Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Vertical farming is the method of growing plants and crops over each other, mostly in buildings with many storeys.
They often look like skyscrapers with glass around them, similar to a giant greenhouse. We can see such farming
methods in cities. For agriculture experts vertical farming will be in widespread use in the future because the
world’s population is growing constantly and there is more need for farming land.
The idea comes from Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University, who in 1999, developed a method
of growing food in city skyscrapers that could be as tall as thirty storeys. Today, many countries such as Korea,
Japan, Abu Dhabi and Singapore carry out such projects. Vertical farming offers many advantages. We can grow
crops on a smaller area of land, we can recycle water and use over and over again. Plants grow on minerals and do
not need soil. We can harvest many farming products more than once per year. With some fruits, like
This new form of farming can also help nature and the environment recover from mistakes humans make when
farming. We could save many resources, and we can preserve forests as well as limiting desertification. Burning
less fossil fuels will result in fewer emissions, a reduction of global warming and healthier environments.
Especially tropical regions with their high risk of getting diseases like malaria will benefit.
Vertical farming can protect crops from bad weather or disasters like hurricanes, storms, droughts or floods. The
same weather conditions all year round provide ideal conditions for perfect crops.
With traditional farming, 30% of all food does not find its way to the consumer, either because it becomes spoilt
during transport or bacteria infest it. Vertical farming produces food where we need it.
On the other side, building such vertical farms can prove to be a costly undertaking. We need a lot of energy
during the beginning of such a project. Because plants require large amounts of sunlight, we need to provide
do without fossil fuels because it relies on energy from the sun. Overall transportation costs are lower because we
This could be extremely cost effective because trends show that more and more people are moving to cities. In
the middle of the 21st century, about 80% of the world’s population will live in urban areas.
Critics are not sure whether vertical farming projects can really be profitable in the long term. They claim that
initial costs are too high and suggest that such farms actually need more light and power than normal regions.
They also say that we cannot grown all crops in this way. Wheat and maize, for example, among the world’s most
important food source, will be almost impossible to grow because they are too large and heavy. Such farming
methods could only apply for lightweight produce, like small fruits, lettuce and other vegetables.
Earliest computer viruses spread via physical media, such as floppy disks. Modern viruses propagate rapidly
throughout the Internet. In May 2000, the “ILOVEYOU” virus made international headlines as it spread around the
world in a single day and it crashed millions of computers and cost approximately $5 billion in economic damages.
Since then, criminals have learned to prevent their viruses from crashing computers and have made detection of
these viruses much more difficult. For example, we first detected the highly advanced Conficker worm in 2008
and this warm ensures that the typical computer user will not realize that the virus is present by operating
silently.
The food chain is the order in which animals and plants eat each other in order to survive. Every living creature
needs to eat other creatures below it. Every ecosystem has a different food chain, depending on which animals
The lowest part of the food chain are the plants. We call them producers because they produce their own food
using the sunlight's energy. We call this process photosynthesis. Animals are the consumers of the food chain.
Some animals only eat plants. Among this group of herbivores are rabbits, mice and cows. Carnivores are animals
that eat other animals, like wolves, foxes or lions. Each food chain has a predator, the strongest animal that others
cannot eat. Hawks or polar bears are such predators that dominate their habitats.
Many creatures belong to more than one food chain. Many other animals as well as insects eat grass, for example.
Food chains that are connected to each other are called food webs.
When an animal dies, warms, bacteria and other organisms eat it up. These so-called decomposers break down
animals and plants into small parts and enrich soil so that other plants can grow better. The nature converts the
nutrients of dead animals and plants into soil so that plants can use them again.
