Listening 1 ( Unlock 3, Unit 2)

What does the speaker explain first in the talk?

• How supermarkets sell vegetables

• How farming in the desert works

• How climate change started

• How NASA travels to Mars

According to the speaker, why can plants grow in water?

• Because deserts are very hot

• Because water already contains enough salt

• Because nutrients can be added to the water

• Because plants do not need sunlight

What does “hydroponics” mean in the listening?

• Growing plants in sand

• Growing plants in sunlight only

• Growing plants in water

• Growing plants without nutrients

What is “desalination”?

• Heating oil in pipes

• Removing salt from seawater

• Cooling a greenhouse at night

• Growing vegetables without soil

What possible criticism of this farming method does the speaker mention?

• It needs too much desert land

• It produces unhealthy food

• It uses fresh water, which is limited

• It cannot use sunlight

How does the speaker respond to the concern about fresh water?

• By saying the farms import water from cities

• By explaining that Sundrop Farms uses seawater instead

• By saying plants do not need water

• By arguing that climate change is not serious

Which statement shows that the speaker does not present hydroponics as a perfect solution?

• There’s a lot of sunlight in the desert.

• Many supermarkets are interested in buying these vegetables.

• The future of hydroponics is unknown.

• Scientists have combined solar energy with hydroponics.

What is the main purpose of the talk?

• To advertise Australian supermarkets

• To explain an alternative farming solution related to climate change

• To compare deserts in different countries

• To describe how oil is produced

What is the main idea of the second half of the talk?

• Desert farming can use solar energy and seawater to grow crops

• Traditional farming is no longer possible anywhere

• NASA is building farms on Mars now

• Glass greenhouses are too expensive to build

Why are many people excited about this technology?

• Because it can only grow tomatoes

• Because it may help solve food and environmental problems

• Because it replaces supermarkets

• Because it uses more chemicals than normal farming