Soil and agriculture

Reading

Pre-reading

UNIT 5

SOIL POLLUTION AND AGRICULTURE

Functions practised: asking for/stating and justifying opinion.

Vocabulary Area: fungus, fertilizer, pesticide, drainage, smelter, fertility, to spoil, to dump, to discard, to seep into smth, hazardous, to pose (a problem), crop rotation, to combat, to prey upon smb, pest, to be resistant to smb/smth, genetically engineered plants, deposit, crop, irrigation.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

You are going to listen to an extract from an interview with Tony Cripps. He talks about his experiences during the campaign against the second runway at Manchester airport. Listen and mark the following statements (T) true or (F) false, according to what he says.

1. Many wild animals and trees were destroyed when the second runway at Manchester was built.
2. The protesters wanted to close Manchester airport.
3. They built tunnels underground and locked themselves to trees.
4. Their aim was to stay there as long as possible.
5. Their actions cost the building company a lot of money.

Do you think it is acceptable to do illegal and dangerous things to draw attention to a cause you believe in?

READING

What do you think have been the effects of using pesticides and artificial fertilizers in modern farming? Discuss this question in a small group and make a list of the effects.

Read the text quickly, ignoring the missing paragraphs. Then read paragraphs A – E and choose the one that fits each gap in the text (1 – 9). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need.

1.□□□□□

2. A number of other human activities can also damage soil. The irrigation of soil in dry areas with poor drainage can leave water standing in fields. When this standing water evaporates, it leaves salt deposits behind, making the soil too salty for growing crops. Mining operations and smelters contaminate soil with toxic heavy metals. Many scientists believe acid rain can also reduce soil fertility.

3. Solid waste is probably the most visible form of pollution. Every year, people dispose of billions of tons of solid garbage. Industrial wastes account for the majority of the discarded material. Solid waste from homes, offices, and stores is called municipal solid waste. It includes paper, plastic, bottles and cans, food scraps, and yard trimmings. Other waste consists of junked automobiles, scrap metal, leftover materials from agricultural processes, and mining wastes known as spoil.

4. □□□□□

5. The mishandling or accidental release of hazardous waste has caused a number of disasters around the world. In 1984, a leak of poisonous gas from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, killed more than 2,800 people and caused eye and respiratory damage to more than 20,000.

6. Some hazardous waste can seriously harm the health of people, wildlife, and plants. These pollutants include radiation, pesticides, and heavy metals.

7. □□□□□

8. Pesticides can travel great distances through the environment. When sprayed on crops or in gardens, pesticides can be blown by the wind to other areas. They can also flow with rainwater into nearby streams or can seep through the soil into ground water. Some pesticides can remain in the environment for many years and pass from one organism to another. Heavy metals include mercury and lead. Mining operations, solid waste incinerators, industrial processes, and motor vehicles can all release heavy metals into the environment. Like pesticides, they are long lasting and can spread through the environment.

9. □□□□□

A Scientists and farmers are developing ways to grow food that require less fertilizer and pesticides. Many farmers rotate their crops from year to year to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Crop rotation also helps control pests and plant diseases. Some farmers use compost and other fertilizers that are less harmful to the soil. Instead of spraying their crops with harmful pesticides, some farmers combat damaging insects by releasing certain other insects or bacteria that prey upon the pests. Scientists are also developing genetically engineered plants that are resistant to certain pests.

B Radiation is an invisible pollutant that can contaminate any part of the environment. Radioactive waste produced by nuclear reactors and weapons factories pose a potentially serious environmental problem. Some of this waste will remain radioactive for thousands of years. The safe storage of radioactive waste is both difficult and expensive.

C The handling of solid waste is a problem because most disposal methods damage the environment. Open dumps ruin the natural beauty of the land and provide a home for rats and other disease-carrying animals. Both open dumps and landfills may contain toxins that seep into ground water or flow into streams and lakes. The uncontrolled burning of solid waste creates smoke and other air pollution. Even burning waste in incinerators can release toxic chemicals, ash, and harmful metals into the air. Hazardous waste is composed of discarded substances that can threaten human health and the environment.

D Soil pollution is the destruction of the earth's thin layer of healthy, productive soil, where much of our food is grown. Without fertile soil, farmers could not grow enough food to support the world's people. Healthy soil depends on bacteria, fungi, and small animals to break down wastes in the soil and release nutrients. These nutrients help plants grow. Fertilizers and pesticides can limit the ability of soil organisms to process wastes. As a result, farmers who overuse fertilizers and pesticides can destroy their soil's productivity.

E The earth's surface reflects about 15 percent of the solar energy that reaches it back toward space. The remaining energy heats the lands and seas. The warmed lands and seas then send most of the heat back into the atmosphere, chiefly as infrared rays and in evaporated water. Infrared rays are much like light waves but are invisible to the human eye.

Дата добавления: 2014-11-16