Nature determines the balance of plants and animals within a food chain. For example, if there are too many
zebras in a tropical habitat, many of them will die because they cannot get enough food to feed on. This also
means that there is less food for predators, like lions, to eat. And when there are fewer lions, the zebra population
• bacteria = very small living things, some of which cause illness and disease, bakteri
• carnivore = animal that eat the meat of other animals, etobur hayvan
• decompose = to break down into many very small parts, disintegrate, separate, fall/come apart, çürütmek
• depend on = affected by other things, devolve on, depend upon, ride, güvenmek
• ecosystem = animal and plants that live in a certain area and how they exist in their environment, ekosistem
• hawk = large bird that hunts and eats other, smaller birds, peddle, monger, huckster, doğan
• nutrient = chemical or food that gives plants and animals what they need to grow,
• organism = animal, plant, person or any other living thing, structure, body, canlı varlık, organizma
• predator = animal that kills and eats all other animals in a region, marauder, vulture, piranha, yırtıcı hayvan
• soil = the top layer of earth; on which plants can grow, dirty, stain, toprak
• survive = to live on, continue, last, live (on), persist, sağ kalmak, yaşamak
THE HUMAN BRAIN
The human brain is a very powerful organ. It controls all parts of the body and allows you to think, feel, move
your arms and legs and it helps you stay healthy. The brain looks like a pink sponge and consists of a mass of
nerve cells. The skull protects it. An adult's brain weighs about 1.5 kilograms.
Cerebrum
The biggest part of the brain is the cerebrum. It makes up about 85 % of the brain's weight. Its surface has a lot of
wrinkles and cracks. The cerebrum is the thinking part of the brain. It controls your muscles and makes them
move when you want them to. When you think hard, try to solve a math problem or draw a picture you use your
cerebrum. It is also the area which stores your memory. The cerebrum has two halves. Some scientists think that
the right half helps you think about things like music, colours or shapes. The left half helps you think logically and
controls your speech. The right half of the cerebrum controls the left side of your body and the left half controls
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is a lot smaller than the cerebrum and sits at the back of the brain. It's very important because it
controls balance, movement and the way your muscles work together. It allows you to stand on your feet without
Brain Stem
The brain stem is below the cerebrum and in front of the cerebellum. It connects the brain to your spinal cord.
This part of the brain controls the functions your body needs in order to stay alive and it is in charge of things that
happen automatically. The brain stem manages breathing, body temperature, pain , hunger and heartbeats. It
tells your heart to pump more blood when you go jogging and need more oxygen, or it tells your stomach to
digest the food that you eat. It sends messages back and forth between your brain and other organs of your body.
The Nervous System
There are millions and millions of nerve cells which we call neurons. Almost all of them are there when you are
born but they are not connected with each other. When you learn things as a child the brain starts to create
pathways between the neurons. As time goes on things become easier for you to do and you don't have to think
Brain disorders
Injuries, illnesses and other diseases that you may inherit from your parents or grandparents can damage your
brain. Disorders that destroy brain cells are very serious because the body cannot replace lost cells. A stroke
occurs when the brain cells do not get enough oxygen, which is transported throughout your body by blood. If this
happens the brain can no longer work in the damaged area. Many stroke victims are not able to use a certain side
of their body and, very often, they lose the ability to speak clearly. High blood pressure often causes strokes or
they occur when arteries become harder. Some stroke victims die, others recover partly. The rapid growth of
cells leads to brain tumours. Such fast-growing cells destroy healthy ones. As they grow, they create pressure and
may damage other areas of the brain. Doctors may sometimes remove tumours be with operations. Some
bacteria or viruses result in diseases and they can also damage to the human brain. One of the most common
illnesses is meningitis, a disease that affects the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord. Sometimes
the brain of an unborn baby does not develop the way it should. In Down's syndrome there is an extra
chromosome that causes mental disorder. In other cases, genetic errors cause brain damage in later life.
Huntington's disease, for example, occurs mostly during middle age. It leads to jerky movements of the body.
Alzheimer's disease often occurs after the age of 60. Many victims suffer from a loss of memory and they often
Today, modern medicine has ways and methods of looking into the human brain. The EEG (
electroencephalogram) records the activity in the brain. Computed tomography makes pictures by sending many
X-rays through the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets to show how atoms in your
brain change.
