant the manure trees?
h. How can you find out the names and getting hold of varieties which are grown in your
local area?
i. Why do people want to plant only one type of fruit trees in their garden? Is that harmful
or harmless? Why?
3. Writing and speaking.(group-work)
Write summary on the followings:
a. What are the functions of plants.
b. What are the advantages of planting species diversity.

..............................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
PART B.
I. READING B.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What does Guajule mean?
b. Where does it grow?
c. What do people plant it for?
GUAYULE
Rubber is very important in the modern world. We use it for tires for automobiles, buses,
trucks, motorcycles, and airplanes.
Natural rubber comes from trees. Most of the world's rubber comes from Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Thailand in Southeast Asia. We also make rubber from petroleum. This kind
of rubber becomes hot very fast. We can use it only for some kinds of tires.
Now scientists can make rubber from guayule. This wild plant grows in northern Mexico
and the southwestern United States. It doesn't need very much rain. It can grow in desert
soil. Guayule rubber is nearly the same as rubber from the rubber tree.
Indians in Arizona plan to start guayule farms. They know a lot about farming in the
desert. The farms will use poor desert land and give people jobs. The Indians think they can
make a lot of money from guayule rubber.


61
Poor desert countries in Africa could grow guayule too. People could earn money on their
own desert land. If they grow their own rubber, they will not have to buy it from other
countries.
2. Checking questions. Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false ones.
a. There are three types of rubber.
b. Scientists can make artificial rubber from petroleum.
c. Artificial rubber is better than natural one.
d. Natural rubber is used in many different industrial sectors.
e. Natural rubber becomes hot very fast.
f. Most of natural rubber is produced in the South-east Asian countries.
g. Natural rubber is produced only from rubber trees.
h. Guayule is a kind of tree from which we can make rubber.
i. The Indians in Arizona have planted guayule in the desert.
j. African people have planted guayule in Sahara desert and got a lot of money from it.

II. Writing.
1. Directions and descriptions:
Statements which refer to the steps to be followed at various stages of growing particular
crops may take the form of directions or descriptions. Study the following columns:
Growing salad plants
Directions Descriptions
1. Nursery beds
- Sow the seeds first in nursery beds.
- Disinfect the soil of the beds with boiling
water.
- Mix the seeds with a little disinfected sand.
- Push the seeds into the soil, but not too
deeply.
- Firm the soil well with the tamper.
- Water.
1. Nursery beds
The seeds are first sown in nursery
beds. The soil of these beds is
disinfected with boiling water. The seeds
are mixed with a little disinfected sand.
They are pushed in the soil, but not too
deeply. The soil is well firmed down
with the tamper, and watered.
2. Exercise.
Write descriptions based on the following sets of directions. Join sentences together
where possible with and, but or so.
Growing tomatoes
Directions Descriptions
a. Tilling
- Prepare a deep soil which is friable and well
drained.
- Mix manure and fertilizers into the soil.
- Apply potassic and phosphatic fertilizer.
a. ...........................
..............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
b. Nursery beds
- Sow seeds in nursery beds
- Disinfect the soil of the nursery beds with
boiling water.
- Sow the seeds in rows leaving 10cms
between the rows.
- Do not push the seeds into the soil, merely
cover them with a little earth.
- Water twice a day.
- When the seedlings begin to grow remove
surplus seedlings and weeds.
b. ...........................
..............................................................
..............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................
..............................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................


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c. Transplanting
- Prepare the soil of the tomato beds several
weeks before transplanting.
- Work manure into the soil.
- Put stakes in the beds.
- Plant the seedlings in rows 50cms apart with
40cms between seedlings.
- Transplant tomato seedlings 5 to 6 weeks
after sowing.
- Water the soil of the nursery beds, remove
the seedlings without damaging the roots.
- Transplant the seedlings at once.
- Dig a hole at the base of each stake, lean the
seedlings a little sideways, cover the roots
with earth.
- Pack the earth down well around each
seedling, and water them.
c. .................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
d. Care for plants
- Water the plants very often.
- Cover the soil between the plants with cut
herbage or leaves.
- When cultivating remove weeds, snails and
insects, take out and burn plants that are
diseased or have been spoilt by insects.
- Prune plants once or twice a month.
- Keep only one or two main stems with their
leaves and flowers.
d. ..............................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
..............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
.............................................................
3. Fill in the gaps with the words in the box.

enrich ; which ; enough ; allows ; supply
poultry ; invaded ; plants ; increased ; consider
Feeding the Orchard
After the groundcovers and the in-crop leguminous species have been established, let
your(1)into the orchard (or you may like to keep a pig which will also help to maintain
the orchard). The plants and animals will(2)all the fertilizer your trees need.
However, you will still need to monitor the health of the orchard. If the land is (3)by
bracken fern, then the nitrogen levels are too low. You can either grow a green manure crop
and chop it into the soil, or enclose your animals so their stocking rate is higher and manure
output is(4) .
If you don't have(5)animals to keep the groundcover well controlled, regular slashing
of the ground cover will provide organic mulch to(6)the soil.
When you are planning the orchard you will need to(7)how the shape of the manure
trees will affect other trees planted nearby. For example, pear trees have a fairly dense
pyramidal canopy(8)may cast heavy shadows on smaller-growing(9) . In
comparison, plums have an open canopy which(10) sunlight to filter through the leaves
and branches.

_____g_____

Strike while the iron is hot


63
UNIT 10 TREE SELECTION AND PLANTING
I. Word study.
1. Match the words which have similar meaning.
a. graft - desirable
b. rootstock - change something slightly
c. flavour - connect one piece of a living plant to another
d. storage - harmful insect
e. characteristic - plant onto which another is grafted
f. hardy - secondary species
g. peripheral species - keeping from being damaged
h. modify - healthy
i. pest - aromatic
j. preferable - special feature
k. thrive - produce new types of animal or plant.
l. breed - ability to grow quickly
2. Fill in the gaps with given words.

deciduous ; storage ; in front ; season ; evergreen
flavour ; outside ; drop ; resistance ; inside ; shape

a. You can try to find a cultivar which has a known.to fungal diseases and
plant it in a place where it receives drying breezes.
b. Good gardeners often plant the first deciduous trees(towards the sun) of
those that their leaves later in the or which are evergreen.
c. When planting trees the general rule is to planttrees in winter
and.trees in summer.
d. Trees with large adult size and ... are planted behind smaller trees so that they do
not block the light from the sun.
e. Trees with fruit ripening.the leaf canopy will need less sun than trees with
fruit ripeningthe leaf canopy.
f. Later you can add varieties that have special qualities such as early or late fruit,
special or colour, and good or processing
characteristics.
II. GRAMMAR. Passive voice
A. Example. active structure passive structure
- My grandfather grew this tree 20 years ago. - This tree was grown 20 years ago (by my
grandfather).
- They are going to build a new school here. - A new school is going to be built here (by
them).

B. Practice. Rewrite the following sentences, using active or passive structure.
1. Soils can be repaired and rebuilt.
2. Farmers use different methods to improve unhealthy soils.
3. gardeners often plant rye grass, lupines or barley in winter and wheat, lucerne and
buckwheat in summer.
4. The green manure crop can be slashed two or three times while it is growing and then
chopped into the soil before it flowers and seeds.
5. Plants can absorb nutrients in the form of soluble compounds.
6. Three most important elements fertilizers add to the soils are nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium.
7. Farmers add fertilizers to their soils to replace nutrients which previous crops have used.


64
8. People can extract aromatic oils from some kinds of flower.
9. Fertilizers supply large quantities of plant nutrients.
10. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas where people have removed the
vegetation from recharge areas.
C. Put the right form of the verb in bracket in to the blanks.
1. You should select cultivars that. (know) to be especially resistant to
diseases and pests.
2. when the soil and microclimate have. (modify) by the trees you have
planted, you can add more peripheral species to take advantage of such factors as non-
average seasons or atmospheric warming.
3. Some fruits, like citrus, plums and peaches, have been(breed) to thrive
over a wide range of soil and climates.
4. The first deciduous trees to drop their leaves (place) in front (towards
the sun) of those that drop their leaves later in the season.
5. Orange trees could. (use) as a windbreak, as part of a suntrap, or as a
timber tree.
6. In Europe and Asia forests .(plant) by rulers, church leaders and
farmers - for the people.
7. As well as providing fruit, orange could.(use) as a windbreak, as part of
a suntrap, or as a timber tree.
8. Orange fruit can .(eat) fresh, or can.(use) to make jam,
preserves or juice.
9. Aromatic oils can.(extract) from the flowers.
10. The function of K in the plant are so numerous and complex that to the present day
many of them are still not fully(understand).

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. Have you ever planted a tree?
b. When did you do that?
c. Is the tree alive and growing well?
d. What do you think when you want to plan an orchard?
e. What steps do you follow when you plant a tree?

TREE SELECTION AND PLANTING
It is best start off with hardy locally-proven species which are known to grow well in your
area. Although their fruiting characteristics may not be as desirable as other varieties, they
will have a greater chance of establishing in the new environment. Later you can add varieties
that have special qualities such as early or late fruit, special flavour or colour, and good
storage or processing characteristics. Finally, in later years, when the soil and microclimate
have been modified by the trees you have planted, you can add more peripheral species to
take advantage of such factors as non-average seasons or atmospheric warming.
If possible, use grafted species as they will bear more heavily and the rootstock will be
hardier under your conditions.
If you know the species, geographical origin you may be able to modify your microclimate
to suit. For example, although almonds prefer a mild Mediterranean climate they can still be
grown in cool areas by planting near a warm, east-facing wall with good drainage and
excellent wind protection.
It is preferable to select cultivars that are known to be especially resistant to diseases and
tests - this will greatly reduce the need for sprays. For example, if you grow grapes in an area
with hot, wet summers you can expect the plants to suffer from fungal diseases every year.


65
Instead, you could try to find a cultivar which has a known resistance to fungal diseases and
plant it in a place where it receives drying breezes.
Some fruits, like citrus, plums and peaches, have been bred to thrive over a wide range of
soil and climates. Other trees are more specialized in their requirements, e.g. tea and coffee
grow best at high altitudes; coconuts will only fruit in warm coastal regions.
The following table shows the climatic origins of a range of cultivated fruit trees and the
most desirable placement of these trees along a slope. In many cases, the fruits in one climate
group can be grown in the climate listed in the adjacent column - in particular, many desert
(hot, dry) species can be grown in mediterranean climates. (Note that each species in the table
has several to hundreds cultivars and varieties.)
After you have decided on the best position for the trees according to the slope
characteristics, e.g. warmer, cooler, deeper soil, etc., you can then check the following list:
- Leaf drop: The first deciduous trees to drop their leaves are placed in front (towards the
sun) of those that drop their leaves later in the season, or which are evergreen.
- Adult size and shape: Small trees are planted in front of larger trees so they are not
blocked from the sun.
- Fruit ripening: Trees with fruit ripening outside the leaf canopy (such as oranges) will
need more sun than trees with fruit ripening inside the leaf canopy (grapes).
2. Comprehension check.
A. Are the following sentences true or false according to the passage?
a.__All local species are proven to be grown well in the local environment.
b.__The grafted species often grow better than other varieties because they bear more
heavily and are hardier under local conditions.
c.__Some fruits may grow well over a wide range of soils and climates.
d.__All industrial species of crop may grow best at high altitudes.
e.__The local species are often resistant to diseases and pests better than the other new
varieties.
f.__There are three important factors for you to decide the place where you will plant your
various trees.
g.__You shouldn't plant the grafted species in your garden because it can't bear the local
conditions where you live.
h.__Farmers often plant evergreen trees in winter and deciduous trees in summer.
i.__Trees with fruit ripening outside the leaf canopy will need more sun than trees with fruit
ripening inside the leaf canopy.
j.__Grape belongs to the tree spiecies with fruit ripening outside the leaf canopy.
B. Look at the table of fruit trees and Write your answer to the following questions.

Mediterranean Hot / Dry Hot / Wet Cool / Wet
- Olives
- Grapes
- Mulberries
- Almonds
- Cape gooseberry
- Melons
- Apricots
- Figs
- Dates
- Pumpkins
- Rose apple
- Banana
- Pineapple
- Mangosteen
- Mango
- Apples
- Cherries
- Pears
- Brambles
- Berries
Questions:
1. Why can't apples grow in hot-dry region?
2. Why aren't mangoes grown in the North of Vietnam?
3. Can olives grow in Vietnam? Why?
4. Where are pears, pine-apples and grapes grown in Vietnam?
5. What fruit is your area famous for?
6. What fruit trees would you plant in your garden if you have one?
7. Which area in our country are apricots appropriate to?


66
8. What climate is mango suitable to?
9. What fruit in your area is famous for?
10. Are pineapples grown in coastal areas? Why?
C. Read the passage, and put the verbs in brackets into the present passive.
Olive oil is one of Spains most important products. Olives..............(grow) all along the
Mediterranean coast, from Catalunya down to Andalucia. Olives............(use) mainly for
making olive oil, although some............(sell) for eating. You may have eaten both green and
black olives. The only difference between them is that the green ones..........(pick) in
September when the olive is unripe; the black ones ...........(pick) a couple of months later,
when the olive is fully ripe. Black olives ............(use) to make oil.
When olives ............(pick), two large sheets of plastic ............(place) under the tree on
each side of the trunk so that all the olives will fall on the plastic. Then the olives
..........(pull) off the branches with a sort of wooden hand on the end of along wooden pole or
the branches ..........(knock) with a pole until the olives fall to the ground. Then the olives
............(take) to the factory where they ............(clean) . After that, they ...........(crush) into a
paste and finally the oil ...........(extract).
The price farmers get for olive oil ..........(fix) by the government, and it is very low. For
one of their olive trees, they get about 5 kilos of oil and they get 100 to 150 pesetas a kilo,
depending on the quality. So they get about 750 pesetas from each tree.

PART B
I. READING B
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. Ask your partner to find out what life cycle means.
b. What appears first, plant or seed?

The Life Cycle of a Plant
The life cycle of a typical annual plant can be divided into several stages. The first stage is
germination. Seeds remain dormant, or in a resting state, if they are kept cool and dry. When
the amount of moisture and the temperature level are right, the seeds germinate and start
growing.
Certain conditions are necessary for this to happen. An essential condition is that the seeds
must be alive. Sometimes seeds are dried at a temperature which is too high. This has two
effects : the water content in the seeds is reduced too much, and certain essential proteins are
destroyed. As a result, the seeds die.
Other conditions for germination concern the amount of moisture in the soil. If dry seeds
are planted in a dry soil, they will not germinate until it rains. On the other hand, if there is
too much water in the soil, the seeds will not germinate either. This is because wet soils
remain cold for a longer period of time than drier, well-drained soils. If the soil is too cold,
germination will not occur. An additional reason for seeds not germinating is that badly
drained soils may lack sufficient oxygen. Dormant seeds require very little oxygen in order to
stay alive, but when they start to germinate they require more.
2. Are the following statements true or false, according to the passage?
a. Before a seed germinates it is in a dormant state.
b. When the temperature level is right a seed will germinate.
c. If seeds are dried at too high a temperature they will die.
d. If a soil is too dry seeds will not germinate.
e. The temperature of wet soils is lower than that of well-drained soils.
f. Dormant seeds cannot stay alive in a badly drained soil.
g. Dormant seeds require more oxygen in order to stay alive.
h. When seeds start to germinate they require very little oxygen.


67
i. When the water content in the seeds is reduced too much, and certain essential proteins
are destroyed the seeds will die.
3. Write the stages of the life cycle of a plant.
a. The first stage: .........................................................................................................
b. The second stage: ....................................................................................................
c. The third stage: .......................................................................................................
d. The fourth stage: ....................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................
4. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

lift ; hole ; compost ; rains ; coming
seasonal ; backfill ; deciduous ; climates ; hole

Planting Fruit Trees
When planting trees the general rule is to plant(1)trees in winter and evergreen trees
in summer. Plant with the opening(2)rains - in Mediterranean climates these are the
opening autumn(3) . In warm, wet(4)plant trees in the cooler season.
Dig the planting(5) twice as wide and deep as the container and place some
(6)or rotted manure in the hole (if you only put compost around the surface the tree's
roots will not penetrate deeply looking for food and water). Fill the(7)with water and let
it drain twice. (8)the plant out of the pot, place it in the hole and then(9)the hole
with soil but never above the graft. Then slowly fill the hole water until there are no more
bubbles(10)from the water.

