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  • 2) Say if the following statements are correct.

a) Russian, Swahili and Urdu are places in the United States.

b) Des Moines is a city in Iowa.

c) A person who can tell you what someone is saying in a foreign language is called a foreigner.

d) The caller in this selection wanted to name a dog Siberia.

e) If you had a school report to write on India, an Indian person could help by telling you about his or her own country.

f) A directory contains information.

2.26 Roses

  • 1) Before reading, try to guess if the text refers to roses as things to eat; gifts for loved ones; medicine and drinks; all of the above?

Have you eaten a rose lately? No? Have you ever thought of roses as being edible? Roses have long been used as food, drink, and medicine.

In ancient times, parts of the rose were used to treat diseases of the stomach and the liver. The Greeks believed that rose juice could cure someone bitten by a mad dog. For a sprained ankle, one might get a pint of wine boiled with rose petals, rather than an ice pack. For a sore throat, rose juice would be just what the doctor would order.

Rose petals were especially popular for those who wanted to avoid drunkenness. It was thought that slipping a few rose petals into an alcoholic drink would allow a person to drink without feeling side effects. Although some people actually believed this, it didn’t really work.

An ancient Roman chef named Apicius had delicious recipes for cooking roses. What would happen if you cooked with roses yourself and treated your family to a really different dinner? A little rose juice boiled in wine used to be con­sidered an excellent remedy for an upset stomach.

Roses really have been used in all these ways. However, most people today prefer the beauty of a rose to its taste. So, if you want to send something lovely to someone you love, pick a rose. If you are really sick or hurt, a doctor would be a wiser choice than a rose.

  • 2) Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify your answer.

a) Recipes are party invitations.

b) The ancient Greeks used rose juice for bites from mad dogs because they believed in it.

c) The text suggests that an upset stomach was treated with rose juice boiled in wine.

d) This text is mainly about interesting drinks.

e) The last paragraph suggests that roses may not be the best medicine.

  • 3) Give the definition of the following words: edible; to avoid; side effects; a remedy; to prefer.

2.27 the use of pesticides

  • 1) Read and translate the second paragraph into Russian.

  • 2) The text contains a number of words to describe the environmental impact of chemicals. How many can you find?

  • 3) Tick the statements which are true:

a) Destructive insects can live on pesticides.

b) The Environmental Protection Agency has banned all pesticides.

c) To live, people need food and health.

d) If a pesticide is prohibited, it cannot be used.

e) If insects are not controlled, more food could be grown.

(1) Farmers, together with consultants from the United States Department of Agriculture, are continuously working to eliminate the presence of destructive insects, for the purpose of improving crop yields. To destroy the unwanted insects, chemical pesticides are often used. However, not all pesticides which are harmful to pests are harmless to other animals and people.

(2) The Department of Agriculture is not the only government agency concerned with the use of pesticides. It is the task of the Environmental Pro­tection Agency to determine if the pesticides now in use should continue to be used. Intensive re­search is necessary to study the effects – both short term and long term – that the various chem­ical pesticides have on humans and other as­pects of the environment.

(3) The Environmental Protection Agency has for­bidden the use of some pesticides, because evi­dence of harmful effects to human health and the environment have been found. One of the most widely used chemicals to be banned was DDT, the cumulative effects of which have proved to be extremely hazardous to desirable wildlife.

(4) Department of Agriculture officials, as well as farmers, fear that many additional pesticides may be prohibited. They fear a possible food shortage when destructive insects are able to multiply freely and destroy crops.

(5) Clearly, both food supply and human health are necessary. Therefore, it is essential to find substi­tutes for harmful pesticides. What is needed are substances that control pests without harming people. Finding suitable and safe measures to control destructive pests is not an easy task. Its importance, however, clearly adds up to a matter of life and death.

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