What can you do for your brain?
• Wear a helmet when you ride a bike, go snowboarding or roller skating. It protects you from head injuries.
• Use your brain by doing a lot of things that forces it to work. Activities like reading, playing music and solving
• In an unborn baby , the brain develops much quicker than other organs
• The brain reaches its full weight when you are 6 years old.
• The brain does not feel any pain. As a result, doctors can perform operations on people who are conscious.
• Brain cells begin to die if they don't get oxygen for three to five minutes.
• The brain gets 20% of your body's oxygen even though it only makes up 2 % of your weight.
• Everyone's brain has the same features but no brain looks exactly like any other.
Words
• affect =to have an effect on; influence, attack, act upon, strike, etkilemek
• artery = a tube that carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body, damar
• balance =to spread your weight so that you do not fall, denge
• blood pressure =the force with which blood travels through your body, nabız, kan basıncı
• breathe = to take air into your lungs and send it out again, nefes alma, solunum
• cause =reason for, make, induce, sebep olmak
• cell = the smallest part of a living thing that can exist by itself, hücre
• conscious = to be awake; if you are able to see and understand the things around you,
• crack =a line that splits an object apart, but it doesn’t break, çatlak,
• digest = to change food that you have eaten into things your body can use, sindirim
• disorder = an illness which does not let parts of your body work in the correct way, rahatsızlık
• force =to make someone or something do something, make something happen, make, oblige, require,
zorlamak
• inherit = get, come into, fall/be/become heir to, miras olarak almak
• jerky =rough, sudden movements, with many starts and stops, anserine, dopy, dopey, düzensiz
• loss = if you lose something, deprivation, bereavement, privation, zarar, kayıp
• membrane = a thin piece of skin that covers or connects parts of your body, membran
• movement = when you change your position or move from one place to another, hareket
• oxygen = the gas that is in the air and that we need to survive, oksijen
• pain = the feeling you have when your body hurts, ağrı
• pathway = many nerves that give information to each other, yol, patika
• reach = get to, reach out, hold out, extend, ulaşmak, erişmek
• remove = to take away, take off, doff, shed, cast off, sökmek, kaldırmak
• replace =put back, return, change, put in place of, substitute, yerine geçmek
• shape = the form that something has, form, fashion, mould, şekillendirmek
omurilik
• sponge =soft material that can absorb water; it is used for washing and cleaning, sünger
• stroke =when an artery with blood suddenly breaks open or is blocked ; when this happens a person may not
be able to use some muscles; it can even lead to death, felç, inme
• surface =the top part of an object, appear, show up, emerge, yüzey
• weigh =how heavy something is, consider, ponder, contemplate, ağırlık, tartmak
• weight =how heavy something is, load, charge, ballast, ağırlık yapmak
• X-ray = light that goes through a person's body. It can show you pictures of inside organs, x-ışını, röntgen
çekimi
COFFEE - A POPULAR HOT DRINK
Coffee is one of the most popular hot drinks in the world. Almost a third of the world’s population drinks
coffee. People often meet at cafes or coffee shops for a coffee break during the middle of the morning or stop
We produce about 7 million tons of coffee every year. Brazil is, by far, the world’s largest coffee producer. About a
third of the world’s production comes from this South American country. Other coffee producing countries
The United States is the biggest coffee consumer in the world. People in this country consume about 1.2 billion
kilograms of coffee every year. Drinking coffee is extremely popular in European countries, like Italy, France and
Coffee grows as a green-leaved tree or bush with blossoming white flowers. The coffee shrub originally comes
from Ethiopia but, in the course of time it spread to Southeast Asia and South America.