__________


Stuff today and starve tomorrow

























68
TEST 2 (Unit 6 Unit10) (score: 100 marks)
I. SECTION 1: (Grammar and Vocabulary) (45 marks)
A. Vocabulary. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
1. It is suitable for cultivation in a .............................. soil.
A. fine-textured soil B. medium-textured soil C. coarse-textured soil D. B & C
2. One of the techniques of improving soils is to let . into the soil.
A. more oxygen B. more organic matter C. more fertilizers D. A or B
3. Organic matter is anything which was once............, including food scraps, grass clippings,
hay, straw, leaves, sawdust, and even fur coats, jute bags and old cotton curtains.
A. living B. nonliving C. animal D. none is correct
4. When the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel, the soil will..........soil nutrients.
A. leach out B. release out C. wash away D. A & C
5. When water moves through the soil, it may bring.into water table.
A. soil surface B. plant nutrients C. humus D. soil organisms
6. Oxygen with ethylene may help to increase the build-up of. .
A. micro-organisms. B. organic matter C. soil texture D. nutrients
7. Gases in the air are exchanged with those given off by plant roots and by soil
micro-organisms.
A. soils B. nutrients C. gases D. none is correct
8. In permaculture, animals are very important part of the system.
A. permanent cultivation B. permanent agriculture
C. sustainable agriculture D. all are correct
9. In permaculture, soil repair is fundamental to productivity and health.
A. good production B. high yield and fertility C. cultivation D. none is
correct
10. In soil ethylene cycles with oxygen, increasing the build-up of micro-organisms and other
soil materials.
A. soil components B. mineral fractions C. soil improvers D. A & B
11. In the tropics there is a low temperature range and a high average temperature.
A. temperature difference B. temperature change
C. temperature difference between day and night D. A or B
12. It has recently been found that ethylene gas is particularly beneficial to plant growth.
A. extremely useful B. extremely harmful C. very poisonous D. very toxic
13. Organic mulches will gradually add to the soil organic matter and nutrient bank as they
break down.
A. carry down B. become fertility C. break into small pieces D. B or C
14. Plants are unable to grow through laterite and water cannot penetrate it.
A. go through B. erode C. wash D. none is correct
15. Soil can promote the active growth of trees.
A. support B. reduce C. delay D. encourage
16. Soils provide a suitable environment in which plants may obtain water, nutrients and
oxygen.
A. retain B. hold C. absorb D. release
17. Sulphur can be added to an alkaline soil to make it more ................ .
A. fertile B. alkaline C. acidic D. neutral
18. you can design ecosystems which..........failures of crops and animals caused by climatic
extremes.


69
A. recline B. modify C. retain D. decrease
19. The bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen and receive energy from it.
A. the nitrogen B. the bacterium C. the plant D. the sun
20. The following techniques describe ways of increasing the organic content and
nutrient status of soils.
A. materials B. fertility C. structure D. substance
21. The management of tropical soils involves different principles from those of temperate
soils.
A. principles B. principles of management C. managements D. people
22. The rainfall is usually very heavy in the rainy season but inadequate in the dry season.
A. insufficient B. lack C. not enough D. A, B or C
23. The root systems open up the soil to air and water and protect the surface from erosion and
desiccation.
A. prevent B. keep C. guard D. A or B
24. The second principle is to use a method which maintains sufficient organic matter in the
surface soil.
A. obtains B. supports C. retains D. holds
25. The world does not have uniform ecosystems because of all the factors.............upon them.
A. acted B. acting C. action D. active
26. They are usually rich soils and valuable for cultivation.
A. grazing cattle B. growing fish C. farming D. A or B
27. Various reforms in agriculture have been implemented in an attempt to reduce costs and
subsidies.
A. in order B. with the aim C. so that D. A or B
28. Water in soil becomes a weak acid or alkali solution, which carries the soluble nutrients
that plants absorb through their roots.
A. release B. evaporate C. take in D. penetrate
29. When you understand and appreciate the workings of these wild energies you can design
ecosystems which modify climatic extremes.
A. increase B. limit C. reduce D. keep
30. Worldwide, different climates are affected by precipitation, radiation and wind acting on
the huge continental landmasses and ocean currents.
A. influenced B. caused C. given D. A or B
B. Grammar. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
31. If the soil is silky, it will form a claypan.................vegetation is removed from the soil
surface.
A. which B. when C. how D. that
32. It is important to understand how water moves through the soil ....................... when you
add water you can help to keep it there and prevent leaching of valuable plant nutrients.
A. so that B. so as to C. in order to D. in order that
33. ....................the soil is gritty, it will have few soil fungal diseases.
A. If B. When C. While D. A or B
34. Soil with good air-water balance and plenty of organic material will have millions of
micro-organisms...................faster nutrient breakdown and cycling.
A. assisted B. assisting C. assist D. B or C
35. The animals themselves are a part of the soil nutrient bank and will eventually...............
part of the organic matter.
A. be becoming B. became C. becoming D. become


70
36. The methods ................. to repair soil will vary according to the climate and site
characteristics.
A. used B. using C. use D. useful
37. The nature of organic matter helps sandy soils to hold water and nutrients and conversely,
helps ..................clay soil to become more open.
A. compacting B. compacted C. compact D. to compact
38. The three most important elements .................... to the soil by fertilizers are nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium.
A. adding B. added C. additional D. add
39. The world does not have uniform ecosystems because of all the factors.............upon them.
A. acted B. acting C. action D. active
40. There are many animals living in the soil,................ from microscopic organisms to
beetles.
A. ranging B. range C. to ranging D. ranged
41. There are plants which have a bacterium, Rhizobium species, .................. in their roots.
A. lives B. lived C. live D. living
42. When the soil has a rough feel, its texture is said..................... .
A. being B. to be silky C. being gritty D. to be gritty
43. Worldwide, different climates are affected by precipitation, radiation and wind .
on the huge continental landmasses and ocean currents.
A. acting B. acted C. action D. active
44. You can design ecosystems which modify failures of crops and animals .. by climatic
extremes.
A. caused B. cause C. causes D. causing
45. Many biocides continue to exist ................ in the soil because they cannot move into one
of the cycles of matter.
A. unchange B. changing C. unchanged D. changed
II. SECTION2: (Reading comprehension) (25 marks)
Reading 1: Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

ploughed ; food ; special ; brings ; takes in ; to hold
above ; growing ; to get ; main ; root ; single

The basic parts of a plant are the ...(1)... system, which is below the ground, and the shoot
system ...(2)... . The root of a plant has two ...(3)... functions. it ...(4)... , or absorbs, water
and minerals from the soil through from the root hairs, which are ...(5)... cells near the tip of
each root. The other main function of the root is ...(6)... , or anchor, the plant firmly in
position in the soil. Plants such as sugar beet and carrots are able to store ...(7)... in their
roots. In this way they can keep ...(8)... for more than one season. In addition, plants such as
clover and lucerne, known as legumes, have ...(9)... bacteria which live on the roots. These
simple forms of life take nitrogen out of the air which is in the soil. Such leguminous plants
are usually ...(10)... under the soil. By doing this the soil is made more fertile.

Reading 2: Choose the correct answer.
Harvesting ice sounds like a new concept, but actually it has been around for years.
Scientists have been studying this idea as a possible solution to the problem of the worlds
dwindling fresh water supply. Ninety percent of the earths fresh water is in the icecaps of
Antarctica. If only ten percent of that ice could be towed to civilization, it could provide water
for 500 million people. But the problem, of course, is one of melting. How can a giant iceberg
be towed across the sea without melting? The answer could lie in closing the floating ice in a
huge cylindrical container made of a high-strength synthetic fabric. If the iceberg is nudged


71
into the fabric container, which is open at both ends, then the ends can be sealed and the sea
water pumped out. After that it can be towed to civilization. The melting rate will be slowed
down, and the synthetic cocoon will act as a holding tank for the water. Engineering this
project, which might include a container up to one kilometer in length and 100 meters in
diameter, would be a feat, but engineers say it is possible. After all, fishermen in north
Australia sometimes use nets 8 kilometers long and 20 meters across.
1. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. The Earths Dwindling Water Supply B. Icecaps of Antarctica
C. The solution to Fresh Water Needs D. A Synthetic Cocoon
2. Of all the earths water, the icecaps of Antarctica contain .................... .
A. 10% of the fresh water B. 10% of the salt water
C. 90% of the fresh water D. 90% of the salt water
3. How does the author purpose to transport the ice?
A. By pulling it B. By chopping it C. By piping it D. By melting it
4. According to the passage, the purpose of the fabric container is to ............... .
A. protect the ice B. diminish the speed of melting
C. cause the ice to float D. pump out the sea water
5. The word nudged is closest in meaning to ..................... .
A. imagined B. glued C. melted D. pushed
6. A cocoon refers to ...................... .
A. protection against insects B. a tank in the boat
C. a very large net D. a protective covering
7. The purpose of the last sentence is to ....................... .
A. reinforce the feasibility of the project. B. compare fishermen to engineers.
C. contrast iceberg containers and fishing nets D. define the size of the container.
III. SECTION 3: (Writing) (30 marks)
A. Rewrite the following pairs of sentence, using present or past participle construction.
1. Every crop was harvested or animal was sent to market. They contained nutrients that
were once in the soil.
2. In summer hot air rises from deserts. The air draws in cooler, moist air from the oceans,
bringing rain as it moves in.
3. Seed is bought locally or seed produced by a farmer for his own use. The seed may carry
an infection that will quickly spread to the new crop.
4. The methods are used to repair soil. They will vary according to the climate and site
characteristics of the soil.
5. The three most important elements are added to the soil by fertilizers. These elements are
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
B. Change the following sentences into the passive form.
1. They are going to build some tea plantations in the area.
2. Plants can absorb nutrients in the form of soluble compounds.
3. People can extract aromatic oils from some kinds of flower.
4. Farmers use different methods to improve unhealthy soils.
5. He will build a high wall surrounding his garden.
C. Write conditional sentences.
1. Pests can easily destroy a crop. They are not controlled.
2. Seeds are dried at too high a temperature. The seeds die.
3. The soil is better. Farmers cover their soil with organic matter.


72
4. You understand your microclimate very well. You design an appropriate ecosystems for
the new plants and animals.
5. The farmers in the area get better harvests. The weather is good.
D. Write complex sentences, using relative pronouns or relative adverbs.
1. Water in soils carries the soluble nutrients. Plants absorb the nutrients through their roots.
2. Animals carry out many functions. One of their functions is to supply plant nutrients in the
form of manures.
3. Chickens and pigs have a strong manure. The manure should be composted before applying
to gardens.
4. Clay soils have minute particles. They give the soil a smooth feel and a silky texture.
5. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas. People have removed the vegetation in
recharge areas.








































73
UNIT 11 TREES, FORESTS AND ANIMALS
I. Word study:
1. Match the words with similar meaning.
a. sustainable - system of winds turning round by low pressure
b. process - assert, declare
c. collapse - timber trees
d. renowned - seasonal wind
e. ecologist - famous
f. claim - series of actions or operations
g. monsoon - stable
h. cyclone - person who buys goods or uses services
i. consumer - decay, break down
j. shelterbelt trees - person who studies ecology
2. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.

monoculture ; trunks ; cyclones ; monsoons ; sustainable
regions ; prevailing ; generations ; fundamental ; systems

a. You should establish your windbreaks with their edges to the. wind.
b. For hundreds of years people have planted trees to serve the needs of future .
for timber and tree products.
c. Trees are. to life and the processes that maintain healthy soil, and clean air
and water.
e. There is evidence which shows that in . where the trees are cleared to less
than 30% of their original surface area, other . life processes begin to
collapse.
f. The breakdowns in natural. will in turn affect other world bio-areas such as
deserts and polar regions; for example, the. could fail on another continent
or . may occur more frequently.
g. Close planting helps the tree. to grow straight.
h. Many valuable timber trees will not grow in a. as they require a 'companion'
shrub or tree.
II. GRAMMAR. Noun clauses
1. How to identify a noun clause. Compare the following sentences.
A noun clause can be the subject, object or a complement.
Example:
I know that the match will be cancelled.
That the match will be cancelled is now certain.
I am afraid that we have sold out of tickets.
Noun clauses are derived from question word.
They will believe what you tell them.
She asked me where I worked.
Do you know what time the train for Hanoi leaves.
A. Practice.
1. Combine the following pairs of clauses to make a complete sentence using the conjunctions
of noun clause: who; what, that; where; when; why; how; if; how much; how nany......
.. he is staying now.
..rooms there are in the hotel
..to complete the form.
* I don't know ..she left the meeting so early.


74
..they come to see me.
..his car cost
..there is a cheap hotel near here.
..they are talking about.
..you live with in that house.
2. Combine the following fairs to make complex sentences.
a. You should consider.. the microclimate affects the tree species you will plant
in your garden.
b. Farmers should know.temperature is optimal to the germination of the new
seeds.
c. Permaculture designers need to find out..functions of the trees they will plant
on their land are.

III. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. what parts does a plant have?
b. Which part of a plant is the most important?
c. What is the difference between plant, tree and crop?
TREES
For hundreds of years people have planted trees to serve the needs of future generations
for timber and tree products. In Europe and Asia forests were planted by rulers, church
leaders and farmers - for the people. By planting trees they particularly and symbolically
showed faith and hope for the future.
Trees are fundamental to life and the processes that maintain healthy soil, and clean air
and water. There is evidence which shows that in regions where the trees are cleared to less
than 30% of their original surface area, other sustainable life processes begin to collapse.
Rivers silt up, soils wash away, and air quality declines. Jame Lovelock, a renowned
ecologist, claims these breakdowns in natural systems will in turn affect other world bio-areas
such as deserts and polar regions; for example, the monsoons could fail on another continent
or cyclones may occur more frequently. It will be sad if these things happen before we change
from consumers to producers.
In permaculture we aim to plant trees on 30-35% of all land. As you work through your
design you will have noticed that you are gradually filling your land with trees - orchard trees,
nut trees, windbreak trees, fodder trees and shelterbelt trees.
2. Comprehension check.
a. What do people plant trees for?
b. What do European and Asian people want to show by planting trees?
c. What are fundamental roles of trees?
d. What will happen to the area where trees are cut down?
e. What causes monsoon?
f. How does a cyclone occur?
g. What species of trees do permaculturists often plant in their garden?
h. What does the author imply in his statement It will be sad if these things happen before
we change from consumers to producers.?
3. Write out the names of the plants which belong to the following headings.
orchard trees nut trees windbreak trees fodder trees shelterbelt trees
- apple
- .......................
- .......................
- .......................
- cherry
- .......................
- .......................
- .......................
- orange
- .......................
- .......................
- .......................
- lupines
- .......................
- .......................
- .......................
- acacia
- .......................
- .......................
- .......................


75
PATR B
1. Word study.
A. Match the words which have similar meaning.
1. canopy
2. pioneer
3. mulch
4. firewood
5. interplant
6. fodder
7. diverse
- protective covering spread over the land to retain moisture.
- wood used for lighting or as fuel.
- different kinds
- first plants grown to help the early development of other plants
- distance between the plants.
- dried food as hay for horse and farm animals.
- any overhanging covering
B. Fill in the gaps with words above.
1. The early plantings should also include.. trees for grazing animals.
2. It is important to grow a .. range of species.
3. You will also need to take into account the .. diameter of the manure trees
when you plant the tree and row spacing.
4. By this stage, the short-lived.. species will have been harvested for their
short-term yields such as .., poles and ...
5. The initial tree planting will consist of pioneer species .. with long-term
valuable trees.
C. Find the words/phrases in the reading passage which have similar meaning to the
following words/phrases.
1. to clear the area of weed : - ..................................................
2. trees which protect the others from wind : - ..................................................
3. legume species : - ..................................................
4. very young trees : - ..................................................
5. grass for animal food : - ..................................................
6. monsoon : - ..................................................
7. main species : - ..................................................
8. initial plantings : - ..................................................
9. various species : - ..................................................
10. consider carefully : - ..................................................
II. READING B.
1. Pre-reading questions. Ask each other some questions as followings.
a. Have you got a farm or a large garden?
b. What kinds of tree are growing there?
c. Are there any animals grazing there?
TREES, FORESTS AND LARGE GRAZING ANIMALS
Areas from two to sixteen hectares are suitable for self-maintaining forests. Smaller areas
need more work to keep the area weed free and watered.
The forest will be more successful if water systems and swales are developed before
planting. Next, you should establish your windbreaks with their edges to the prevailing wind.
The first trees to be planted will be nitrogen-fixing and pioneer species, which act as
'nurses' for later plantings. The early plantings should also include fodder trees for grazing
animals.
Later planting - the climax tree species - are chosen for their yields and suitability for
your environment. It is important to grow a diverse range of species. Many valuable timber
trees will not grow in a monoculture as they require a 'companion' shrub or tree (often these
will be nitrogen-fixing species). You can obtain lists of timber trees that require a companion
from your local Forestry Department or National Park office.


