Agriculture. The branch structure

Ex.1. Read and translate the text.

What is agriculture. The branches of agriculture.

Agriculture is an important branch of economy. Economic growth of any country depends on the development of agriculture which supplies people with food and clothing and industry with raw materials.

The word “agre” is a Latin word. It means the cultivation of fields in order to grow crops. Now agriculture also includes the use of land to breed farm animals.

We do not know when people began to grow crops. It was many thousand years ago. Now crop production and animal husbandry are highly developed branches of agriculture.

Life is impossible without plants. They play a highly important role in everyday life of people. Plants that are grown by farmers are known as farm crops. They are used for many different purposes. Most of them are used directly as food for people, some are consumed by farm animals, others are used in industry and medicine.

In order to increase crop yields and animal products our farmers apply widely intensive technologies.

There are two main branches of agricultural production – crop production and animal husbandry.

Crop production is the practice of growing and harvesting crops. The most important crops grown by man are grain crops, vegetables and grasses. In order to obtain high yields crops are grown under favourable soil and climatic conditions.

Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture including the breeding of farm animals and their use. Dairy and beef cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry are widely bred throughout the world. Farm animals are highly important sources of food for man. They are kept for the production of such nutritious products as meat, milk and eggs.

Many crops grown by man are used in feeding livestock. At the same time manure produced by farm animals is an important source for the maintenance of soil fertility. Most of the nutrients taken by plants from the soil are thus returned. Applying manure, farmers improve the physical condition of the soil.

Thus, crop production and animal husbandry are closely connected with each other.

VOCABULARY:

crop production yield

animal husbandry beef cattle

agriculture dairy cattle

apply favorable

to breed (a breed) grain

crop hog

cultivation improve

food manure

growth nutrient

increase poultry

plant soil fertility

supply in order to

Ex.2. Name the Russian equivalents of the following international words.

Region, climate, machine, tractor, combine, bulldozer, to mechanize, tendency, tradition, traditional, industrial, adaptation, specialist, effective, economic.

Ex.3. Answer the following questions on the text.

1). Why is agriculture very important? 2). What are the two branches of agriculture? 3. What does the Latin word “agre” mean? 4). Is life possible without plants? 5). Where are farm crops used? 6). How do people increase crop yields? 7). What is crop production? 8). What are the main farm crops? 9). What does animal husbandry include? 10). What products do farm animals produce? 11). What is manure used for? 12). How do farmers improve the physical condition of the soil?

Ex.4. Find the Ukrainian equivalents in the second column.

1. agriculture 1. врожай

2. crop production 2. галузь

3. consume 3. тваринництво

4. use 4. джерело

5. branch 5. худоба

6. purpose 6. стан

7. yield 7. сільське господарство

8. animal husbandry 8. отримати

9. livestock 9. виробництво

10. obtain 10. рослинництво

11. source 11. мета

12. production 12. споживати

13. condition 13. використовувати

Ex.5. Finish the sentences.

1). Agriculture is an important ….

2). Economic growth of any country depends on ….

3). The word “agre” means the cultivation ….

4). Life is impossible ….

5). Farm crops are ….

6). There are two main branches of agricultural production - ….

7). Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture including the breeding of ….

8). Crop production is the practice of ….

9). The most important crops grown by man are ….

10). Farm animals are highly important ….

11). Farmers improve the physical condition of the soil ….

Ex.6. Find the sentences in the text and translate them where are said about the fact …

1) що дає сільське господарство промисловості; 2) що означає слово сільське господарство; 3) як використовують рослини, які вирощує людина; 4) який основний шлях збільшення продуктів харчування сьогодні.

Ex.7. Compose the plan of the text “What is agriculture. The branches of agriculture”.