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Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.
- Word Pretest
For each italicized word, find the best meaning below.
1. how many heads of livestock do you have on your farm?
A. liely people B. friendly pets C. animals kept on a farm
2. This old building must undergo modern changes.
A. go below B. know C. experience
3. If we can mechanize farming we can produce more crops with fewer people.
A. use horse power B. use man power C. use machines
4. The hybrid from a donkey and a horse is called a mule.
A. bird B. result C. crossbreed
5. This insecticide is really effective — look at all the dead flies!
A. medicine B. insect killer C. weapon
6. The Industrial Age has brought innumerable benefits.
A. things that harm people
B. things that change people
C. things that help people
7. This an accurate statement of what happened.
A. exact B. approximate C. imaginary
8. The sudden death of the President was startling to most people.
A. new B. painful C. surprising
Key
Cultural Background:
Modern Agriculture:
During the latter half of the twentieth century, what is known today as modern agriculture was very successful in meeting a growing demand for food by the world's population. Yields of primary crops such as rice and wheat increased dramatically, the price of food declined, the rate of increase in crop yields generally kept pace with population growth, and the number of people who consistently go hungry was slightly reduced. This boost in food production has been due mainly to scientific advances and new technologies, including the development of new crop varieties, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and the construction of large irrigation systems.
Text
The Agricultural Revolution
On an old-time farm in America there were chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, and other livestock, but there were very few machines. Most of the work was done by the entire farm family with the help of a “hired hand”. Sometimes extra laborers were needed in the big seasons. Horses provided about 80 percent of the power used, human labor 15 percent, and machines only 6 percent.
Today all that hass changed. Just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have undergone an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power. Modern farmers now have mechanized “hired hands” and keep horses only for pleasure. Besides developing new machinery, scientists and engineers have helped the farmer in many ways. For example, they have developed stronger fertilizers. More effective insecticides, and hybrid seeds which produce larger, tastier fruits and vegetables. Some farmers even have computers which help them use their resources more efficiently. As a result, the farms of today are able to produce much more food with the same amount of labor. This means fewer but larger farms and fewer but more prosperous farmers. However, the agricultural revolution is not over. In the future, farmers will receive even greater benefits from science and technology.
One of the most important benefits will be the frm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. At the moment, only 1 to 5 percent of America’s farms use computers, but many people believe that this number will grow to 25 percent in the next five years.
Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmer. Programs are being written for hog producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make startling changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear sheep, drive rtactors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots, In addition, when the milking is complested, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete robotization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
The use of advanced technology on the farm benefits everyone. Farmers of the future won’t have to work as hard as those of the past, and scientific advances, which make farms more efficient, enable farmers to produce more food. In fact, while in 1900 the average American farm fed less than seven people, the average farm of today feeds more than 70. Who can tell how many people the farm of the year 2000 may feed?
Total words: 670
Total reading time: minutes seconds
The text is based on “The Agricultural Revolution” in The New Technologies, by Allen and Rabinett, eds. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.
- Reading Skill: Understanding Sentences
Paraphrase the following sentences. Pay particular attention to the italicized parts.
1. Sometimes extra laborers were needed in the big seasons.
2. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs.
3. Lester Brown, president of Worldwatch Institute, says the demand for rice in Asia will be two times greater 35 years from now.
4. The leaves of some varieties compare in taste and nutritional value with spinach and other vegetable greens.
5. It may be that in countries that are short of an adequate food supply, amaranth is the foodstuff of the future.
Reading Comprehension
Decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.
1. On an old-time farm in America, human labor provided 79 percent of the power used, horses 15 percent, and machines only 6 percent.
2. As a result of the agricultural revolution, modern farms are larger and farmers are richer than before.
3. Computers can help farmers make better decisions on farm work by deeping more accurate records.
4. While the old-time farm depended on horse power and modern farms depend on computer power, farms of the future will depend on machine power.
5. Robots will drive tractors for farmers in the future.
6. Even though farmers have benefited a lot from the use of advanced technology on the farm, they have to work as hard as before.
7. The average farm of today feeds 700 people.
- Vocabuiary Building
①Word Match
Match the words with their definitions within each group of five words.
fertile a farm for producing milk and milk products
dairy farm rich in material needed to for plant growth
robot give food to
shear a machine that can do some of the work of a person
feed remove the hair or fleece from
intense a substance that can be sued as food
foodstuff small animal or insect that damages crops or flld supplies
pest the amount (of a crop) produced
yield extreme in degree, strength, or size
feasible capable of being carried out
moisture begin to grow
prune cut off parts or branches to improve growth
germinate wetness; dampness
drain inactive
dormant make or become dry
Complete the sentences by using the words above. Change the forms if necessary.
1. Trees have enormous roots that can reach out for far below the surface.
2. There was competition between the rival companies to get the contract.
3. I think his plan is . Why don’t we have a try?
4. The seeds are in the soil.
5. White ants are .
6. The trees gave a high this year.
7. They want to the land to make crops grow.
8. The two tribes went to war for the land in the valley.
②Prefix
Prefixes such as im-, in- il-, and ir- can change the meaning of a word into its opposite. Study the examples, and then list some more words with these prefixes in the space provided. Add more if you can.
prefixes meaning examples
in- not independent
im- not impossible
il- not illogical
ir- not irregular
in- 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
im- 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
il-/-ir 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Fill in each blank with a word in its proper form.
1. Forget about your topic. It is totally to our discussion. (relevan)
2. My father cannot read and write, he is . (literate)
3. He did not have time to finish his novel. The story remained . (complete)
4. In many countries, laughing aloud is for a lady. (proper)
5. The student makes a mistake in his calculation, so the result is . (accurate)
6. The mayor was forced to resign because of his conduct. (moral)
7. Because of your words, that widow committed suicide. (responsibility)
8. It’s sell alcohol in that country. (legal)
- Cloze
Fill in each of the blanks with a given word.
farmers acreage change abroad cowboys
increase foreign types production fed
From 1920 to 1978 there was little in the amount of farmland used in the United States. In 1920, 368 million acres 106 million people at home and only a limited number of people abroad. In 1978, American with only 370 million acres were able to feed more than 218 million people at home and a growing number of people . In other words, from 1920 to 1978 a less that 1 percent in farming land resulted in more than doubling food production. Technology and capital during that period enabled farmers to achieve these food increases.
The average of the United States farm has increased continuously for more than 100 years. The smallest farms (less than 49 acres) and the largest farms (more than 1 000 acres) were the only of farms to increase in number form 1974 to 1978.
Key
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