76
The trees are planted closely together in widely spaced rows. Close planting helps the tree
trunks to grow straight. You will also need to take into account the canopy diameter of the
manure trees when you plant the tree and row spacing. Most tree catalogues and books give
these figures.
Grazing animals are brought into the forest after three to six years (depending on growth
rate, climate and species). Grazing is controlled through light stocking rates. By this stage, the
short-lived pioneer species will have either died naturally, or will have been harvested for
their short-term yields, e.g. mulch, poles and firewood.
At maturity your structural forest will consist of 250 to 500 high value trees per acre and
will support grazing animals.
2. Comprehension check.(pair-work)
Answer the following questions.
a. What is the first step for establishing a new forest?
b. What trees should be planted first?
c. When should the grazing animals be brought into the forest?
d. How can the animals be controlled?
e. What should you do to graze your animals in the forest?
f. Is it necessary to grow a diversity of trees? Why?
g. Should the trees be planted closely? Why?
h. What should you do when you plant trees and row placing?
3. Write out the steps of building a farm on which trees, forests and animals are grown
together in a combination.
- First,..................................................................................................................................
- Next,.................................................................................................................................
- Then, ................................................................................................................................
- After that,.........................................................................................................................
- Finally,.............................................................................................................................

4. Translation. Translate the reading passage into Vietnamese.
5. Design sustainable ecosystems. Try the following things.
- Consider your local area. If you were a farm-planner:
- Where would you want to plant windbreak to shop in comfort, to protect schoolyards,
etc? Would you aim to reduce the impact of hot dry winds, cold harsh winds or dirty
winds? What are the plant characteristics needed to do this? What species would you
use?
- What animals would you introduce? What crops would you plant and where you would
plant them, etc?








timber windbreak coconut pear orange longan




tomato grass runner bean cherry nitrogen-fixing peanut carrot


77






cow fish pig duck chicken

Put the words showing the plants and animals you intend to grow on your farm and give
your reasons to support your ideas.

Your farm

__ -- __ --- _---
__ -- __ --- __-
__ -- __ __ --
__ --__ --- _---
__ -- __ --- __-
__ -- __ -- __ --
__ -- __ --- _---










6. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

allowing ; consist ; protected ; harvest ; several
develop ; involves ; allowed ; enough ; so that

Forest and indigenous animals
Again, start with windbreaks and water systems. You will plant (1) every two
years you will cut or coppice one row of trees. Copying (2) cutting a tree at about chest
height, and is carried out so that you can (3) firewood, mulch, etc. on a renewable basis,
without having to fell the entire tree. After (4) years coppiced trees grow many new
limbs.
The initial tree planting will (5) of pioneer species interplanted with long-term
valuable trees. Over the years the shorter-lived trees are removed, (6) the final climax
species to (7) without trees from competition for light or nutrients.
Young trees must be (8) from rabbits and grazing animals; however, once they are
large (9), the local indigenous animal species are (10) in to maintain forest
functions.
______________

The highest tree has the greatest fall



78

UNIT 12 LAND-USE PLANNING?
I. Word study.
A. Put the right word into the blanks.
- allocation - outset - equity - inequalities - efficiency
- achieved - viable - destroy - forfeited - benefit
- yield - undertook - combined - involved - redistribution
1. Goals should be specified at the . . . . . . . . . of the particular planning project.
2. We have spent out entire. . . . . . . . for the year.
3. The . . . . . . . . of referee's decision was accepted by everyone.
4. He has . . . . . . . . the right to represent the people.
5. I have . . . . . . . . only half of what I'd hoped to do.
6. Increasingly, farmland is . . . . . . . . to property development
7. He . . . . . . . . . to finish he job by Friday.
8. . . . . . . . . . in wealth cause social unrest.
9. The strike . . . . . . . . . many people in the area.
10. Success was achieved by the . . . . . . . . . efforts of the whole team.

II. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task,
a. Have you ever planned your work or time?
b. What does land-use planning mean?
c. What are the goals of a planning project?
WHAT IS LAND-USE PLANNING?
Land-use planning is the systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternatives
for land use and economic and social conditions in order to select and adopt the best land use
options. Its purpose is to select and put into practice those land uses that will best meet the
needs of the people while safeguarding resources for the future.
Goals of land-use planning should be specified at the outset of a particular planning
project. Goals may be grouped under the three headings of efficiency, equity and
acceptability and sustainability.
1. Efficiency.
Land use must be economically viable, so one goal of development planning is to make
efficient and productive use of the land. For any particular land use, certain areas are better
suited than others. Efficiency is achieved by matching different land uses with the areas that
ill yield the greatest benefits at the least cost.
Efficiency means different things to different people, however. To the individual land
user, it means the greatest return on capital and labour invested or the greatest benefit from
the area available. Government objectives are more complex: they may include improving the
foreign exchange situation by producing for export or for import substitution.
2. Equity and acceptability
Land use must also be socially acceptable. Goals include food security, employment and
security of income in rural areas. Land improvements and redistribution of land may be
undertaken to reduce inequality, to attack absolute poverty.
One way of doing this is to set a threshold standard of living to which those of target
groups should be raised. Living standards may include levels of income, nutrition, food
security and housing. Planning to achieve these standards then involves the allocation of land
for specific uses as well as the allocation of financial another resource.
3. Sustainability


79
Sustainable land use is what which meets the needs of the present while, at the same time,
conserving resources for future generations. This requires a combination of production and
conservation: the production of the goods needed by people now is combined with the
conservation of the natural resources on which that production depends so as to ensure
continued production in the future.
A community that destroys its land forfeits its future. Land use has to be planned for the
community as a whole because the conservation of soil, water and other land resources is
often beyond the means of individual land users.
2. Comprehension check.
Are the sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.
a.__Land-use planning is the systematic assessment of land and water potential in order to
select and adopt the best land use options.
b.__The purpose of land-use planning is to select and put into practice those land uses that
will best meet the needs of the people while safeguarding resources for the future.
c.__Goals of a planning project should be specified at the beginning of the project.
d.__Goals may be grouped under the four headings of efficiency, equity, acceptability and
sustainability.
e.__Efficiency is achieved by getting the greatest benefits at the most cost.
f.__Goals never include food security, employment and security of income in rural areas.
g.__Efficiency means the greatest return on capital and labour invested or greatest benefits
from the area available.
h.__Living standards include levels of income, nutrition, food security and housing.
i.__Sustainability in land-use planning is meeting the needs of the present as well as
conserving resources for future generations.
3. Speaking. (group-work)
Each of the groups will talk about the main goals of a planning project.
a. What are the main goals of a planning project?
b. What does efficiency/equity/acceptability/sustainability/ mean?

4. Writing Summary.
a. What purpose of land-use planning is.
b. What the goals of a planning project are.
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................

II. GRAMMAR. Adverbial clause of purpose
- Purpose can be expressed by clauses.
- Purpose clauses are usually expressed by: so that ; in order that ; that . . .
* Example:
- They wrote the notices in several languages so that foreign tourists could understand them.
- The burglar cut the telephone wires in order that I couldn't call the police.
A. Practice.
1. Fill in the gaps with one of the following conjunctions: so that; in order that; so as (not)
to; in order to; to . . .
a. Ships always carry lifeboats . . . . . . . . the crew can escape if the ships sink.


80
b. The production of the goods needed now must combine with the conservation of the
national resources on which that production depends . . . . . . . .ensure continued
production in the future.
c. Land-sue planning is the systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternative
for land use and economic and social conditions. . . . . . . . . .select and adopt the best
land-use options.
d. They built a high wall round the garden . . . . . . . . .their fruit wouldn't be stolen.
e. Please, shut the gate . . . . . . . . . . the cows won't get out of the field.
f. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds.plants can absorb the
nutrients.
g. planting a diverse range of species no one pest can attack all the trees.
2. Combine the following pair to make a new sentence, using: so that; in order that; so as
(not) to; in order to; to . . .
a. I'm putting nets over my strawberry plants. I don't want the birds to eat all the
strawberries.
b. He wore a false beard. He didn't want anyone to recognize him.
c. We took off our shoes. We didn't want to make any noise.
d. The town council has forbidden coal fire. They are trying to keep the air clean.
e. He telephoned from a public call-box. He didn't want the call to be traced to his own
address.
f. They got up very early. They wanted to get to the top of the hill before sunrise.
g. As Bill went through the forest he marked the trees. He wanted the rest of the party to
know which way he had gone.
h. Indigenous forests involved over millions of years with all the pressures of natural
selection operating. Finally what we see is a highly refined complex which is
beautifully honed to survive in the surrounding environment.
i. Your garden is balanced. It will be perfectly self-sustaining if left undisturbed.

PART B
I. Word study.
A. Match the word with its definition.
1. catchment
2. concept
3. discern
4. dwelling
5. ecosystem
6. emphasis
7. empower
8. ethic of caring
9. habitat
10. harmonious
11. incorporate
12. integration
13. interrelationship
14. methodology
15. perennial
16. shelter
17. site
18. standpoint
19. strive
20. symbiotic
- arranged together in a pleasing, orderly way.
- make something part of a whole.
- place of residence, house, flat.
- set of methods used in doing something.
- make something logical or justifiable.
- position from which things are seen and opinions are formed.
- area from which rainfall flows into a river.
- general notion, idea.
- see something clearly.
- ecological unit consisting of a group of plants and animals
interacting with each other and with their surroundings.
- special meaning, value or importance on something.
- lasting for a long time.
- place where a building, town is situated or something happened
- combine effort.
- try very hard to obtain or achieve something.
- system of moral principles, rules.
- various parts fitting well together.
- having relationship between two species, organism living closely.
- give lawful power or authority to act.


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21. synergy
22. trellis
23. validate
- natural environment of an animal or a plant.
- relating to each other.
- condition of being protected, kept safe from disaster.
- framework of crossing strips of wood, bamboo to support
climbing plants.
B. Fill in the gaps with the words above.
1. Permaculture can be applied to create productivefrom the human-
useor to help degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness.
2. Permaculture is about designing ecological humanand food production
system
3. This is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.
4. A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological that produce
food
5. Permaculture is a sustainable design system stressing the harmonious of
humans, plants, animals and the earth.
6. Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated systems analysis and design
found in the world.
7. Permaculture values and traditional knowledge and experience.
8. Permaculturesustainable agriculture practices and land management
techniques and strategies from around the world.
9. Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does not useto pollute
the environment.
10. Permaculture aims to maximize andrelationship between
site components.

II. READING B.
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. What does permaculture mean?
b. What does it study?
c. Who was the word coined by?
d. When was the word coined?
e. In what country was the word coined?

PERMACULTURE
Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments.
The word permaculture was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist,
and one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of ''permanent agriculture or
permanent culture.
Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production system. It
is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration
of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils and water into
stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on
the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This
synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.
A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food.
Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and
trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds.
However, permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient
buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other
important components of permaculture. More recently, permaculture has expanded its
purview to include economic and social structures that support the evaluation and


82
development of more permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages.
As such, permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural settings, and
are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms and villages.
''Integrated farming'' and ''ecological engineering'' are terms sometimes used to describe
perma-culture, with ''cultivated ecology'' perhaps coming the closest. Though helpful, these
terms alone do not capture the holistic nature of permaculture; thus, the following definitions
are included here to provide additional insight.
- Permaculture: the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated system of food
production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is
built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually
beneficial ways.
- Permaculture is a sustainable design system stressing the harmonious interrelationship of
humans, plants, animals and the earth.
- Permaculture is a practical concept, which can be applied in the city, on the farm, and in
the wilderness. Its principles empower people to establish highly productive environments
providing for food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs, including
economic. Carefully observing natural patterns characteristic of a particular site, the
permaculture designer gradually discerns optimal methods for integrating water catchments,
human shelter, and energy systems with tree crops, edible and useful perennial plants,
domestic and wild animals and aquaculture.
2. Comprehension check. Are the following statements true or false?
a.__Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated systems analysis and design
methodologies found in the world.
b.__Permaculture can be applied to create productive ecosystems from the human-use
standpoint or to help degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness.
c.__Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystems, no matter how degraded.
d.__Permaculture values and validates traditional knowledge and experience.
e.__Permaculture incorporates sustainable agriculture practices and land management
techniques and strategies from around the world.
f.__Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does not use pesticides to pollute the
environment.
g.__Permaculture aims to maximize symbiotic and synergistic relationship between site
components.
h.__Permaculture is urban planning as well as rural land design.
i.__Permaculture design is site specific, client specific, and culture specific.
2. Speaking. (pair-work) Ask and answer the following questions.
a. What words does 'permaculture' derive from?
b. What do designers base on to design permaculture ecosystem?
c. What factors are important for permaculture designers?
d. What should they take into account before planning their land?
e. What benefits does permaculture bring to them?
3. Write out the characteristics of permaculture.
a. .........................................................................................................................................
b. .........................................................................................................................................
c. .........................................................................................................................................
d. .........................................................................................................................................
e. ........................................................................................................................................

4. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

production ; implies ; protecting ; erosion ; available ; applied


83
because ; acceptable ; inducement ; conservation ; between ; conserve

CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
An ambitious soil conservation program has concentrated on(1)steep slopes by
bunding and afforestation. This has made a substantial impact on soil(2),but has not
contributed much to increased agricultural(3) . Large- scale afforestation is also
unpopular with local people(4)it reduces the area(5)for livestock grazing while
forest protection(6)denying access for fuel wood collection. A balance(7)the
competing requirements of(8)and production is clearly needed if popular support for
soil conservation work is to continue without(9)such as the food-for-work programme.
A land-use plan to(10)steeper slopes by restoring good vegetative cover through
closure, followed by controlled grazing, has been found to be more(11)to the local
people than large-scale afforestation(12)in isolation.

5. Translation. Translate the passage into Vietnamese.
............................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
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Every medal has its reverse




















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UNIT 13 INSECTS
I. Word study.
1. Match the word with its definition.
a. larva
b. nymph
c. suck
d. hatch
e. cotton bolls
f. stalk borer
g. piercing
h. aphids
i. fluid
j. pupa
k. stem
l. enclose
m. maturity
n. arthropods
o. exoskeleton
p. exceed
q. metamorphosis
- insect in the first stage of its life after coming out of the egg.
- insect in the stage of development between a larva and an adult
- a young insect emerges from an egg.
- very small insect that sucks the juice from plants.
- any liquid substance.
- draw a liquid or air into the mouth.
- be greater or more numerous.
- going into or through with sharp-pointed instrument.
- change of form by natural growth.
- adult stage.
- main central part of a plant.(not a tree)
- solid external skeleton.
- put a wall, fence round something.
- insect with hard outer body and joined legs (limbs).
- a young insect
- insect mouth like a bore which makes hole in stem of a plant.
- cotton seed-case.
2. Fill in the gaps with words above.
a. Insects are classified as which have and segmented bodies
which are by a hard and rigid or external skeleton.
b. Insect undergo changes in form as they increase in size and.
c. In the case of aphids the adult female eggs on a leaf which becomes the food
store for the , i.e. the young insects.
d. The nymphs feed by the leaf with their mouthparts and the fluid
from the leaf.
e. When the number of on a plant exceeds the number, some of them grow
wings and fly to new plants.
f. In a second type of metamorphosis, complete metamorphosis, the insect develops through
four stages: egg, , and adult.
g. In insects showing complete metamorphosis the eggs into larvae.
h. The cotton stainer kills cotton and the makes holes in
the of maize plants and eats the and cobs.
i. During the..stage the insect changes in form from the larva to the adult insect.

II. READING A.
1. pre-reading task. Answer the following before reading the passage.
a. Are there harmless insect? Are there useful insect? Why are they useful?
b. How many legs does an insect have?
2. Write the names of insect you know under the two headings.

Harmful insect
- grass hopper
-
-
-
-
Harmless insect
- lizards
- .
- .
- .
- .


85
- - ..

