Pre-Reading Questions.

Look at the picture 2.1-2.8 and answer these questions.

1. What are the advantages of living in the countryside? Give
me 4 examples please.
Suggested answer :Fresh air, less traffic, open space, less
noise.
2. What are the disadvantages of living in the town center?
Suggested answer : Less outdoor activities, less open spaces,
the chance of more interaction with neighbours.
3. If you don’t like a nightlife activities where should you
live in the countryside or in town?
Suggested answer :In the countryside.

Reading Passage
Now read the passage below. You can look up the meaning
of the words in bold in the Vocabulary Study Section that
follows.
3.1 Know your countryside
The Irish Countryside is a national treasure that we, the
Irish people, should be proud of. It has a wealth of
opportunities to offer. It is also a place of work for 130,000
farmers.
Why live in the countryside?
• Clean, fresh air
• More playing room for children
• Less traffic
• Outdoor activities on your doorstep
• Housing and living costs may be reduced
• Open spaces
• Less noise
• More chances for family activities
• The chance of more interaction with neighbours.
Opinions of new rural dwellers
The following are some of the findings of recent research by
Agri Aware:
• 80% respondents considered their quality of life in the
countryside to be good, citing peace and relaxation as the
main advantages to living there
• 91% stated that their area was welcoming for new dwellers.
• 69% described the community spirit in their area as being
good
• 70% of non-farmers considered farming to be important to
the local economy.
Why is agriculture important?
• The Irish food and drink industry is valued at over €16
billion of which more than €7 billion is exported to175
countries worldwide.
• The agriculture and food industry accounts for 9% of GDP
and approximately 15% of total employment.
• It guarantees the nation’s food supply.
• It protects and cares for the natural environment.
• It is the rock on which the tourist industry is based
without agriculture, the countryside would become wild and
inaccessible.
• It provides hundreds of opportunities for leisure pursuits,
sports and hobbies.
So, what do 130,000 Irish farmers do everyday?
Farmers work all year around to provide Irish consumers with
food. Some of the work involved is detailed below:
• 6 million cattle must be calved, milked, fed, housed and
cared for.
• 4 million sheep must be lambed, fed, shorn and cared for.
• 1.7 million pigs must be housed, fed and cared for.
• 13 million poultry birds must be housed, fed and cared for.
• 306,000 hectares of land must be ploughed, sown and
sprayed to grow cereals (wheat, oats and barley) to be
harvested each year.
• 13,000 hectares of land must be ploughed, sown and
sprayed to grow potatoes to be harvested each year.
• 69,000 hectares of land must be ploughed, sown and
sprayed for other crops, fruit and horticulture each year.
• 3.8 million hectares of land must maintained for growing
grass. Grass is used for grazing animals, cutting silage and
making hay.
• Farmers are also investing in alternative activities on their
farms including: angling, forestry, organic food production,
deer production, B&B accommodation, pony treking, tourist
trails, open farms for children and visitors, wind farms and
much more.
Farming and the environment Fact
• Over €2.5 billion has been spent by farmers over the past
ten years to construct better animal housing and manure
storage facilities on Irish farms.
• Farmers follow strict voluntary and mandatory codes of
practice to ensure proper use of nutrients on farms.
• Agriculture recycles 100% of all animal manures that it
produces.
• Animal manure is not waste, it is an important source of
nutrients for crops.
• Approximately 50,000 farmers are participating in the REPS
(Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) voluntary scheme.
Farmer’s involved in REPS follow a comprehensive
environmental plan for their farms. REPS has been a major
success and contributes to better water quality, an increase in
wild birds and other species, and generally a more varied and
natural landscape.
Be safe! - Considerations for countryside users
• Seek permission from the landowner in advance of visiting
land.
• Obey all warning signs.
• Do not interfere with livestock, wildlife, plants, crops or
machinery.
• Keep children under close control and supervision.
• Do not enter farmland if you have a dog with you, even on
a leash, unless with the permission of the landowner.
• Don’t leave litter behind.
• Avoid any damage to hedges, fences or dry stone walls.
• Guard against fire, especially near forests.
• Avoid all livestock because of the possible danger to
yourself and/or distress it can cause to the animals.
• Drive carefully on narrow country roads, always expect
machinery around the corner.
• Make sure that your car does not block points of access or
exit and is parked safely.
• Leave all farm gates as you find them.
• If following a recognised walking route, keep to the trail.
Vocabulary Study
treasure a group of valuable things such ทรัพย์สมบัติ ของมี
ค่า
as gold, silver, jewels etc

