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WILDLIFE - 1
Discussion: think of the following questions and try to answer them.
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Many animal and plant species are becoming endangered or extinct… Why?
What do people do to protect (preserve) wildlife?
Reading: THE PARTS OF A PLANT AND THEIR FUNCTION
Starter: Why are plants very important for all life on Earth?
A plant is a living organism. It contains different parts; every part has a particular purpose, or
specialised function. If one part of the plant is not functioning properly the whole plant will suffer.
But we can cut flowers off the plant or prune the roots. Such damage is only temporary and so the
plant will continue to grow.
The basic parts of a plant are the root system, which is below the ground, and the shoot
system, which is above the ground. The root of a plant has two main functions. It absorbs water and
minerals from the soil through the root hairs. The root hairs are single cells near the tip of each
root. The other main function of the root is to hold the plant in position in the soil.
Plants such as sugar beet and carrots are able to store (keep) food in their roots. In this way
they can grow for more than one season. In addition, some plants (legumes) have special bacteria
which live on their roots. These bacteria take nitrogen out of air which is in the soil. Such leguminous
plants usually help to increase the fertility of the soil.
The shoot system above the ground consists of the stem, the leaves, flowers and fruit. One of
the functions of the stem is to support the plant. Another important function is that the stem
transports water and minerals from the roots to the leaves and flowers. Organic materials such as
sugar travel from the leaves down the stem to the roots. The leaves grow out of the side of the
stem; their main job is to make food for the plant by the process of photosynthesis.
The flower contains the reproductive organs of the plant. The stamens produce the male sex
cells, which are in the pollen grains. The stigma produces female sex cells and later it receives pollen,
which leads to fertilisation.
The fruit holds seeds and protects them while they are developing. The seeds develop into
another plant.
Vocabulary: label the picture of a plant, look in the text for the necessary terms.
Which of the following parts are
included in the picture?
bud
thorn
bulb
petal
Do you know the names of these flowers
in English? Compare their bodies.
Comprehension: describe the function of each part of a plant body, use the words below.
NOUNS:
VERBS:
carbon dioxide
absorb
chlorophyll
bring
inorganic matter
contain
nutrients
form
organic matter
hold
oxygen
join
pollen
produce
reproductive organs
protect
seeds
react
(the) soil
release
sugar glucose
support
sunlight energy
take place
water
transport
Grammar – Nouns (plurals, countability): Study these nouns from the text. Are they
countable (C) or uncountable (UN)?
organism
bacteria
part
damage
photosynthesis
ground
soil
water
leaves
function
Do they have singular and plural forms? If yes, what are they?
What is the plural form of the following nouns?
church –
mouse –
nucleus –
tomato –
goose –
bacterium –
volcano –
woman –
sheep –
country –
man -
fish –
calf –
child –
deer -
wolf –
fungus –
analysis –
half –
species –
axis –
Vocabulary for the life-cycle of plants: put the following stages into the right order.
Germination: when the seed germinates, it gets bigger and shoots grow on it.
The seed falls from the fruit.
Pollination: the plant is pollinated
when the stigma receives pollen, then the flower is fertilised.
Roots and leaves grow from the seed.
The plant produces flowers.
The plant decomposes.
The fruit is formed.
A seed gets to the soil.
Buds are formed.
The plant dies.
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