HOW INSECTS DEVELOP
Insects are classified as arthropods, i.e. they have joined legs. They have segmented bodies
which are enclosed by a hard and rigid exoskeleton or external skeleton.
Insect undergo changes in form as they increase in size and maturity. These changes are
described as metamorphosis, occurs in many important tropical pests, e.g. nymph and adult.
In the case of aphids the adult female lays eggs on a leaf which becomes the food store for the
nymphs, i.e. the young insects. The nymphs feed by piercing the leaf with their mouthparts
and sucking the fluid from the leaf. When the number of aphids on a plant exceeds the
number that can be supported by the plant, some of them grow wings and fly to new plants.
Thus, if they are not controlled they can easily destroy a crop. The nymph reaches maturity in
about a week.
In a second type of metamorphosis, complete metamorphosis, the insect develops through
four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Like insects showing incomplete metamorphosis, the
adult female lays eggs on a suitable host. However, in insects showing complete
metamorphosis, e.g. flies and beetles, the eggs hatch into larvae. The larval stage is a feeding
stage and is remarkably different from the adult in appearance, usually in habitat, and in food
consumed. Many larvae cause serious damage to crops. For example, the cotton stainer kills
cotton bolls and the stalk borer makes holes in the stems of maize plants and eats the leaches
and cobs. When the larvae are fully fed they form a cocoon and the pupal stage begins.
During the pupal stage the insect changes in form from the larva to the adult insect.
3. Comprehension check.
A. Answer the following questions.
a. How are insect classified?
b. How do insect change in form?
c. How do insect develop?
d. Why are insect harmful to crops?
e. How do people control insect?
f. What methods do farmers often use to protect their crops from insect?
B. Look at this chart which gives the information in the passage in note form. The left-hand
side of the chart has been completed. Complete the right-hand side by referring to the
passage.

locusts
chu
chu
aphids
rp
vng
a. b.

Incomplete
metamorphos
is
INSECT c.

Eggs d.

Nymphs Feed on
fluids
In plants
f. e.

adults Feed on
fluids
g.


86
In plants

h.
4. The following parts of the passage are out of order. Put them in the right order.
LOCUSTS
A. Why do millions of locusts suddenly appear out of the desert? Why do they appear
every few years? Why not every year? Why aren't there locusts flying around farms all
the time? Nobody knows the answers to these questions. We cannot solve the problem of
locusts until we find the answers to these questions.
B. Every few years locusts come flying out of the desert. They travel on the wind from15
to 150 kilometers a day. A locus is small. It weights only about 60 grams. However,
locusts are a terrible problem because one is never alone. There can be 100 million of
them in two square kilometers. Each one eats twice its weight in food every day.
Thousands of people can die after locusts pass through an area. The locusts eat all the
plants, and there is no food for the people.
C. We are sitting in a village in West Africa and there are millions of locusts in the air, in
the trees, and on the crops. They are eating every plant in front of them. They are eating
both the wild plants and all the crops on the farms. They are moving along slowly,
jumping or flying from one plant to the next. Sometimes the wind carries them along
quickly.
D. Governments use airplanes to poison locusts. Locusts often appear in Africa. The
countries there do not have enough money to buy planes and poison. Sometimes there are
wars, and the planes cannot fly to nearby countries to kill the locusts.

PART B
I. Word study.
A. Match the words with its definition.
1. seed
2. dust
3. insecticide
4. crop rotation
a. remove dust to clean something.
b. substance used for killing insects.
c. varying the crops grown each year on the same land.
d. part of plant from which a new plant of the same kind can grow.
B. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.
pesticide ; damaging ; rotation ; treatment ; compounds ; preventing
spread ; infection ; pests ; season ; poisonous ; active ; livestock ; care
1. Seed that is bought locally or seed produced by a farmer for his own use may carry
an.. which will quickly .. to the new crop.
2. Some seeds are given heat .. which protects them against certain ..
and diseases.
3. Crop .. is one method of.. this because if the pests do not attack the
new crop they may die off.
4. Most main crops are grown during the rainy.. and this is the time when insect
pests are most .. .
6. These pesticides are.. to insects and other pests and large quantities will poison
.. or humans.
7. Chemical pest controls should always be used with.. and only the right amount
of the correct.. should be used.
8. Many chemical.. are made which can kill the pest without.. the
crop or animal which is protected.

II. GRAMMAR. Time clauses
The conjunctions often used in time clauses are: when; while; as; as soon as; before; after..


87
Example:
- I was having dinner. Peter came.
=>While I was having dinner peter came.
- The Queen gets off the train. The Major will give her some flowers.
=> As soon as the Queen gets off the train the Major will give her some flowers.
- The teacher comes into classroom. The pupils stand up.
=> When the teacher comes into classroom the pupils stand up.
A. Practice.
1. Fill in the gaps with one of the time conjunctions above.
a. Government certified seed is not likely to carry diseases or pestsit is bought.
b. Seeds can be dusted with an insecticide such as aldrin to protect them they
are in storage and in the soil.
c. if irrigation is used it is possible to grow crops such as cabbages and tomatoes during the
dry season .there are fewer pests about.
d. Insect undergo changes in form .they increase in size and maturity.
e. the larvae are fully fed they form a cocoon and the pupal stage begins.
f. the number of aphids on a plant exceeds the number that can be supported by
the plant, some of them grow wings and fly to new plants.
g. It is a red-brown soil which becomes very hard..it is dry.
h. the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel its texture is said to be
gritty.
i. these raw materials are broken down they become humus.
j. These organic materials will gradually add to the soil organic matter and nutrient bank
they break down.
2. Combine the following pairs to make a complex sentence. Use time conjunctions.
a. You do not buy commercial seafood and freshwater fish. You are helping to preserve the
ocean and river wildernesses.
b. The water table rises towards the surface. Naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer.
c. Mulches are made from organic materials, such as hay, grass clippings, straw, newspaper
and old woolen. They will gradually add to the soil organic matter and nutrient bank. The
mulches break down.
d. The light was absorbed. It is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat energy or turned
into chemical energy by green plants. They photosynthesis.
e. The green manure crop can be slashed two or three times. It is growing and then chopped
into the soil. It flowers and seeds.
f. You may feel it is not ethical to eat red meat because of the environmental cost of feeding
most of the world's grain to beef and pigs. Many people are starving; or you may be
concerned about land degradation occurring through removal of forests of grazing land.
g. Many desert regions and arid zones have been sensitively managed by people who
travelled around their lands. They hunted or tended their animals.

I. READING C.
A. Read the following passage and find the answers to these questions.
a. What is the most common method used to decrease the damage to crops caused by
insect?
b. How does crop rotation affect plant pests?
c. When are insect populations most numerous?
d. When are seeds most likely to be damaged by pests?
e. How can timing planting reduce the damage to crops?
f. Do chemical substance used for pest control affect on people's health ?


88
g. How should people use the insecticides to prevent from their harmful effects?
h. Do people need to use biocides to kill insect such as fungicides, miticides and
insecticides? Why?
How damage to crops can be reduced
1. Buying good seed
Government certified seed is not likely to carry diseases or pests when it is bought. Seed
that is bought locally or seed produced by a farmer for his own use may carry an infection
which will quickly spread to the new crop. Seeds, but not food grains, can be dusted with an
insecticide such as aldrin to protect them during storage and in the soil. Some seeds are given
heat treatment which protects them against certain pests and diseases.
2. Crop rotation
If the same crop is grown on a field for several years pests and disease organisms may
collect in the soil. Crop rotation is one method of preventing this because if the pests do not
attack the new crop they may die off.
3. Timing planting
Most main crops are grown during the rainy season and this is the time when insect pests
are most active. However, if irrigation is used it is possible to grow crops such as cabbages
and tomatoes during the dry season when there are fewer pests about.
4. Chemical pest control
This is the most frequently used method of controlling agricultural pests. Many chemical
compounds are made which can kill the pest without damaging the crop or animal which is
protected. These pesticides are poisonous to insects and other pests and large quantities will
poison livestock or humans. Chemical pest controls should always be used with care and only
the right amount of the correct pesticide should be used.
B. Comprehension check.
Say whether these statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
a.__ It is likely that a seed produced locally will be infected.
b.__ An infected seed will certainly damage the crop.
c.__ Aldrin cannot poison humans.
d.__ Seeds must be given heat treatment to protect them against pests.
e.__ Insecticides are dangerous to humans in small quantities.
f.__Crop rotation may prevent plants from harmful insect.
g.__Insect are most active in sunny season.

C. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

palatable ; attack ; pests ; different ; reduce
infested ; polyculture ; achieved ; poultry ; birds

PEST MANAGEMENT
Healthy soil and diverse habitats greatly(1)pest infestations. It has been found that in
an apple monoculture up to 100% of the apples can be(2)with codling moth; in
a(3)only 4% of the apples will be affected by codling moth.
Pest management is(4)by:
planting a diverse range of species so that no one pest can(5)all the trees;
planting varieties with(6)harvest times. Some varieties will miss the peak pest period;
allowing(7)and pigs to forage through the orchard. They will eat insect (8)and
diseased or infested fruit;
providing habitat for insectivorous(9)and animals including lizards, frogs and
spiders;


89
maintaining a constant but not excessive supply of nutrients. Over-fertilized, very lush
growth attracts insect pests because it is highly(10)to them.

__________________
The longest day must have an end
UNIT 14 DAIRY FARMING
I. Word study.
1. Match the words with similar meaning.
a. formulate
b. dairy cattle
c. mature
d. lactating cow
e. pregnant
f. supplement
g. infertility
h. retard
i. consult
j. oral dosing
k. intramuscular injection
l. tissues
m. rectify
n. intravenous injection
o. gestation
p. regain
q. treatment
1. cows produce milk.
2. thing added to something else to improve or complete it.
3. create something in a precise form.
4. unable to have children.
5. ask for advice.
6. slow the development.
7. take medicine by mouth
8. cows having a baby in the womb.
9. cows kept to produce milk.
10. fully grown or developed.
11. period of time of pregnant.
12. recover
13. inject medicine within a muscle
14. process of treating an illness.
15. inject medicine within a vein.
16. put something correct repeatedly.
17. mass of cells forming the body of an animal or plant.
2. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.
1. dairy / beef 2. supply / supplement 5. treat / treatment
2. retards / retardation 4. tissues / issues 6. gesture / gestation

a. The money I get from teaching the piano is a useful..to my ordinary income.
b. When the ... have been destroyed a scar has formed.
c. Elephants have a...period of about 624 days.
d. That is the... farm that produces milk and butter.
e. Scientists have found a new... for cancer.
f. lack of sun...plant growth.

II. READING A.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What should you do when you look after dairy cattle?
b. What do you pay more your attention to?
c. Why do you think so?

WHAT ARE THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF DAIRY CATTLE?
The following nutrients are essential to all dairy cattle:
energy
minerals
protein
vitamins
Any diet must be formulated to provide these nutrients, which are essential for growth,
reproduction, milk production, etc.
1. What should you know about the energy needs of dairy cattle?


90
Mature dairy cattle need a sufficient supply of energy to produce milk and to maintain
their body reserves. Shortages in energy depress the reproduction function. Lactating cows
need 10 to 15% more energy to maintain their body reserves than any cows and cows that are
not pregnant.
2. What should you know about mineral nutrition?
Twenty-one minerals are essential in the nutrition of dairy cattle. Fortunately, most of the
minerals are found in sufficient quantities in the feeds eaten by the animal. Balanced
commercial feeds used as supplements usually contain sufficient minerals to, under normal
conditions, meet the needs of the dairy cow. Most of the minerals are required in very small
quantities.
Mineral deficiencies and imbalances can be the cause of infertility, low milk yield,
retarded growth, etc. Certain areas in our country are known to lack minerals, such as calcium
and phosphorus. Consult your veterinary surgeon or animal nutritionist who will be able to
advise you regarding such problems in your area.
There are various methods that could be used to supplement mineral deficiencies. The
methods most favoured are injections or oral dosing.
When injected intramuscularly, the minerals are absorbed slowly into the tissue and
provide protection against dietary deficiencies for a long period of time.
The only obvious deficiency you will probably ever experience is that of calcium in cows
suffering from ''milk fever''. The drop in the level of calcium in the blood is, however, not
necessarily caused by a deficiency in the cow's diet. The deficiency is rectified by an
intravenous injection of calcium.
3. Do cows need vitamin supplements?
Vitamin deficiencies in cattle are rare and supplementation is only required in certain
cases.
When your cows fail to become pregnant, have a shorter period of gestation, a high
percentage of retained placentas and abortions, it could probably be as a result of a vitamin A
deficiency. The eyes of the cows with a vitamin A deficiency are dull and watery. If injected
with vitamin A, the eyes will regain their normal brightness within a day or two. If necessary,
treatment may be repeated every three months.
2. Comprehension check.
Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false ones.
a. Minerals are one of the essential nutrients to all dairy cattle.
b. Any diet for dairy cattle must consist of energy, minerals, protein and vitamins.
c. Lactating cows need more energy than pregnant cows.
d. Dairy cows need a large quantity of minerals.
e. Lack of calcium and phosphorus causes low milk yield and retarded growth.
f. Injection is the popular method to supply mineral deficiencies to the cattle.
g. Cows need vitamin supplement every day.
h. The eyes of cow deficient in vitamin A are often dull and watery.
i. It is necessary to inject cows with vitamin A every week.

3. Writing. (work in group of 3)
a. The diet of milk cows.

..
b. The diet of pregnant cows.

.
..


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c. How to supply vitamins and mineral nutrition to dairy cattle?

..

PART B
I. Word study.
A. Match the words which have similar meaning.
a. prevent
b. inoculate
c. cure
d. endemic
e. immunity
f. calves
g. colostrum
h. infect
i. brucellosis
j. herd
k. free of disease
l. tuberculosis
m. veterinary
surgeon (vet)
n. confirm
1. inject with a vaccine
2. ability to resist infection disease.
3. avoid
4. infectious disease.
5. cause others to have a disease.
6. an infectious lung disease.
7. make definite more firmly.
8. not harm by something dangerous, or infectious disease.
9. number of animals feeding or staying together.
10. an infectious disease that affects domestic and humans who drink
infected milk.
11. liquid produced by female mammals immediately after giving birth,
rich in vitamins, antibodies and protein.
12. person who is skilled in the treatment of animal disease.
13. treat a disease.
14. very young cattle
B. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.
1. infectious ; infected ; infection 2. nutrients ; immunity ; diseases
3. cancer ; brucellosis ; cholera 4. tissues ; blood sample ; muscles
5. free of ; inoculate ; prevent 6. abortion ; herd ; calves

a. This vaccine will give cows.against tuberculosis for many years.
b. ..is an infectious disease which causes abortion in cattle and fever in humans.
c. To have the correct treatment doctors must test some..of the patients to find the
disease.
d. The laboratory animals had been.with the bacteria.
e. If you have injection of cholera, you will be..the disease.
f. This vaccine inoculates cattle against. .

II. READING B
1. Read through the passage and answer the following questions.
a. How do you know your cows are ill?
b. How do you look after your ill cows?
c. How do you treat the cows' illness?
d. How can you prevent your animals from becoming ill?
HEALTH CARE
If we can prevent disease, we can reduce the cost of treatment, loss of productivity and
livestock deaths caused by disease. Preventive measures are virtually all cheaper than cures
and cures are not always successful.
Cattle can be inoculated against certain diseases, but this does not guarantee that they will
never contract the diseases.
You should consult with your veterinary surgeon to find out which diseases are endemic
to your region and whether you should inoculate your cattle against these diseases. If cattle


92
are bought in from other areas, this might be necessary. However, if the cattle were born on
your farm, the chances are good that they will have required natural immunity. This, once
again, stresses the importance of ensuring that calves are fed sufficient amounts of colostrum
soon after birth.
At law all dairy cattle must be inoculated against Brucella aborts. This disease causes
cows to abort their calves. When humans drink the milk of infected animals, they might also
be infected. In humans, brucellosis, which is extremely dangerous, is commonly known as
Malta Fever.
Your herd will also have to be free of tuberculosis. A government official, probably a
veterinary surgeon will draw blood samples from all your cattle to be tested for brucellosis
and tuberculosis. Once it is determined that the herd is free of these diseases, you will be
issued with a certificate, confirming the findings of the test.
2. Comprehension check.
Answer the following questions.
a. What disease are cows often infected?
b. What disease can humans be infected from animals?
c. How can humans be infected with the diseases
d. What disease is the most dangerous for cattle and humans? Why?

PART C THE TREATMENT OF ILLNESS
I. Word study.
1. Match the word with the appropriate definition.
a. crucial
b. observe
c. disorder
d. recovery
e. diagnose
f. symptom
g. abnormal
h. behaviour
i. alert
j. droplet
k. medication
1. watch or follow something.
2. small drop
3. manner
4. attentive and quick to think or act.
5. essential
6. confused state or lack of order.
7. medicine, medicinal substance.
8. different.
9. change in the body that indicates an illness.
10. become healthy again after an illness.
11. find out the nature of an illness by observing its symptom.
B. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.

1. dialogue ; diagnosed ; ignore 2. disorder ; disease ; disaster
3. alert ; crucial ; abnormal 4. medicinal ; medical ; medication
5. symptoms ; system ; synthesis 6. discovery ; recovery ; cover

1. The doctormeasles.
2. What is the best.for this condition?
3. Although he is over eighty his mind is still remarkably. .
4. Everyone began shouting at once and the meeting broke up in. .
5. Experience will teach you which diseases are common to your area and what
to look out for.
6. The sooner treatment can begin, the better are the chances of . .

