English with Jo

Climate Change Impacts India's Tea-Growing Region

Here is today’s English lesson. It is a news story about the impact of climate change on tea production in India. The answers to the exercises will be uploaded to my blog tomorrow.

 DOWNLOAD AS PDF HERE- Climate Change Impacts India

Vocabulary

1. affect-(v) - to do something that produces an effect or change in something or in someone's situation
2. unfavorable-(adj) – unfavourable situations or conditions that are not good.
3. adapt-(v) - to change something to make it suitable for a different purpose
4. declined-(v) – decreased in quantity or importance
5. observed-(v) – noticed or watched something closely
6. cultivation-(n) - the act of growing or developing.
7. impact-(v) - the effect or influence that an event, situation etc has on someone or something
8. combat-(v) – to try to stop something bad from happening or getting worse
9. sturdy-(adj) – Strong, firm and not easily destroyed.

Reading

Climate Change Impacts India's Tea-Growing Region

By: Anjana Pasricha
Source: VOA News: http://bit.ly/fsIycz

In India's main tea-growing region, scientists say tea production is being impacted by climate change. India produces nearly one third of the world's tea.

The rolling Himalayan hills in India's northeastern state, Assam, are carpeted with lush tea bushes whose leaves produce some of the world's finest teas.

But there are concerns that rising temperatures may be affecting the tea plantations, resulting in declining productivity of the brew to which millions of people across the world wake up.

The director of the Tea Research Association in Assam, Mridul Hazrika, is studying the impact of climate change on tea production.

"We have observed that minimum temperature has rise[n] by two degrees centigrade and there is a reduction in the rainfall in the last 90 years by around 200 millimeters. And this is very important, very significant from the point of tea as a plantation crop," Hazrika said.

Scientists say rising temperatures can affect the ability of the tea bush to grow. Tea production in the Assam region has declined in recent years, although the area under cultivation has risen.

Erratic rainfall patterns are of particular concern to planters because the tea plant is largely dependent on the weather. They point out that last year there were fewer days with sunshine, resulting in humid conditions which are unfavorable for the growth of the tea plant.

Planters are optimistic that the sturdy tea bush will adapt, but they are looking at ways to combat the impact of climate change.

Comprehension Questions

1. How much of the world's tea does India produce?

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2. What effect will rising temperatures have on tea production?

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3. Over how many years has the rainfall reduced by 200 millimeters?

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4. Imagine that you have the opportunity to meet some climate change experts and tell them about how changes to the weather in India could have a bad effect on tea production. What would you tell them? (Write four sentences)

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Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks using the new vocabulary words listed above.

1. People have worked at _____________ and farming for thousands of years.
2. Global warming could have an ___________ on  many animals.
3. He built a ________ house for protection.
4. Her body is trying to ___________ the sickness.
5. Experts have _________ changes in the world’s climate
6. The whiskey he drank will __________ his driving.
7. The troubled pop singer was often the target of ____________ news stories.
8. His interest in video games __________ as his interest in girls increased.
9. He had to _________ his diet to his new country.

Focus on Grammar

The present progressive describes an activity in progress right now, like "I am typing," or in a more general now, like "I am living in Boston."

Circle the word(s) in the sentences below that show the sentences are written in the present progressive tense.

1. The director of the Tea Research Association in Assam, Mridul Hazrika, is studying the impact of climate change on tea production.
2. In India's main tea-growing region, scientists say tea production is being impacted by climate change.
3. Planters are optimistic that the sturdy tea bush will adapt, but they are looking at ways to combat the impact of climate change.

Suffixes

The suffix ‘ion’ changes a verb into a noun, like education.

Find the word(s) that ends with -ion in each sentence.

1. "We have observed that minimum temperature has rise[n] by two degrees centigrade and there is a reduction in the rainfall in the last 90 years by around 200 millimeters.
2. Tea production in the Assam region has declined in recent years, although the area under cultivation has risen.
3. In India's main tea-growing region, scientists say tea production is being impacted by climate change.

Practice

Fill in the blanks below, just as in the models.

action	act + ion	There was a lot of action in the move.
infection	infect + ion	Clean your cut or you will get an infection.
celebration	____________	___________________________________
reflection	____________	___________________________________
limitation	____________	___________________________________