This is a useful text for building your passive and active knowledge of vocabulary for IELTS Reading (and Listening).
Try the questions yourself before you check the answers and explanations, and THEN analyse the vocabulary.
Crop-growing skyscrapers
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
INDOOR FARMING
The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time.
1 Some food plants, including ____________are already grown indoors.
One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers.
2 Vertical farms would be located in ________________ meaning that there would be less need to take them long distances to customers.
Although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants.
3 Vertical farms could use methane from plants to produce ______________.
It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.
4 The consumption of _______________would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.
A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light.
5 The fact that vertical farms would need _________________ light is a disadvantage.
One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on rails.
6 One form of vertical farming involves planting in ________________ which are not fixed.
While it is possible that much of our food will be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely that we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.
7 The most probable development is that food will be grown on ______________ in towns and cities.
1 Some food plants, including tomatoes are already grown indoors.
2 Vertical farms would be located in urban centres meaning that there would be less need to take them long distances to customers.
3 Vertical farms could use methane from plants to produce energy.
4 The consumption of fossil fuel would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.
5 The fact that vertical farms would need artificial light is a disadvantage.
6 One form of vertical farming involves planting in (stackable) trays which are not fixed.
7 The most probable development is that food will be grown on rooftops in towns and cities.
IELTS Reading: True, False, Not Given Practice
Write
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
8 Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed.
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by then.
9 Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land.
At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices.
10 The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season.
If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
11 Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change.
However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
12 Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.
All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
13 Vertical farming will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases.
The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface.
8 Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed. Not Given
There is no information on the methods used to predict the Earth’s population.
9 Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land. TRUE
At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices.
10 The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season. FALSE
If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
11 Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change. TRUE
However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
12 Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms. FALSE
All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
13 Vertical farming will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases. TRUE
The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface.
Vocabulary for IELTS Reading
You should always re-read IELTS Reading texts (and IELTS Listening tapescripts) to improve your vocabulary for IELTS.
The same topics come up again and again, and you often see the same words in the Listening gapfill exercises, so it’s worth keeping a list.
In this text, for example, these are very useful IELTS words:
- urban centres
- traditional farming methods
- to raise crops*
- in vogue
- cutting-edge technologies
- efficient
- cheap to construct
- proponents
- claim
- urban renewal
- sustainable production
- repair of ecosystems
- semi-arid deserts
- we evolved
- a rapidly changing climate
- floods
- droughts
- hurricanes
- pests
- by eliminating the need for…
- …herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers
- methane generation
- composting
- reduce fossil fuel use
- have a detrimental impact on
*Be careful with these differences:
- A farmer grows crops.
- A farmer rears animals.
- A farmer raises crops and animals.
- A parent raises/ rears/ brings up children (but not grows up children)
- Children grow UP.
- Plants grow.
Common expressions:
Born/grow up
Where were you born? I was born in London. (this is PASSIVE)
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Wales.
Bring up = raise
I was brought up well. (Passive form)
My parents brought me up well. (Active form)
I’m well brought-up. (adjective form)
I had a good upbringing. (noun form)
Grow
I grow lots of vegetables in my garden. (transitive – I grow something).
Tomatoes grow well in hot climates. (intransitive – something grows by itself).
Tomatoes are grown in Italy (Passive – by the farmer).
Practice: Answer these questions
- Where were you born?
- Where did you grow up?
- Were you brought up in a small family?
- Have you ever tried to grow anything?
- Is there anything that you would like to grow?
- What kinds of food are grown in your country?
Go to the Vocabulary Resources page to learn more about agricultural issues in IELTS.
EAPFoundation.com is my favourite site for IELTS Vocabulary.
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