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A COW IS ILL?
It is crucial that you should be able to observe the signs of ill health at the outset of any
disorder. The sooner treatment can begin, the better are the chances of recovery. Even if you
were not able to diagnose the disease, it would assist the veterinary surgeon if you could
describe the symptoms.


93
The dairy farmer should know his animals so well that any abnormal behaviour is noted
immediately. Cow showing any of the following signs, should be examined closer:
difficulty in getting up
sudden loss in weight
heavy breathing
dull coat of hair
not eating and ruminating normally
ears should be alert
nose should be moist with little droplets
difficulty in walking
any abnormal way of standing, such as standing with a bent back.
If a cow shows any of the above signs, she should be examined more closely.
The first step should be to take her body temperature. Normal temperature is 38,8 to 39C. A
cow showing a temperature of 39,5 C is definitely ill. If the temperature reaches 40C,
immediate steps should be taken. It is a good idea to always keep medication at hand which
will reduce fever. Your veterinary surgeon will be able to supply you with name of a suitable
product.
A number of diseases attack the liver. These can be diagnosed by examining the white of
the eyes, which turns yellowish; the gums, which should be pinkish, turns white, and the
urine, which should be clear and yellowish, turns dark in colour.
Experience will teach you which diseases are common to your area and what symptoms to
look out for. Experience will also teach you which medicines to keep in stock in your
refrigerator.
C. Comprehension check.
Answer the following questions?
1. How do you know when a cow is ill?
2. What symptoms of a cow show that it is ill?
3. What temperature of an ill cow is?
4. What should you do when your cow is ill?
5. Which is the best method of health care?
D. Writing.
a. Write out the methods of health care, the symptoms of illness and the treatment of the
illness.
methods of health care the symptoms of illness the treatment of the illness
a. ..





b. ..





- ..





- ..





- ..





- ..






__________scsc__________

The rotten apple injures its neighbours


94




UNIT 15 NATURAL FORESTS
I. Word study.
A. Find the words which have similar meaning.
1. backbone
2. pressure
3. hone
4. fragments
5. coniferous
6. extend
7. refine
8. uncontaminated
9. adapted
10. verge
a. a small part or a piece broken off.
b. stone used for sharpening the cutting edges of tools.
c. make something longer or larger.
d. belong to cypress-tree and pine-tree.
e. being used to something
f. unpolluted, uninfected
g. stress of natural force
h. margin place
i. remove impurities from purity. (refine sugar; oil)
j. the most important part of human body or something
B. Match the word with its definition.
1. preserve
2. indigenous forest
3. conservation forest
4. boundary
5. sanctuary
6. mammals
7. creek
8. gully
9. slope
10. reptile
- lines distinguish different areas.
- area with rising or falling ground.(steep slope)
- narrow channel cut or formed by rain water.
- condition of being protected; kept safe.
- animals that feed their young on milk from breast.
- a natural forest with indigenous plants and animals.
- class of cold-blood, egg-laying animals with very short or no legs.
- forest protected by the government law.
- narrow stretch of water flowing inland from a coast stream or
brook.
- area where birds and wild animals are protected from hunters.
C. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.
boundary ; slopes ; verges ; sanctuary ; shelter ; indigenous
pressures ; surrounding ; reptiles ; uncontaminated ; backbone

1. forests involved over millions of years with all the of natural
selection operating, so that finally what we see is a highly refined complex which is
beautifully honed to survive in the environment.
2. If the forest is large enough it will offer to indigenous mammals, birds
and .
3. Forests may be established in the areas such as: creeks, gullies, farm , ridges
and places with greater than 15, and roadside.. .
4. Your garden is the natural forests that are theand security for the whole
landscape.
5. Like your food forest and structural forest, this assembly (s lp ghep) of trees
and their organisms provides and protection, and maintains air, water and
soil in states.

II. GRAMMAR. adverbial clauses of cause and effects
Adverbial clauses of cause and effect are often expressed by: because; as; while; so .
A. Fill in the gaps with one of the conjunctions above.


95
1. people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase land which has been used to grow
bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit,these crops will have been heavily
doses with biocides.
2. This means they continue to exist unchanged in the soilthey cannot move into
one of the cycles of matter.
3. Plants and crops diethey are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.
4. Microclimates can be a rich source of diversity, your design should take
advantage of them rather than eliminate them.
5. Aquaculture is also one of the most efficient methods of obtaining high quality animal
proteinfish are cold-blooded and do not use energy for body warmth,
therefore they require less food per body weight.
6. In temperate and tropical systems more aquaculture systems are needed to ameliorate
environmental stressthey will absorb excess nutrients, filter some toxins, and
supply a wider range of cultivated products.
B. Combine the following pairs to make complex sentences
a. The community was allowed to have a multiple occupancy title to their land. The local
government office declared that the land was useless for conventional agriculture.
b. After more than ten years the regrowth is extraordinarily beautiful, and indigenous
animals fearlessly move around the residents. They have come to recognize the land as a
sanctuary.
c. The people live in simple houses, built with mudbricks or recycled timbers and use solar
and wind-powered electricity. The forests here are being conserved very well.
d. The community is largely self-supporting in term of water, power and food. The people
do not need large incomes and can effort not to turn the land into a full-scale farm.
e. Plants and crops die. They are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.

III. READING A
1. Pre-reading questions.
a. What national forests in our country do you know? Call them out?
b. Are there any national forests in your area?
NATURAL FORESTS
The indigenous forests are the conservation forests. If your garden is your security in food,
then it is the natural forests that are the backbone and security for the whole landscape.
Indigenous forests involved over millions of years with all the pressures of natural
selection operating, so that finally what we see is a highly refined complex which is
beautifully honed to survive in the surrounding environment. It is balanced so that it will be
perfectly self-sustaining if left undisturbed. If the environment changes, then, given time, the
forest will change. It is miracle.
Like your food forest and structural forest, this assembly of trees and their organisms
provides shelter and protection, and maintains air, water and soil in uncontaminated states. In
addition it preserves the perfectly adapted genetic material of many plants and animals.
If the forest is large enough it will offer sanctuary to indigenous mammals, birds and
reptiles. In the event of fire or drought, animals can move around this zone to escape the
worst of the disaster, especially if the natural forest is linked to wildlife corridors.
Indigenous forests have another special benefit, which is that of conveying a sense of
place or each region. When you think of Northern Hemisphere forests your thoughts go to
deciduous beech woodlands or coniferous forests.
The principles for natural forests are:
to preserve all fragments of indigenous forest;
to extend all natural forests.


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to establish forests in the following areas;
- creeks, rivers and gullies
- farm boundaries
- ridges and places with slopes greater than 15
- roadside verges
The size of natural forests usually determined by the productivity of the land. Obviously
natural forests will be smaller on highly productive land and in the cities.
2. Comprehension check.(work in group of 4) Ask and answer the following questions.
a. What is the indigenous forest?
b. How is the indigenous established?
c. Do the indigenous forest change ?
d. What benefits do the indigenous forests have?
e. What are the advantages of the indigenous forest?
f. What are the main principles for the natural forest?
g. Why do people have to restore and protect indigenous forests?
h. What does the author mean by natural forest?
3. Writing. (group-work)
a. The benefits getting from natural forests.
b. Why do people need to protect natural forest?
c. The deforestation in Vietnam.
d. The project for afforestation in Vietnam.

PART B.
I. Word study.
A. Match the word with its definition.
a. levee
b. hybrid strain
c. paddy
d. arid
e. hunt
f. tend
g. consumerism
h. breakdown
i. tribal
j. ecofarm
k. alley
l. fabrics
m. scheme
n. occupancy
o. title
p. conventional
q. regenerate
r. solar energy
- sun's energy
- restore
- following what is tradition or customary
- right or climate the ownership of property.
- occupying a house, land
- project, plan
- type of cloths
- path bordered by trees or hedges in a garden or park.
- ecological farm.
- racial group of people, group of related animals or plants.
- collapse or failure.
- protection of consumers' interests.
- look after or take care of .
- chase and try to kill or capture wild animals.
- dry land having a little or no rain.
- field where rice is grown.
- animal or plant that has parents of different species.
- embankment built to prevent a flooded river from overflowing.

II. READING B
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What does region mean?
b. Give some names indicating different regions. For example, coastal region
Sustainable Growing and Living in Different Regions
A. Cool, wet biozones


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In the past, people in cool temperate biozones typically created attractive landscapes of
small houses grouped in villages. Some of these can still be seen in Ireland, Norway,
England, northern France and Germany.
The villagers had their own food gardens and shared publicly owned commons of
grasslands, forests and waterways. (figure 5 shows a profile of a landscape modelled on this
system - the design could be adapted and used by individual farmers living in this biozone).
B. Hot, wet biozones
Hot, wet biozones have historically supported millions of people in the delta systems of
the Ganges, Irrawaddy, Red, Mekong, and Indus rivers. Traditionally, the farming systems
were highly productive, self-sustaining and non-polluting.
Like the rural villages in temperate climates, houses were grouped together, and each
house had a food garden sheltered by fruit and timber trees. Legumes were planted on the
levee banks of the terraced rice paddies to supply nitrogen for the rice. Ducks, geese and fish
supplemented the staple rice crop, and controlled insect pests.
Although some villages are still set out in this way, governments and companies are
changing the traditional landscape and way of life for these people. The leveebanks and the
fruit and forest trees are being removed to create more space for growing rice, which is used
as a cash crop and for export. These new hybrid strains of rice require chemicals which are
killing the fish in the rivers and canals. As a consequence, the farmers are being forced to
give up their ancestral lands, or they are going into debt to buy capital intensive machinery
(even though the crop prices are not rising to cover these new costs).
C. Hot dry biozones
Many desert regions and arid zones have been sensitively managed by people, who
travelled around their lands as they hunted or tended their animals.
Arabs, Tibetans, African Bushmen and Aborigines all had extensive and precise
environmental knowledge that enabled them to live in areas which today would be considered
impossible without many inputs. One very good example of a sustainable desert cultures is
that of the Bishnoi people of the Rajasthan desert in India. Although the annual rainfall is 1
cm per year, they manage to live well and stay healthy because their society maintains strict
ecological laws.
In some dry land cultures, water conserving strategies have enabled farmers to
successfully grow crops.
2. Comprehension check. Answer the following questions.
a. How many biozones are there in your country?
b. Is there any difference between the biozones?
c. What advantages and disadvantages are there in the biozones?
d. What do people cultivate in each biozone?
e. What biozone is the most convenient for the agricultural development?
f. What biozone is more convenient for raising cattle, and what is for farming?
g. How do people in hot dry biozones manage to live well?
h. Why are some villages being forced to give up their ancestral lands?

________scsc________

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach







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TEST 3 (Unit 11 Unit15) (score: 100 marks)
I. SECTION 1: (Grammar and Vocabulary) (45 marks)
A. Vocabulary. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
1. Although their fruiting characteristics may not be as desirable as other varieties, they will
have a greater chance of establishing in the new environment.
A. subdivision of a species B. different kinds of tree, animal
C. a class of different things D. A or B
2. Later you can add varieties that have special qualities such as early or late fruit, special
flavour or colour, and good storage or processing characteristics.
A. distingwishing features B. good manners C. typical signs D. B or C
3. If possible, use grafted species as they will bear more heavily and the rootstock will be
hardier under your conditions.
A. mixed species B. one plant fixed to another
C. loval species D. two different parts of a plant
4. Trees with fruit ripening .............. the leaf canopy will need more sun than trees with fruit
ripening ................ the leaf canopy.
A. out/in B. sideout/sidein C. inside/outside D. outside/inside
5. It is important to understand how water moves through the soil ....................... when you
add water you can help to keep it there and prevent leaching of valuable plant nutrients.
A. so that B. so as to C. in order to D. in order that
6. It is not really possible..................too much organic matter in a food garden.
A. have B. to have C. having D. A or C
7. It is suitable for cultivation in a .............................. soil.
A. fine-textured soil B. medium-textured soil C. coarse-textured soil D. B & C
8. Moisture moves upwards due to the evaporative effects of sunlight and wind.
A. evaporated by effects B. concentrated by effects C. condencated by effects D. A & B
9. Mulching or digging organic matter into the soil can..............evaporation from the soil
surface.
A. reduce B. increase C. keep D. A or B
10. Nitrogen is one of the major elements ................ for plant and animal growth.
A. requirement B. requiring C. require D. required
11. Nitrogen is transformed into a soluble form by bacteria living in soil or water.
A. come B. converted C. exchanged D. moved quickly
12. Organic matter helps sandy soils to hold .......................... .
A. water B. nutrient C. air D. A & B
13. Overall,..................... is the most important in achieving diverse and stable landscapes.
A. microclimate B. regional climate C. general climate D. none is correct
14. Overdosing with fertilizer may lead to the...................... of surface and ground water.
A. drying up B. contamination C. pollution D. B or C
15. Oxygen with ethylene may help to increase the build-up of. .
A. micro-organisms. B. organic matter C. soil texture D. nutrients
16. Soil can be quite rapidly repaired and rebuilt.
A. improved B. increased C. eroded D. dergaded
17. Some biocides continue to exist unchanged in the soil..................... .
A. because they are not soluble compounds. B. because they are made from chemicals.
C. because they cannot move into the cycles of matter. D. A & B
18. Sulphur can be added to an alkaline soil to make it more ................ .


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A. fertile B. alkaline C. acidic D. neutral
19. The bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen and receive energy from it.
A. the nitrogen B.the bacterium C. the plant D. the sun
20. The following techniques describe ways of increasing the organic content and nutrient
status of soils.
A. materials B. fertility C. structure D. substance
21. The fundamental cause of soil decline is ..................... .
A. the removal of surface vegetation. B. the excessive use of artificial fertilizer.
C. the use of chemicals D. the land salinity
22. The green manure crop can be slashed two or three times while it is growing.
A. collected B. cut C. chopped D. struck
23. The PH refers to acidity or alkalinity which, in soils, is a measure of solubility of nutrients.
A. size B. ability C. extent D. standard
24. The root systems open up the soil to air and water and protect the surface from erosion and
desiccation.
A. prevent B. keep C. guard D. A or B
25. When water moves through the soil, it may bring.into water table.
A. soil surface B. plant nutrients C. humus D. soil organisms
26. Some fruits, like citrus, plums and peaches, have been bred to thrive over a wide range of
soil and climates.
A. develop well B. grow well C. spead quickly D. A or B
27. Other trees are more specialized in their requirements, e.g. tea and coffee grow best at
high altitudes; coconuts will only fruit in warm coastal regions.
A. adapted to B. well-known in C. instinctive in D. typical in
28. In both cases the soil texture and structure is improved by adding ...........of organic
matter.
A. large qualities B. large amounts C. large quantities D. B or C
29. The management of tropical soils involves different principles from those of temperate
soils.
A. rules B. laws C. ways D. formulas
30. Tropical soils contain a large amount of kaolinite clay and if they are low in iron and
aluminium, their structure may be excessively poor and unstable.
A. lot B. big quantity C. good quality D. A or B
B. Grammar. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
31. Bill Mollison recommends that people .................... to grow organic foods do not
purchase land which has been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit.
A. wish B. wished C. wishing D. A or B
32. Most of crops do not begin to grow ................ the temperature varies greatly from the
optimum temperature for germination.
A. if B. unless C. where D. though
33. It is possible for germination ..............at the minimum temperature, but the seed may die
if the temperature rises much above or falls much below the optimum temperature range.
A. to beginning B. to begin C. beginning D. begun
34. In semi-arid areas such as the monsoon areas of North-west India and West Africa, crops
may have.............. as many as eight times in one season.
A. to be replanted B. replanted C. to replant D. been replanted
35. However about 90 % of the fertilizer was insoluble and lay in the soils ............... and is
now resulting in extremely acid soils and dying pastures.
A. unuse B. unusing C. unuses D. unused


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36. Soil salinity is another example of unhealthy soil. Basically, it is caused by ..............
water tables.
A. rising B. rise C. rised D. rosen
37. Deep-rooted trees and shrubs are removed and replaced with shallow-rooted pasture
species .......... use less water.
A. which B. what C. those D. these
38. As more water moves through the soil the water table rises and natural salts are ..............
to the soil surface.
A. bringing B. flowing C. brought D. flowed
39. Plants and crops die because they are unable ............................the high salt levels.
A. tolerated B. to tolerate C. tolerating D. tolerate
40. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas ..................... vegetation has been
removed from recharge areas.
A. where B. whose C. which D. that
41. ...................... much farming is still by traditional methods, there has been a significant
change in the technologies available since independence.
A. Although B. However C. Much as D. Even if
42. The area under canal irrigation systems ................. by the government has expanded
enormously.
A. financed B. finance C. financing D. finances
43. There has been an even greater expansion in the area ................... by well-based systems.
A. watered B. watering C. irrigation D. irrigate
44. The demand for chemical fertilizers and high-yielding seed varieties ............ increased
markedly.
A. having B. have C. to have D. has
45. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds .............. plants can absorb the
nutrients.
A. so as B. which C. that D. so that
SECTION 2. (Reading comprehension) (30 marks)
Reding 1: Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

maintains ; several ; crops ; substances ; humus ; improve
planting ; condition ; purpose ; materials ; manures ; mixture

Plant growth cannot continue if there is not a supply of minerals in a soil. The minerals
which are available for this ...(1)... can be divided into two groups: the bulky, organic
materials which are called ...(2)..., and the more concentrated, inorganic chemical ...(3)...
which are called fertilizers. Farmyard manure, or dung, consists of a ...(4)... of litter, solid
excreta and urine. It contains three most important substances for plant ...(5)... - nitrogen,
phosphate and potash. Manure is added to the soil for ...(6)... reasons. It improves the
physical ...(7)... of the soil. It also keeps up the level of ...(8)... in the soil, and ...(9)... the
best conditions for the activities of soil organisms. Finally, it makes up for the plant
nutrients which have been removed by ...(10)... or lost by leaching and soil erosion.

