TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NÔNG NGHIỆP – PHẦN 2

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 .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. ............………………………………………………………………………………………. __________________ 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 1. bear produce or provide (a natural product) b. desert 2. poor soil which is not enough fertile for farming. c. protect 3. removing or being removed. d. harvest 4. break up the surface of soil before planting. e. yield 5. barren land. f. marginal land 6. process of gradually developing g. plough 7. keep something safe from harm. h. expose 8. cutting and gathering of food crops. i. evolution 9. horny part of the foot of a horse, an ox or a deer. j. hoof 10. dangerous or disease-carrying substances. k. contaminate 11. uncover or being unprotected. l. leach 12. remain, cause to settle n. deposit 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 are…………in 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 Australia‟s 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. ... - tailieumienphi.vn