proud feeling pleased about something ภูมิใจ

that you have done or

something that you own, or
about someone or something
you are involved with or related
to

wealth a large amount of money, ความมัง่ มี

property etc that a person or

country owns:

dweller a person or animal that lives in อาศัยอยู่

a particular place:

responden someone who answers questions, เกี่ยวกับการตอบ

คำาถาม
t especially in a survey:
billion the number 1,000,000,000: หนึ่ งพันล้าน
(สหรัฐอเมริกา)
British English old use the หนึ่ งล้านล้าน
number 1,000,000,000,000 (อังกฤษ)

worldwid everywhere in the world แพร่หลายทัว่ โลก

e
GDP Gross Domestic Product ผลิตภัณฑ์มวลรวม
ภายในประเทศต่อปี
the total value of all goods and
services produced in a country,
in one year, except for income
received from abroad

supply to provide people with เสริม จัดส่ง ผนวก

something that they need or

want, especially regularly over a
long period of time

industry businesses that produce a อุตสาหกรรม

particular type of thing or

provide a particular service
pursuit when someone tries to get, การไล่ตาม
การดำาเนิ นต่อไป
achieve, or find something in a
determined way
cattle cows and bulls kept on a farm ฝูงปศุสัตว์

for their meat or milk:

horticultur the practice or science of การปลูกพืชสวน

e growing flowers, fruit and

vegetables

voluntary done willingly and without โดยธรรมชาติ

มีอิสระในการเลือก
being forced

mandator if something is mandatory, the มีลักษณะเป็ นคำาสัง่

y law says it must be done

manure waste matter from animals that มูลที่ใช้เป็ นปุ ุย

is mixed with soil to improve

the soil and help plants grow

nutrient a chemical or food that provides สารอาหาร

what is needed for plants or
animals to live and grow

crop a plant such as wheat, rice, or ธัญพืช

fruit that is grown by farmers

and used as food

considerat careful thought and attention, สิ่งที่ควรพิจารณา

ion especially before making an
official or important decision:

sign a piece of paper, metal, or เครื่องหมาย

wood with words or a picture

that gives people information,
warnings, or instructions:

Recalling Information
1.Based from the first paragraph the countryside is one of
most important ………..of the country?
Suggested answer : Treasure.
2.From the second paragraph how many countries are there in
the world that the Irish food and drink exported?
Suggested answer : 175 countries.
3.Do they have the tourist industry in Ireland according to the
passage in the third paragraph?
Suggested answer :Yes.
4.What are their most important tourists’ attraction?
Suggested answer : Rock.
5. Based from the fourth paragraph who housed, fed and
cared for 1.7 million pigs?
Suggested answer :Irish farmers.
6. What kind of cereal are grown in Ireland?
Suggested answer : Wheat, oats and barley.
7.Millions of hectares are used for growing grass for grazing
animals. What does the underlined word means?
Suggested answer : Feed.
8.From the fifth paragraph what did they do with the animal
manures?
Suggested answer : They 100% recycled of all that it
produced.
9. From the last paragraph “Seek permission from the
landowner in advance of visiting land”. What does the
underlined word means?
Suggested answer : Before.
10.Obey all the warning signs. What does the underlined
word means?
Suggested answer : Indications or symbols.