Reading 2. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
Water on the earth is being continuously recycled in a process known as the hydrologic
cycle. The first step of the cycle is the evaporation of water in the oceans. Evaporation is the
process of water turning into vapor, which then forms clouds in the sky. The second step is
the water returning to the earth in the form of precipitation, either rain, snow, or ice. When the
water reaches the earths surface, it runs off into the rivers, lakes, and the oceans, where the
cycle begins again.


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Not all water, however, stays on the surface of the earth in the hydrologic cycle. Some of it
seeps into the ground through infiltration and collects under the earths surface as
groundwater. This groundwater is extremely important to life on earth since 95% of the
earths water is in the oceans; and is too salty for humans or plants. Of the 5% on land, only
.05% is above ground in rivers or lakes. The rest is under-ground water. This groundwater is
plentiful and dependable, as it doesnt depend on seasonal rain or snow. It is the major source
of water for many cities. But as the population increases and the need for water also increases,
the groundwater in some areas is getting dangerously low. Added to this problem is an
increasing amount of pollution that seeps into the groundwater. In the future, with an
increasing population and more toxic waste, the hydrologic cycle we depend on could become
dangerously imbalanced.
1. Clouds are formed from ...........................
A. water vapor. B. evaporation C. the hydrologic cycle D. groundwater
2. Water returns to the earth by .................... .
A. infiltration B. pollution C. precipitation D. evaporation
3. Groundwater ...................... .
A. depends on seasonal rains B. comes from toxic waste
C. is .05% of all water D. collects under the earth
4. The amount of groundwater is ...................... .
A. about 95% of all water B. less than 5% of all water
C. .05% of above groundwater D. 95% of above ground water
5. The supply of groundwater is getting low because of ....................... .
A. conservation B. toxic waste C. pollution D. population increase
6. The best title for this passage is ..................... .
A. Water conservation B. The Hydrologic Cycle
C. Underground Water D. Polluted Groundwater
III. SECTION 3: (Writing) (25 marks)
A. Write conditional sentences.
1. A soil is deficient in calcium. Plant roots die at tips, or remain short and stubby.
2. A soil is deficient in phosphorous. All parts of plant stunted in growth, with bluish-green
leaves, poor fruit or seed development
3. A soil is deficient in potassium. Plant tissues are weak, prone to attack by insect and
fungus.
4. A soil is deficient in iron. young leaves develop chlorosis, veins remain green
5. A soil is deficient in sulphur. New leaves turning yellow, roots and stems becoming long
and woody
B. Write complex sentences, using relative pronouns or relative adverbs.
1. Fertilizers are added to soil to replace nutrients. The nutrients have been used by
previous crops.
2. Irrigation water causes the water table to rise. The water is surplus to the crops' needs.
3. You could try to find a cultivar. It has a known resistance to fungal diseases and plant it
in a place. There it receives drying breezes.
4. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals. They will
grow in your garden.
5. There are several good reasons. You should avoid buying fish by the reason. The fish
have been caught or raised using these methods.
C. Combine the following pairs to make a sentence expressing concession.


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1. K is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds. But it is essential in nearly
all processes needed to sustain plant life.
2. You were not able to diagnose the disease. But it would assist the veterinary surgeon if
you could describe the symptoms.
3. The annual rainfall is 1 cm per year. They manage to live well and stay healthy because
their society maintains strict ecological laws.
4. World climates have fairly predictable wind patterns. These seem to be changing with
global warming.
5. Olives prefer a mild Mediterranean climate. But they can still be grown in cool areas by
planting near a warm, east-facing wall with good drainage and excellent wind protection.
D. Combine the following pairs to make complex sentences.
1. The people live in simple houses, built with mudbricks or recycled timbers and use solar
and wind-powered electricity. The forests here are being conserved very well.
2. The community is largely self-supporting in term of water, power and food. The people
do not need large incomes and can effort not to turn the land into a full-scale farm.
3. Plants and crops die. They are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.
4. The community was allowed to have a multiple occupancy title to their land. The local
authority declared that the land was useless for conventional agriculture.
5. After more than ten years the regrowth is extraordinarily beautiful, and indigenous
animals fearlessly move around the residents. They have come to recognize the land as a
sanctuary.































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UNIT16 REVISION
I. Word study.
1. Find the word which have the same meaning.
a. integral
b. estuary
c. seabed.
d. moonscape
e. desolate
f. mussels
g. crayfish
h. ethical
- wide river mouth
- crawfish
- edible shellfish
- moral
- deserted and miserable
- necessary for completeness
- floor of the sea
- landscape on the moon
2. Match the word with its definition.
a. aquaculture
b. polyculture
c. pond
d. model
e. diver
f. wilderness
g. monoculture
- area of wild uncultivated land.
- system of growing a single agricultural crop.
- cultivating many different species of plants and animals.
- person who dives and works under water.
- a small area of still water used as drinking place for cattle or raising fish.
- cultivating water organisms for food.
- system used as a basis for a copy.
3. Fill in the gaps with words in the box.
1. integral; international; internal 2. modern; model; modish
3. wild; wind; wilderness 4. aquaculture; polyculture; monoculture

a. The arms and legs areparts of the human body.
b. The government provided a good...farm that other local authorities followed.
c. The garden was turning into a.after the owner had been ill.
d. It has been found that in an appleup to 100% of the apples can be infested
with codling moth, but in a.only 4% of the apples will be affected by codling
moth.
II. READING A
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What is the text about?
b. How do you understand the title of the text?
AQUACULTURE - THE WATER POLYCULTURE
In permaculture, aquaculture systems are regarded as water polycultures, that is, they are
cultivated water ecosystems. All the aquatic organisms, including water plants, fish,
crustaceans and water birds, are interdependent on each other and their environment through
food chains and food webs. And like all stable ecosystems, these cultivated aquacultures are
sustainable and highly productive.
Some of the best cultivated aquaculture systems have been developed in southeast Asia. In
Vietnam there are specialized aquacultures for coastal waters, along estuaries, in delta canals,
in freshwater mountain lakes, and in the home fish ponds which are integral part of their
sustainable gardens/farms. These highly complex water systems have been developed over
thousands of years and are excellent models for developing similar systems in other parts of
the world.
In other societies, however, most people buy fish which have been harvested from the sea
or raised in commercial fish farms. There are several good reasons why you should avoid
buying fish which have been caught or raised using these methods. Firstly, there is an ever-
increasing number of unsafe chemicals found in seafood and freshwater fish. Secondly,


104
continual harvesting from lakes and oceans is causing serious environmental damage. In some
areas, divers have described the seabeds as desolate moonscapes! You are helping to preserve
the ocean and river wildernesses when you do not buy commercial seafood and freshwater
fish.
Commercial fish farms, where one species of aquatic animal (fish, mussels, crayfish, etc.)
is raised in a monoculture system, are not a satisfactory alternative to harvesting from natural
systems. Fish farms have all the same problems as other monoculture systems: they require
high energy inputs and maintenance, and are supported by a variety of chemicals.
You will find there are many other benefits to be gained from developing sustainable
aquaculture systems. You may feel it is not ethical to eat red meat because of the
environmental cost of feeding most of the world's grain to beef and pigs while many people
are starving; or you may be concerned about land degradation occurring through removal of
forests of grazing land. Aquaculture is also one of the most efficient methods of obtaining
high quality animal protein because fish:
are cold-blooded and do not use energy for body warmth, therefore they require less
food per body weight;
are supported by water and can devote more energy to growth;
can feed on organic waste such as plant and animal residues;
are close to the start of the food chain.
Water from fish ponds can be used for irrigation, as a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer, and for
fire fighting. Water systems in gardens and on farms can also add to microclimate variation.
In temperate and tropical systems more aquaculture systems are needed to ameliorate
environmental stress because they will absorb excess nutrients, filter some toxins, and supply
a wider range of cultivated products.
2. Comprehension check.
a. Why are aquaculture systems regarded as water polycultures?
b. What is the relationship between aquatic organisms?
c. Where have the aquaculture systems be developed best in Vietnam?
d. What water species are cultivated most in Vietnam?
e. Why do people avoid buying fish which have been harvested from the sea or raised in
commercial fish farms?
f. What benefits do people gain from developing sustainable aquaculture systems?
III. GRAMMAR
A. Underline the subordinate clauses in the following sentences.
1. After being absorbed it is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat energy or turned
into chemical energy by green plants when they photosynthesize.
2. Animals carry out many functions, one of which is to supply plant nutrients in the form
of manures.
3. If a soil is almost pure clay or pure sand then it will be a 'difficult' soil in which to grow
plants.
4. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds so that plants can absorb the
nutrients.
5. As the water table rises towards the surface, naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer.
6. Bill Mollison recommends that people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase
land which has been used to grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit, as these crops
will have been heavily doses with biocides.
7. Dry-land salting is a particular problem in areas where vegetation has been removed
from recharge areas.


105
8. Fertilizers are added to soil to replace nutrients that have been used by previous crops,
blown away or leached (washed away) into the subsoil by rain or irrigation.
9. If a soil has a pH of 8 then some nutrients will be more soluble than others and the soil
is said to be alkaline.
10. As these raw materials are broken down they become humus.
B. Underline the subject and predicate, then decide which type of sentence.
1. If the forest is large enough it will offer sanctuary to indigenous mammals, birds and
reptiles.
2. and the soil will smell rotten.
3. In other societies, however, most people buy fish which have been harvested from the
sea or raised in commercial fish farms.
4. In the case of aphids the adult female lays eggs on a leaf which becomes the food store
for the nymphs.
5. In Vietnam there are specialized aquacultures for coastal waters, along estuaries, in
delta canals, in freshwater mountain lakes, and in the home fish ponds which are
integral part of their sustainable gardens/farms.
6. Indigenous forests involved over millions of years with all the pressures of natural
selection operating, so that finally what we see is a highly refined complex which is
beautifully honed to survive in the surrounding environment.
7. Irrigation water which is surplus to the crops' needs causes the water table to rise.
8. It is a red-brown soil which becomes very hard when it is dry.
9. It is balanced so that it will be perfectly self-sustaining if left undisturbed.
10. Light-coloured objects and organisms tend to reflect light, which can then be used or
absorbed by other plants, water and materials, or sent back into the atmosphere.
C. combine the following pair to make a complex one with any conjunction.
1. Manure from cows and horses is weaker. The animals have been stabled and urine is
mixed with the dung.
2. Microclimates can be a rich source of diversity. Your design should take advantage of
them rather than eliminate them.
3. Pests are not controlled. They can easily destroy a crop.
4. On the whole, animals eat meat such s chickens and pigs. The animals have a strong
manure. It should be composted before it is applied to gardens.
5. One large problem is finding out the names and getting hold of varieties. They will
grow in your local area.
6. people wishing to grow organic foods do not purchase land. The land has been used to
grow bananas, sugar cane or deciduous fruit. These crops will have been heavily doses
with biocides.
7. The soil is silky. It will drain slowly and hold water for a longer time.
8. Plants and crops die. They are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.
9. Precipitation is rain, snow, fog, sleet, hail and frost. They undergo two main processes:
condensation and evaporation.
10. There are many animals living in the soil. They range from microscopic organisms to
beetles.
11. Mulches are made from organic materials, such as hay, grass clippings, straw,
newspaper and old woolen. They will gradually add to the soil organic matter and
nutrient bank. They break down.
12. Plant the tree in a place. It receives drying breezes.
13. If possible, use grafted species. They will bear more heavily and the rootstock will be
hardier under your conditions.


106
14. You are helping to preserve the ocean and river wildernesses. You do not buy
commercial seafood and freshwater fish.
15. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals. They
will grow in your garden.
16. You were not able to diagnose the disease. It would assist the veterinary surgeon if you
could describe the symptoms.
17. The green manure crop can be slashed two or three times. It is growing and then
chopped into the soil before it flowers and seeds.
18. Many desert regions and arid zones have been sensitively managed by people. They
travelled around their lands. They hunted or tended their animals.
D. Fill in the gaps with one of the conjunctions you have learnt.
1. Organic matter is anything.was once living, including food scraps, grass
clippings, hay, straw, leaves, sawdust. . .
2. If irrigation is used it is possible to grow crops such as cabbages and tomatoes during
the dry season. there are fewer pests about.
3. The pH refers to acidity or alkalinity ., in soils, is a measure of solubility of
nutrients.
4. The place. you live is a microclimate of the large general climate.
5. There are many animals living in the soil, . aerate the soil, create water
channels, break down large molecules to smaller ones which can be absorbed by plant
roots .
6. Soluble fertilizers, .are often added regularly to the irrigation water, further
contribute to the concentration of salts in the upper soil layer.
7. There are plantshave a bacterium, Rhizobium species, living in their roots.
8. .there is adequate oxygen then soil tends to be sweet smelling.
9. There are several good reasons why you should avoid buying fish. have
been caught or raised using these methods.
10. They aerate the soil, create water channels, break down large molecules to smaller ones
.can be absorbed by plant roots.
11. This means they continue to exist unchanged in the soil.they cannot move
into one of the cycles of matter.
12. Various reforms have been implemented in an attempt to reduce costs, subsidies, and
the huge levels of overproduction. generated butter mountain and
'wine lakes during the 1970s and 1980s
13. Water in soil becomes a weak acid or alkali solution, . carries the soluble
nutrients that plants absorb through their roots.
14. the soil particles are mainly sand and coarse gravel its texture is said to be
gritty.
15. You could try to find a cultivar. has a known resistance to fungal diseases
and plant it in a place where it receives drying breezes.
16. You may be able to grow an almond tree. you live in a cool moist climate
simply by positioning it against a sunny sheltered wall.
17. When .you are planning the orchard you will need to consider
.the shape of the manure trees will affect other trees planted nearby.
18. the soil is gritty it will drain and dry out quickly.
19. there is little oxygen then other gases such as sulphur dioxide can build up.
20. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds.plants can absorb the
nutrients.


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PART B
I. READING B. NEW SUSTAINABLE CULTURES
New sustainable cultures are developing under the pressures of extreme consumerism and
ecological breakdown. Some of these new cultures are closely modelled on traditional tribal
cultures. One example is the T'boli people who live on Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
They have been assisted by the Catholic Church to buy back their ancestral lands and
establish home food gardens and small ecofarms.
The ecofarms are designed firstly to meet the basic needs of the T'boli for food and shelter,
and secondly to provide cash by selling excess products to the local markets. The ecofarms
are very similar to the permaculture zones: they include food gardens, tropical orchards and
alley cropping; they rely on animals for manure and work; and the people manufacture their
own tools and fabrics using local materials.
There are many other examples of social and ecological experiments where people are
trying to change destructive patterns of behaviour and land use. A key to the success of all
these schemes is the appropriateness of the design to the land. An interesting example is
shown by the Penrose Permaculture Community, in the Southern Highlands of NSW,
Australia. The community was allowed to have a multiple occupancy title to their land
because the local government office declared that the land was useless for conventional
agriculture. The people who lived there decided to have only food gardens and to let the
original vegetation regenerate. After more than ten years the regrowth is extraordinarily
beautiful, and indigenous animals fearlessly move around the residents because they have
come to recognize the land as a sanctuary. The people live in simple houses, built with
mudbricks or recycled timbers and use solar and wind-powered electricity. Because the
community is largely self-supporting in term of water, power and food, the people do not
need large incomes and can effort not to turn the land into a full-scale farm.
1. Exercise 1: Write out the theme of the text.
a. What are the main ideas of the text?
b. Write out the reasons for building ecofarms on Mindanao Island in the Philippines and
in other places.
c. What is a key to the success of all these schemes? Give an example of it.

