EXCERCISES 1 Answer the questions. What is soil composed of? What is the function of the gas part in the soil? What is the soil food web? How do soils modify the atmosphere? Why can living things use nutrients over and over again? Why should soils be maintained stable, healthy and productive? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2 Complete the table. 3 Look at the picture principles of Soil Health and after listening to the recording say if the statements are true or false. Correct the false ones. Soil is a living natural resource. ☐ T ☐ F Soil is essentially made up of inorganic materials and rocks. ☐ T ☐ F A healthy soil is a vital living ecosystem necessary for plants and animals. ☐ T ☐ F Soil management is irrelevant in determining soil health. ☐ T ☐ F The overuse of machinery increases the quality of soil. ☐ T ☐ F The presence of living roots must be minimised in healthy soil. ☐ T ☐ F Biodiversity should be protected and increased. ☐ T ☐ F It is important to keep soil healthy and productive because the world population is rising. ☐ T ☐ F The systems that include cover cropping and rotations damage the soil microbial activity. ☐ T ☐ F Farmers using soil health principles improve wildlife and pollinator habitats. ☐ T ☐ F 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. GLOSSARY at best: nel migliore dei casi to live out: trascorrere la vita mole: talpa to process: trasformare to release: rilasciare to store: accumulare, immagazzinare uptake: assorbimento