EXCERCISES

4 Using a dictionary, find the only word which is not a synonym of the others or which does not belong to the same logical category.
1. Fertiliser, herbicide, weed, pesticide
2. Yield, productivity, pollution, efficiency
3. Crop, loss, harvest, production
4. Affect, enhance, compromise, endanger
5. Tiny, huge, massive, oversize
6. Widespread, reduced, extensive, broad
7. Consumer, buyer, customer, supplier
8. Prone, exposed, susceptible, invulnerable

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5 Answer the questions.
1. Is conventional farming used today?
2. What is the function of synthetic chemicals?
3. What are the cons of chemicals?
4. Why is groundwater polluted?
5. Why can the food chain be compromised?
6. Why are the new bacteria developed in livestock so harmful?
7. Why do farmers use antibiotics with their livestock?
8. What are the disadvantages of monocropping?

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6 Choose the correct option.

For Export Only: the Circle of Poison

Chemicals are part of our 0. daily / monthly life. All 1. lived / living and inanimate matter is made up of chemicals and virtually every manufactured product involves their use. Many chemicals can, when properly used, significantly contribute to the 2. improvement / deterioration of our quality of life, health and wellbeing, but other chemicals are highly hazardous and can negatively affect our health and environment when improperly managed.
A 3. reduced / growing number of people in the United States are becoming interested in the undiscovered risks of using pesticides in 4. organic / conventional agriculture. Some pesticides, such as the organophosphates, affect the nervous system, some may be carcinogens, others may irritate the skin or eyes, or affect the endocrine system of the body. Most people are unaware that once a pesticide is pulled off the American market because it is shown to have 5. endangered / dangerous effects on peoples’ health and the environment, it continues to be manufactured and exported to other countries – even to just across our own borders. The global pesticide industry is causing 6. healthy / health and environmental harm to the peoples who live in the global South: African, Asian and Latin American countries use 25% of the world’s pesticides, yet account for 99% of 7. dies / deaths caused by these toxins. This issue affects everyone, as national borders mean nothing to pesticides. Millions of barrels of pesticides travel the global marketplace and re-circulate as residue in food and fiber, or as 8. contaminants / purifiers in global air and water currents. So, although the use of certain pesticides within US borders is banned, these toxins may be coming back to us, in what is called the “circle of poison”.
Adapted from: http://civileats.com


GLOSSARY

administration: somministrazione
to affect: influire su
to ban: vietare
barrel: barile
border: confine
breeding: riproduzione
crop: coltivazione, raccolto
disease: malattia
to disregard: ignorare
enhanced: aumentato
groundwater: acqua freatica
harvesting: mietitura
hazardous: rischioso
livestock: animali da allevamento
unaware: ignaro, inconsapevole
water-logging: ristagno d’acqua
well-being: benessere
yield: resa