II. READING C.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. Where is Canada?
b. What is the climate in Canada?
c. What do you know about the agriculture of Canada?
d. What agricultural products are popular to you?
FORESTRY AND FISHING OF CANADA
Forestry is a major source of Canadas wealth, and forest products annually account for
more than 11 per cent of the value of Canadian exports. Forests cover some 4.2 million sq km
of the country, and the provincial and federal governments own about 90 per cent of this land.
Canada has more than 150 varieties of native trees; about 80 per cent of them are softwoods.
Canadas annual timber harvest in 1994 was about 182 million cu m. Forestry sustains a
complex and diversified export and domestic industry, employing more than 150,000 people.
Canada leads the world in newsprint production, with about 28 per cent, and accounts for
more than half of world exports; most of the Canada export is sent to the United States. The
sawmill and planing-mill industry is centred in British Columbia. Quebec and Ontario lead
the nation in pulp and paper production.
The fishing resources of the country are harvested from the north-western Atlantic and
north-eastern Pacific oceans and from the most extensive bodies of fresh water in the world.
In the early 1990s the number of people employed in fishing or fish-processing operations


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was approximately 114,600. Most of the yearly output of the fishing industry, which has a
market value of about US$2 billion per year, is exported, making Canada one of the worlds
pre-eminent fish exporters. The catch, which totaled some 1.1 million tones annually in the
early 1990s, includes cod, herring, salmon, flounder, lobster, scallops, crab, and redfish.
2. Writing exercise:
a. Write about the forest economy of Canada.
b. Write about the fishing industry of Canada.

III. READING D.
1. Pre-reading task.
a. What dairy cattle farms do you know in Vietnam?
b. Where is dairy cattle rising developing most in Vietnam?
WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY DAIRY CATTLE
The quality and quantity of feed are in direct relation to their milk yield. It is much more
profitable to keep fewer cows that are well fed, than to keep a big herd and not being able to
feed them properly. A cow with the genetic ability to produce a high yield of milk will not
perform as expected if not fed sufficiently. On the other hand, an average cow that has access
to an abundance of high-quality feed will produce more milk. If a cow is undernourished, she
will have a low milk production, regardless of her breeding.
There is one important difference between beef cattle and dairy cattle which is worth
keeping in mind. If beef cattle lose weight due to a feed shortage, weight can be regained
relatively easily. However, once milk production has decreased because of poor nutrition,
production will not recover if feeding improves. Provision for adequate nutrition should
therefore be made in advance.
Fresh, lush lucerne pasture is the best feed for dairy cows since it is nutritious, abundant,
cheap and more palatable than other feed. Quality pastures contain all the nutritional
components necessary for milk production. In the off-season, when pastures are not available,
adequate or parable, the cows can be fed roughage in the form of silage or hay. Because of
the unique digestive system of the cow, dairy cattle should always have access to straw,
especially when fed on very succulent (watery) forage. The quantity of milk produced could
be increased significantly by supplementary feeding to lactating cows.
2.Speaking. (group-work) Answer the following question.
a. What is the most important of feeding dairy cattle? Why?
b. What principle is the most important to the dairy cattle breeders?
c. What diet is used to feed dairy cattle? Is that special diet?

______scsc______

The used key is always brilliant













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TEST 4. (Revision) (score: 100 marks)
I. SECTION 1: (Grammar and Vocabulary) (45 marks)
A. Vocabulary. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
1. The second is to use a method which maintains sufficient organic matter in the surface soil.
A. enough B. large C. lots of D. B or C
2. This helps to keep bases and phosphates available in the soil and ...................good structure
in the surface soil.
A. keeps B. maintains C. improves D. A or B
3. There are a number of reasons for damaged soils, however the fundamental cause of soil
decline is the removal of surface vegetation.
A. degradation B. loss C. erosion D. decay
4. With the exception of natural deserts, soil is always protected by vegetation.
A. ecception B. excluding C. expectation D. including
5. In an effort to harvest greater yields, more and more marginal land has been ploughed up.
A. not fertile land B. edge or border land C. rich land D. A or B
6. This has been disastrous for the soil which is then left ...................from animal hoofs, wind,
rain, cold and heat.
A. expose and unprotect B. exposed and unprotected
C. exposing and unprotecting D. A or C
7. Excessive use of artificial fertilizers has also caused soil problems.
A. using too much B. using not enough C. proper use D. usual use
8. A special case has taken place in Australia where huge amounts of phosphates were added
to soils to grow European grasses and clovers.
A. occurred B. occupied C. happened D. A or C
9. Overdosing with fertilizer has also led to the contamination of surface and ground water.
A. pollution B. improvement C. cleansing D. freshing
10. Excess fertilizers which are not used by crops are ............... into rivers, lakes and streams
in run-off.
A. flowed B. taken C. washed D. A or C
11. Excess fertilizer can also be ..................... through the soil into the water table.
A. flowed B. leached C. taken D. washed
12. As the water table rises towards the surface, naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer.
A. become liquid B. become solid C. are gathered D. none is correct
13. Irrigation water which is surplus to the crops' needs causes the water table ...................... .
A. rising B. rosen C. rise D. to rise
14. Natural salts are then ................... in the upper layers of the soil as the water evaporates.
A. deposited B. rosen C. dissolved D. contaminated
15. Soluble fertilizers, which are often added regularly to the irrigation water, further
contribute to the concentration of salts in the upper soil layer.
A. collection B. codansation C. contribution D. B or C
16. An accumulation of biocides (chemicals used to kill organisms) also causes soil decline.
A. gathering large quantity B. concentration C. increse in number D. All are
correct
17. Microclimate is the summation of environmental conditions at a particular site as affected
by local factors rather than climatic ones.
A. small climate B. regional climate C. local climate D. general climate


110
18. The regional climate always has variations in temperature, rainfall, wind speed and
direction, relative humidity and light levels.
A. changes B. differences C. diversities D. petterns
19. Local factors topography, soil, vegetation, structures and water bodies
further modify the environment.
A. such as B. so that C. which D. such that
20. The place where you live is a microclimate of the large general climate.
A. regional B. local C. world-wide D. all are correct
21. Overall, microclimates are more important than the regional or general climate in
achieving diverse and stable landscapes.
A. solid B. sustainable C. beautiful D. firm
22. Microclimates can be a rich source of diversity, so your design should take advantage of
them rather than eliminate them.
A. exploit B. make use C. consider D. understand
23. You can create different habitats and diversify the range of plants and animals that will
grow in your garden.
A. places to live B. natural environment C. houses D. A or B
24. For example, you may be able to grow an almond tree if you live in a cool moist climate
simply by positioning it against a sunny sheltered wall.
A. planting B. keeping C. putting D. storing
25. Potassium is known to play a vital role in photosynthesis, regulation of plant pores,
activation of plant catalysts (enzymes) and many other processes.
A. essential to existence B. lively C. dynamic D. energetic
26. Plants deficient in K cannot use water and other nutrients from either soil or fertilizer
efficiently.
A. lacking B. incomplete C. inedequate D. A or C
27. Plants deficient in K are ...............to environmental stresses such as drought, excess water,
wind, and high and low temperatures.
A. less tolerant B. much tolerant C. more tolerant D. better
resistant
28. Also, plants deficient in K are less resistant to pest and disease attack.
A. unaffected B. unprotected C. damaged D. none is correct
29. Potash is known as the quality nutrient because of its important effects on such factors as
size, shape, colour, taste and shelf life.
A. influences B. affects C. functions D. values
30. Most virgin soils initially contain adequate K for average crop yields.
A. natural B. marginal C. original D. A or C
31. Most soils become deficient in K as a result of crop intensification.
A. thus B. because C. since D. B or C
32. The major factor ................. to the depletion of soils is intensive cropping.
A. contributing B. contributed C. contributes D. contribution
33. For these reasons continued intensification of agriculture without the ''balanced'' use of
potash is not possible.
A. a farming method B. a species of crop C. a kind of product D. a type of manure
34. Most developing countries are not applying fertilizers in proper nutrient ratios
(proportion) and are therefore ''mining'' soil K.
A. average B. high C. low D. right
35. About two-thirds of Indias population depends on the land .............. a living.
A. to do B. doing C. to make D. making
36. Agriculture generates an estimated 28 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).


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A. cultivates B. grows C. produces D. contributes
37. The raising of livestock, particularly horned cattle, is a central feature of the agricultural
economy.
A. chickens, duches B. pigs, goals C. buffalo, horses D. A & B
38. These animals, like buffaloes, horses and mules, are utilized primarily as beasts of burden.
A. used B. useful C. useless D. usage
39. The countrys 78 million buffalo are largely raised in the delta regions.
A. increased B. arisen C. developed D. bred
40. In the dry regions of Punjab and Rajasthan camels are the principal beasts of burden.
A. large animals B. used for carrying heavy loads
C. used for food D. used as transport means
B. Grammar. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
41. It is best start off with hardy locally-proven species ............. are known to grow well in
your area.
A. they B. which C. where D. how
42. Finally, in later years, ............. the soil and microclimate have been modified by the trees
you have planted, you can add more peripheral species to take advantage of such factors.
A. which B. whose C. while D. when
43. If you know the species, geographical origin you may be able to modify your
microclimate.........
A. to suit. B. suitable C. suitability D. suited
44. Although almonds prefer a mild Mediterranean climate................. can still be grown in
cool areas by planting near a warm, east-facing wall with good drainage and excellent
wind protection.
A. which B. it C. that D. they
45. You could try to find a cultivar ................. has a known resistance to fungal diseases and
plant it in a place ............ it receives drying breezes.
A. where/which B. which/that C. where/that D. which/where
46. The following table shows the climatic origins of a range of .................. fruit trees and the
most desirable placement of these trees along a slope.
A. cultivate B. cultivation C. cultivating D. cultivated
47. In many cases, the fruits in one climate group can be grown in the climate .........in the next
column.
A. listed B. listing C. list D. lists
48. .................., many desert (hot, dry) species can be grown in mediterranean climates.
A. Particularly B. In particular C. Particular D. A or B
49. After you .................on the best position for the trees according to the slope
characteristics, you can then check the following list.
A. decided B. decide C. have decided D. A or C
50. The first deciduous trees to drop their leaves are placed in front (towards the sun) of
.............drop their leaves later in the season, or which are evergreen.
A. those that B. those C. that D. which
51. Small trees are planted in front of larger trees .................. they are not blocked from the
sun.
A. because B. when C. so D. though
52. ..............K is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds, it is essential in
nearly all processes needed to sustain plant life.
A. However B. Because C. Although D. If
53. The functions of K in the plant are so numerous and complex ............... to the present day
many of them are still not fully understood.


112
A. which B. that C. those D. A or B
54. Quality of potash deficient plants ............... also poor.
A. are B. were C. is D. A or B
55. In areas of high temperature and high rainfall most soils are low in native K, ..................
soils in low rainfall areas are often high in K.
A. but B. while C. whereas D. all are correct

II. SECTION 2. (Reading comprehension) (30 marks)
Reading 1. Fill in the gaps with given phrases below.
a. to dry for a few hours
b. impossible to paint them properly
c. produced especially for this purpose
d. pruning may be done to make sure
e. which has been pruned smooth and clean
f. without interference from the leaves
g. when the tree is at risk
h. that are blocking up the centre
i. pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches
j. you may cut out diseased or dead wood, or branches

Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and,
fortunately, the number of such reasons is small. ..(1).., and the inexperienced gardener
can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than
from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.
First, ..(2).. that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of
the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches, which will
thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the
tree healthier. ..(3)... that are rubbing against each other and thus causing wounds. The
health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches ..(4).. and so preventing the
free movement of air.
One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy
entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and
the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period ..(5).. . It should
be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible. It is essential to
make the area ..(6).., for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow
the cut surface ..(7).. and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden
shops ..(8).. . Pruning is usually done in winter, for then you can see the shape of the tree
clearly ..(9).. and it is, too very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed. If this does
happen, it is, of course, ..(10)...

Reading 2. Fill in the gaps with given words in the box.

prevailing ; recorded ; which ; annual ; causes ; that
come ; computing ; combined ; however ; than ; rainfall

Precipitation, commonly referred to as (1), is a measure of the quantity of water in the
form of either rain, hail, or snow (2) reaches the ground. The average annual
precipitation over the whole of the United States is thirty-six inches. It should be understood
(3), that a foot of snow is not equal to a foot of precipitation. A general formula for


113
(4) the precipitation of snowfall is (5) ten inches of snow is equal to one inch of
precipitation. In New York State, for example, twenty inches of snow in one year would be
(6) as only two inches of precipitation. Forty inches of rain would be recorded forty
inches of precipitation. The total (7) precipitation would be recorded as forty-two inches.
The amount of precipitationis a (8) result of several factors, including location,
altitude, proximity to the sea, and the direction of (9) winds from the Pacific Ocean, the
Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the great lakes. Because these prevailing winds
generally (10) from the West, the Pacific Coast receives more annual precipitation
(11) the Atlantic Coast. Along the Pacific Coast itself, however, altitude (12) some
diversity in rainfall.

Reading 3. Choose the best answer among A,B,C,D.
The body of nearly flowering plants can be devided into two systems, the root system
which grows below ground and the shoot system which grows above it. The typical root
system anchors the plant firmly in the soil, and absorbs water and various dissolved raw
materials from it. The typical shoot system consists of a main stem upon which are borne
leaves, branch shoots, and sometimes flowers. It should be emphasized that the word stem
and shoot are not synonymous, the word shoot being a collective term for both stem and
leaves. The leaves are the chief food-producing organs of the plant, making complex foods in
the presence of light by a process called photosynthesis. The stem supports the leaves,
displaying them in the light needed for photosynthesis, and also acts as the main channel of
communication between the various organs of the plant. Water and dissolved minerals
absorbed by the roots are carried in the stem to the leaves and flowers, and foods synthesized
in the leaves are conducted away through the stem to other regions of the plant, both above
and below ground, where they are either used for growth or else stored for future use. Flowers
are organs that are concerned with the reproduction of the species by seeds.
1. With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?
A. How plant produce seeds B. Different types of flowers
C. The structure of plants D. How leaves grow
2. According to the passage, what is one main function of the root system?
A. To absorb light for growth B. To create mineral for nutrition
C. To speed the reproduction process D. To secure the plant in the ground
3. With which of the following would the author be most likely to agree?
A. The shoot is part of the stem B. The stem is part of the shoot
C. The stem and the shoot are identical D. The stem is not part of a flowering plant
4. The major food-producing part of a plant is the .................. .
A. leaf B. root C. flower D. shoot
5. The author implies that plants with flowers ............................ .
A. are likely to have long root B. are not reproducing organisms
C. can be grown from seeds D. are the most beautiful of all plants
6. What did the paragraph preceding the passage most probably discuss?
A. The anatomy of fruit-bearing trees B. Methods of increasing plant production
C. The definition of a plant body D. The differences between flowers and leaves

III. SECTION 3: (Writing) (25 marks)
A. Change the following sentences into the passive form.
1. They have planned to build some rubber plantations in hill areas.


114
2. We have decided to plant the flowers in pots.
3. They intend to change the plan for the farm.
4. The farmer remembers being taught the technique to improve unhealthy soils.
5. They should take advantages of wild energy to make electricity.
B. Combine the following pairs to make a sentence expressing purpose.
1. Please, shut the gate. I dont want the horses get out of the field.
2. Artificial fertilizers need to be soluble compounds. Plants can absorb the nutrients.
3. You should plant a diverse range of species. No one pest can attack all the trees.
4. He tries to design a good ecosystem for his gaeden. He wants the new species of plants to
grow well there.
5. The government has forbidden purchasing or using products from wild animals. They
wanted the wild animals to be fully protected.
C. Combine the following pairs to make a new complex sentence, using the conjunctions you
have learnt before.
1. The water table rises towards the surface. Naturally occurring salts are dissolved and
concentrated in the upper soil layer.
2. Mulches are made from organic materials, such as hay, grass clippings, straw . They
will gradually add to the soil organic matter and nutrient bank. The mulches break down.
3. The light was absorbed. It is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat energy or turned
into chemical energy by green plants. They photosynthesis.
4. The green manure crop can be slashed two or three times. It is growing and then chopped
into the soil. It flowers and seeds.
5. You may feel it is not ethical to eat red meat because of the environmental cost of feeding
most of the world's grain to beef and pigs. Many people are starving; or you may be
concerned about land degradation occurring through removal of forests of grazing land.
6. The people live in simple houses, built with mudbricks or recycled timbers and use solar
and wind-powered electricity. The forests here are being conserved very well.
7. The community is largely self-supporting in term of water, power and food. The people
do not need large incomes and can effort not to turn the land into a full-scale farm.
8. Plants and crops die. They are unable to tolerate the high salt levels.
9. Many desert regions and arid zones have been sensitively managed by people who
travelled around their lands. They hunted or tended their animals.
10. The community was allowed to have a multiple occupancy title to their land. The local
government office declared that the land was useless for conventional agriculture.


















