Text 8: Particular climate conditions for cotton growing
Task 1. Odd one out.
1) cotton; wool; flax; sisal;
2) shower; rain; drought; seed;
3) unfavourable; successful; positive; stable;
4) drizzle; chilly; cloudy; Centigrade/Celsius;
5) crop; moderate; harvest; yield;
6) insects; water resources; fertilizers; soils.
Task 2. What can you see in the picture (See the next page)? What is cotton? Read the text and finish the sentences.
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile.
Successful cultivation of cotton requires a long frost-free period, plenty of sunshine, and a moderate rainfall, usually from 600 to 1200 mm (24 to 48 inches). Soils usually need to be fairly heavy, although the level of nutrients does not need to be exceptional. In general, these conditions are met within the seasonally dry tropics and subtropics in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, but a large proportion of the cotton grown today is cultivated in areas with less rainfall that obtain the water from irrigation. Production of the crop for a given year usually starts soon after harvesting the preceding autumn. Planting time in spring in the Northern hemisphere varies from the beginning of February to the beginning of June. The area of the United States known as the South Plains is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world. While dryland (non-irrigated) cotton is successfully grown in this region, consistent yields are only produced with heavy reliance on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.
Since cotton is somewhat salt and drought tolerant, this makes it an attractive crop for arid and semiarid regions. As water resources get tighter around the world, economies that rely on it face difficulties and conflict, as well as potential environmental problems. For example, improper cropping and irrigation practices have led to desertification in areas of Uzbekistan, where cotton is a major export.
Cotton is known to be ineffective against many cotton pests, however, such as plant bugs, stink bugs, and aphids; depending on circumstances it may still be desirable to use insecticides against these. Current estimates for world production are about 25 million tonnes annually, accounting for 2.5% of the world's arable land. China is the world's largest producer of cotton, but most of this is used domestically.
Task 3. Finish these sentences.
1) Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple …
2) … is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa.
3) Successful cultivation of cotton requires …
4) Soils usually need to be …, although …
5) Production of the … for a given year usually starts soon after …
6) China is the world's largest …
Task 4. Order the sentences.
a) The relies chemicals, such as herbicides, heavily on fertilizers and insecticides cotton industry
b) in is a crop the tropics Cotton perennial
c) continues by hand in developing to be picked countries Cotton
d) The of cotton are the United States, India, Brazil, exporters Australia, and in 2011 Uzbekistan five leading
e) 25°C Cotton loses all elasticity becomes hard and brittle and at temperatures above dries out,
f) cultivation Successful of cotton a long frost-free requires period
Task 5. Open the brackets using Past Simple Tense.
1) Two years ago they (to be) at that spinning mill.
2) …you (to use) mineral fibers last week?
3) …he thirsty because of hot tropical climate?
4) I (not to knit) socks last month.
5) They (to sew) a smart suit an hour ago.
6) When they (to be) 16 years old, their parents (to cultivate) cotton.
7) Cotton fabrics (to discover) in a cave near Tehuacán.
8) Cotton cultivation (to become) more widespread during the Indus Valley Civilization, which (to cover) a huge swath of the northwestern part of the South Asia.
9) The Greeks and the Arabs (not to be) familiar with cotton until the Wars of Alexander the Great.
10) People (to spin, weave, and dye) cotton many years ago.
Task 6. Write an essay giving advice on how to grow cotton use Text 3 to help you.