There are two basic types of coffee. Arabica accounts for about 70% of the world’s coffee production. Farmers
grow it in the higher regions of central and South America and it is popular for its flavor and fragrance. Robusta
has spread throughout central and eastern Africa. Although it makes up only thirty per cent of the total coffee
production, it has become more important because it can resist diseases better. It also has smaller beans and can
Coffee plants grow in the warm and moist climate of the tropics and subtropics. Most coffee trees grow best
Coffee trees produce fruits called berries. At first they are yellow, and then become red as they mature. An
average coffee tree can produce enough berries to make about a pound (half a kilo) of roasted coffee.
Farmers grow coffee seeds in nursery beds. After a year, the farmers plant them in specially prepared fields. It
takes a coffee tree about six years to produce a full harvest of coffee berries. The largest ones can get up to six
meters tall, but farmers normally trim them to a height of 1.5 to 4 meters.
Farmers pick most coffee berries by hand, which makes sure that they only use the good berries. After separating
berries from leaves and other waste materials, they take out, clean and dry the the beans. Only the best beans
make it to the market. Then in factories, workers put them into bags and ship them to countries where people
roast them.
At their destination, we combine the beans to make different blends of coffee. Roasting for about 15 minutes
Effects of coffee
Coffee contains caffeine, a substance that stimulates parts of the body, especially heart and muscles. People
often drink coffee to help them stay awake or keep them alert. Although coffee has some negative effects, it is
not thought to be a harmful drink. Children and people who have heart problems should not drink coffee it in
History of coffee
Coffee originated in the east African highlands in the 6th century. Then people brought it to Arabia where they
used it as food and medicine. During the 11th century, the first coffee drinks came up. In the 16th and 17th
centuries, coffee became widely popular in Europe when the Turks brought it to Central Europe. In the 17th and
Coffee houses soon became popular all over the world. In the 1900s chains of coffee shops developed in Europe
and America. Today, Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse chain in the world, with over 20,000 stores in 60
countries.
Words
• blend = when you mix many different types, mix, mingle, combine, karışım
• blossom = when a tree produces flowers, flower, prime, peak, çiçek açma
• brew = when the taste of coffee or tea gets into hot water, ferment, cook, boil, demlemek
• by far = much more or better than anything else, far and away, out and away, açık farkla
• chain = shops owned by the same company, string, series, combination, zincir, seri
• coffee break = a short time when you stop working and have a cup of coffee, kahve molası
• conquer = here: to become popular in, overcome, vanquish, beat, fethetmek, başarmak
• crush = to press something into many small pieces, squash, squelch, mash, ezmek
• extract = take out, draw/pull (out), remove, withdraw, almak (bilgi, vb)
• filter = material that you pour something into and only the liquid gets through, filter out, strain, screen,
süzmek, filtre
• flow = run. move smoothly through, stream, pour, run, akmak, akım
• foam = when liquid turns into a mass of bubbles, bubble, froth, spume, köpürmek
• full harvest = here: when trees can produce the highest amount of coffee, tam hasat
• ground coffee = to use a machine to break into powder or very small pieces, kahve değirmeni
• market = place where you buy and sell something, sell, merchandise, retail, supermarket
• nursery bed = place where new plants and trees are grown, fidanlık
• originally = at first, beginning, initially, aslen
• pad = here: filling, cushion, wad, stuff, yumuşak maddededen oluşan koruyucu madde
• pour = to make a liquid flow out of something, flow, run, gush, dökmek
• powdery = to break into very very small pieces, pulverized, small-grained, fine-grained, toz gibi
• process = to make a product ready to be sold, treat, prepare, (make/get) ready, işlemek
• roast = to heat quickly so that you give something a certain taste, ridicule, guy, blackguard, fırında kızartma
• sea level = the average height of the sea, used as a standard for measuring mountain peaks and other objects,
deniz seviyesi
• seed = small hard object of a plant from which a new plant can grow, scatter, sow, distribute, tohum
• spread = expand from one place to another, spread out, diffuse, distribute, yaymak