115


I. New vocabulary:
abort (v) : sy
thai
abortion (n) : s
sy thai
absorb (v) : hp
thu
acceptability (n) : kha nng
chp nhn
account for (v) : chim t
l, giai tr
achieve (v) : at
c thanh qua
acidity (n) : a-xt
adapt (v) : thch
nghi
aerate (v) : lam
thng kh
affect (v) : anh hng
alkali (adj.) : kim
alley (n) : ngo hem,
li i co trng cy
allocation (n) : s ch
nh
amenable (adj.) : chu c
anchorage (n) : bam cht,
gi cht
annual (adj.) : hang nm,
bnh qun nm
aphids (n) : rp vng
aquaculture (n) : nui trng
thuy san
arid (adj.) : kh
cn, v v
arthropods (n) : ng vt
chn t
aspect (n) : mt, bnh
din
attempt (n) : d
nh, y
auger (n) : cai
khoan
backbone (n) : xng sng
balance (n) (v) : s cn
bng, cn i
beetle (n) : bo
canh cng
benefit (n) : li
nhun
beyond (pre.) : vt
landscape (n) : canh quan,
phong canh
larva (n) :
u trung
laterite (n) :
a ong
layer (n) :
tng, lp
leach (v) (n) : loc
qua
levee (n) :
con
lime (n) :
vi
limestone (n) : a
vi
livestock (n) : chn
nui
living organism (n) : sinh vt
sng
loose (n) : t xp,
mm, khng cht
maintain (v) :
duy tr
mammal (n) : ng
vt co vu
marginal land (n) : t ven
b
mature (adj.) :
trng thanh
maturity (n) :
trng thanh
measure (n) (v) : gii han,
tiu chun ; o
mechanization (n) : c gii
hoa
merger (n) : s hp
nht
metamorphosis (n) : s bin
hnh
methodology (n) : h phng
phap
microscopic (adj.) : rt nho
miracle (n) : iu
thanh diu
model (n) : mu,
m hnh
moderate (v) :
iu hoa


116
qua, pha bn kia
biocide (n) : thuc
tr su
blood sample (n) : mu mau
boundary (n) : ranh gii
breakdown (n) : r tan ra,
tht bai
brucellosis(n) :bnh sy thai
truyn nhim
calves (n) : b con
carry out (v) : tin hanh,
ang thc hin
cash crop (n) : nng san
hang hoa
catalyst (n) : cht xuc
tac
catchmen (n) : lu vc sng,
s dn nc
cease (v) : dng,
ngng (hoat ng)
characteristic (n) : tnh cht
c trng
claim (v) : cng
b, cho rng
cleans (v) : lam
sach
cleanse (v) : lam
trong sach
clipping (n) : ct ra
coarse (adj.) : th,
ln
colapse (v) : sup

colostrum (n) : sa non
combine (v) : kt hp,
ni lai vi nhau
compact (adj.) : c, day,
rn chc
components (n) : hp cht,
thanh phn
compound (n) : hp cht,
phn t
concentration (n) : s tp
trung
concept (n) : khai
nim
confirm (v) : khng
nh lai
conglomerates (n) : khi lin
kt
coniferous (adj.) : loai
tung bach
modify (v) : lam thay
i, bin i
moisture (n) : hi
nc, hi m
monoculture (n) : c
canh
monsoon (n) : gio
mua
moonscape (n) : canh
cung trng
mulch (n) :
che phu
mulch (v) : phu
bi, che y
muscle (muscule) (n) :c bp
mussels (n) : con
vem, so
nitrate (n) :
nitrat
nitrogen supply (n) : s cung
cp am
nutrient (n) :
cht dinh dng
nymph (n) : con
nhng
occupancy (n) : s c
ngu, chim hu
oral dosing (n) : cho
ung thuc
organic matter (n) : cht
hu c
organism (n) : sinh
vt, c th
outset (n) :
ngay t u
overproduction (n) : san xut
tha
paddy (n) : rung
lua
palatable (adj.) : ngon, lam
d chu
particle (n) : hat
nho, mu
peat soil (n) : t
than bun
penetrate (v) : thm
qua, xuyn qua
percolation (n) : s thm
qua (nc)
perennial (n)(adj) : cy lu
nm, vnh vin
period (n) : khoang thi


117
conservation forest(n) : rng
bao tn
conservely (adv.) : ngc lai

consult (v) : xin
li khuyn cua ai
consumer (n) : ngi
tiu dung
consumerism (n) : bao v
quyn li n.t.dung
contamination (n) : s nhim
bnh
contract (v) : cp giy
phep, chng nhn
conventional (adj.) : tp tuc,
l thoi
cotton boll (n) : qua
bng, qua nang
crayfish (n) : con
tm
create (v) : tao
ra, sing ra
creek (n) : lach
nc, sng con
criticism (n) : s
ph bnh, ch trch
crop rotation (n) : lun canh
cy trng
crust (n) :
cuc, tang
cultivate (v) : cay
cy, nui trng
cure (v) :
cha tr bnh
cycle (n) : quay vong, lam
chuyn bin
cyclone(n) : vung gio xoay,
vung ap thp
dairy cattle (n) : bo
sa
decay (n) (v) : s suy tan,
phn huy, muc
deciduous beech : cy si
rung la sm
decomposition (n): s phn huy,
thi ra
decrease (v) : giam
xung
depletion (n) : han
ch v s lng
deposite (v) : lng
ng
gian, thi ky
peripheral species (n): ging
ngoai vung
pest (n) : su
hai
pesticides (n) : thuc
tr su
pierce (v) : choc
thung, khoet l
placenta (placentae) : nhau
thai
plain (adj.) :
thun
plain (n) : ng bng
plough (v) : cay,
xi
policy (n) : chnh sach
polyculture (n) : a can
pond (n) : ao,
h
pore (n) : l
kh la cy
predominant (adj.) : chim u
th
preferable (adj.) : thch
nht
pregnant (n) : ang mang
thai
presence (n) : s hin
din, co mt
preserve (v) : duy tr,
danh, t trc
pressure (n) : ap
sut, ap lc
prevent (v) : phong
tranh, ngn can
price (n) : gia ca
process (n) : qua
trnh
produce (v) : san
xut
product (n) : san
phm
pronounced (adj.) : rt hin
nhin, ro rang
protect (v) : bao
v
provide (v) : cung
cp
pupa (n) : con
nhng
purview (n) : nhan quan,


118
deserts (n) : hoang
mac
desirable(adj) :ao c,
trin vong
desolate (adj.) : hoang vu
lanh leo
destroy (v) : tan
pha
determine (v) : xac nh
dig (v) :
ao, xi
discern (v) : nhn
thc ro, phn bit
diver (n) : th
ln
domestic(adj.) :thuc ni
a, trong nc
drainage (n) : s rut
nc, s tiu nc
due to (adv) : do, v
dust (v) :
lam sach bui
dwelling (n) : s
, ch , nha
ecofarm (n) : nng
tang sinh thai
ecologist (n) : nha
sinh thai hoc
ecosystem (n) : h sinh
thai
efficiency (n) : hiu
qua
emphasis (n) : tm quan
trong, nhn giong
employ (v) : lao ng,
lam vic
empower (v) : trao
quyn, cho phep
enclose (v) : rao
quanh, gi kem
endemic (n) : bnh
truyn nhim
equity (n) : tnh
cng bng
erode (v) : xoi
mon
estuary (n) : ca
sng
ethic (adj.) : thuc
tc ngi, v thn
caring (adj.) : chu ao
ethical (adj.) : thuc v
tm hiu bit
quotas (n) : ch tiu
raise (v) : lam tng ln,
nui trng
reasonable (adj.) : hp ly
rectify (v) : sa lai
cho ung
recycle (v) : tai ch,
lam lun chuyn
redistribution (n) : phn
phi
refine (v) : gan
loc
regain (v) : hi
phuc, thu lai c
regenerate (v) : tai
sinh, phuc hi
regular (adj.) :
thng xuyn
release (v) : thai
ra, thoat ra
removal (n) : thanh
toan ht, don sach
renowned (adj.) : ni ting

reptile (n) : loai
bo sat
respiration (n) : h hp,
th
retain (v) : cha, gi
retard (v) : lam
chm lai
roots (n) : gc, r
rootstock (n) : b r

rotten (adj.) : thi ra,
muc nat, heo tan
sanctuary (n) : ni tru n,
khu bao tn
sawdust (n) : mun ca
scheme (n) : phng sach, y
, an
scraps (n) : loai
thai
seabed (n) : ay
bin
seed (n) : hat
ging
sequence (n) : s
lin tuc, lin tip
shade (n) : hnh,
hnh dang


119
ao c, tm linh
evaporation (n) : s bc
hi
evolution (n) : s
tin hoa
exceed (v) : vt
qua gii han
excessive (adj.) : d,
tha
exoskeleton (n) : b
xng ngoai (bo)
expose (v) : phi
ra, l ra
extend (v) : m
rng
fabric (n) : cng trnh
xd,c cu, vai voc
factor (n) : yu t
flat area (n) :
vung t bng phng
flavour (adj.) : hng
v
fluid (n) :
long, d chay
force of gravity (n) : trong
lc, sc hut
forfeit (v) :
tra gia
formulate (v) : cng
thc hoa
fraction (n) : phn
s, thanh phn
fragments (n) : manh,
khuc, oan
free of (adj.) : khng b
ly nhim bnh
friable (adj) : d
v
fungal (adj.) : nm
(gy bnh)
future generation (n) : th h
tng lai
gestation (n) :
thi ky thai nghen
glare (adj.) :
anh nng choi chang
graft (n) :
ghep cy
grant (n)(v) : tr
cp, ban, cho
gravel (n) : hat
soi
shelf life (n) : thi
han s dung
shelter (n) : ch
n nau, nng ta
shelterbelt tree (n) : cy lam
ni tru ngu
shrink (v) : co lai
site (n) : ch,
v tr, a im
slope (n) : t
trin dc
solar energy (n) : nng lng
mt tri
soluble (adj.) : hoa tan
soluble nutrient : cht dinh
dng hoa tan
solution (n) : dung dch,
s hoa tan
sow (v) : gieo hat
stable (adj.) : vng
chc
stalk borer(n) : uc thn
(su)
standard (n) : chun
mc, tiu chun
standpoint (n) : quan im
stem (n) : thn cy
stewardship (n) : cng v
quan ly
storage (n) : s bao
quan, s ct gi
store (v) : lu
gi, ct gi
straw (n) : rm ra
stress (n) : sc
ep; s cng thng
strive (v) : c
gng, phn u
structure (n) : cu
truc
subsidies (n) : tin tr
gia, phu cp
subsistence (n) : s tn
tai, sinh k
subsoil (n) : tng t
cai (di t mt)
substitution (n) : s thay
th
suck (v) : hut
sulphur (n) : lu huynh
supplement (n) : s cung
cp, b sung


120
gritty (adj.) : co
san
gully (n) : ranh nc,
mng, mang
habitat (n) : mi trng
song, ch , nha
hardy : co
sc sng tt
harmonious (adj.) : hai hoa,
hoa thun
harvest (n)(v) : mua vu,
thu hoach
hatch (n)(v) : s p
trng, trng n
hay (n) : co
kh
herd (n) : by
an (gia suc)
hone (n)(v) : cuc a
mai, mai dung cu
hone (v) : mai
bng a mai
hoof (n) : mong,
vo
humus (n) : t
mun
hunt (v) : sn
bn
hybrid strain (n) : ging lai
immunity (n) : s min
nhim
implement (v) : thc thi
impose (n) : anh thu
improvement (n) : cai thin,
lam tt hn
incorporate (v) : sat
nhp, hp thanh
increase (n) (v) : s tng ln,
phat trin
indigenous forest(n) : rng ban
a
inequality (n) : khng
bng nhau
infect (v) :
tim thuc
infertility (n) : cn
ci,
injection (n) : s
tim thuc
inoculate (v) : tim
chung
insecticide (n) : thuc
supply (v) : cung cp
sustainability (n) : tnh bn
vng
sustainable (adj.) : bn vng

swale (n) : ch
trung lp y bun
swell (v) : phnh ra
symbiotic (n) : s cng
sinh
synergistic (n) : s hip
lc, iu phi
synergy (n) : tnh hip
lc, iu phi
tariff (n) : biu thu
quan
tend (v) : trng nom, chm
soc, gi gn
texture (n) : kt
cu, cu truc
threshold (adj.) : chun mc
tissues (n) : t bao
title (n) : t
cach, danh ngha
toxic (adj.) : c
hai
translocation (n) : di chuyn
en ni khac
treatment (n) : vic
cha tr bnh
trellis (n)(v) : li mt
cao, leo gian m/c.
tribal (adj.) :
thuc b lac
tropical (adj) : thuc
nhit i
tuberculosis (n) : bnh lao
uncontaminated :khng b
nhim bnh
underneath (adv.) : bn
di, mt di
undernourished: khng c cho
n y u
undertake (v) : cam kt
thc hin
undisturbed : yn tnh, khng b
xao trn
validate (v) : ph
chun, thng qua
valley (n) : thung
lung
variety (n) : bin


121
tr cn trung
integral (adj.) : phi
hp, lin kt
integration (n) : s
phi hp
intensification (n) : thm
canh
intensity (n) : ky
thut thm canh
interact (v) :
tng tac, phan ng
interrelationship (n) : mi
tng quan
intramuscular (adj.) : bn trong
c bp
intravenous (adj.) : bn trong
ven (tim)
involve (v) : co lin
quan, li cun vao
irrigation (n) : thuy
li
jute bag (n) : bao
gai
lack of (n) :
thiu
lactating cow (n) : bo sa

th, s a dang
verge (n) :
b,ven (ng, rng)
veterinary surgeon (n): bac s
thu y
viable (adj.) : co
th sng c
virgin soil (n) : t
hoang
waste (n) :
ph thai
waterlogge(v) : ung nc
weather (n) : s
phong hoa
wilderness (n) : s hoang
hoa
windbreak (n) : s chn
gio
yield(v)(n) : em lai li
ch, nng sut






REFERENCE BOOKS

1. L. Sue Baugh. 1995- ''Essentials of English Grammar'' - Passport Books.
2. Rosemary Morrow. 1993- ''Earth User's Guide to Permaculture'' - Kangaroo Press.
3. Stephen Danny - Lewis Kerr. - Martin Phillips - Clarence Shettlesworth 1985.
''Agriculture'' - Longman.
4. Williem Steenkamp. 1999 - ''Dairy farming. A Practical Manual '' - J.L van Schaik
Publishers.












122































CONTENT
UNIT Text Page
Unit 1 Text A
Text B
- Soil
- Agriculture Policy
2
Unit 2 Text A
Text B
- Tropical Soil
- Agriculture of India
8
Unit 3 Text A
Text B
- Soils - A living organism
- Agriculture of Australia
14
Unit 4 Text A
Text B
- Unhealthy Soil
- Agriculture of The United States
20
Unit 5 Text A
Text B
- Repairing and improving damaged soil
- Soil Components
27
Test 1 From unit 1 to unit 5 33
Unit 6 Text A
Text B
- Climate
- Tropical Climate
37
Unit 7 Text A
Text B
- Microclimate
- Monsoon
45
Unit 8 Text A
Text B
- Fertilizers
- Potassium in plants
50


123
Unit 9 Text A
Text B
- The functions of plants
- Feeding the orchard
58
Unit 10 Text A
Text B
- Tree selection and planting
- Planting fruit trees
63
Test 2 From unit 6 to unit 10 68
Unit 11 Text A
Text B
- Trees
- Trees, Forests and Animals
73
Unit 12 Text A
Text B
- What is land-use planning
- Permaculture
78
Unit 13 Text A
Text B
- Insects
- Pest management
84
Unit 14 Text A
Text B
- Dairy farming
- Health Care
89
Unit 15 Text A
Text B
- Natural forests
- Sustainable growing and living in different Regions
94
Test 3 From unit 11 to unit 15 98
Unit 16 Text A
Text B
- Aquaculture - The water polyculture
- New sustainable cultures
103
Test 4 Final Test 109
New Vocabulary 115
Reference Books 119
Table of contents 120