• Nadia explains the rice-growing cycle in her village

Hi Anna,

You asked me about how we plant and harvest rice in our village in Sumatra. I am happy to tell you about it.

First, we prepare the rice field. We clean the field and remove old plants and weeds. Then we put water into the field and make the soil soft. The farmers use simple tools or machines to prepare the wet soil.

Next, we grow young rice plants in a small part of the field. After a few weeks, the plants are strong enough to move. We take them out carefully and plant them in the wet field. We usually plant them in rows, and we often do this by hand.

Then we take care of the rice. The plants need enough water and sunlight. We remove weeds and check the plants for insects. The rice grows for several months.

When the rice is ready, the plants become yellow and the grains are hard. This is the time for the harvest. We cut the rice plants by hand. Then we separate the grains from the plants. We hold a bunch of rice plants and hit them against a wooden board. The grains fall off the plants. We do this by hand, so it takes a lot of time.

Then we dry the rice in the sun. Finally, we clean and store it.

After the harvest, we prepare the field again and start the cycle again.

Best wishes,

Nadia

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Vocabulary:

Word / phrase	A1 definition
to plant rice	to put rice plants in the soil
to harvest	to collect plants when they are ready
to explain	to tell someone how or why something happens
a cycle	a set of things that happen again and again
a village	a small place where people live
to prepare something	to make something ready
to clean a field	to take away old plants, weeds, and other things from a field
soil	the earth where plants grow
to be soft	not hard; easy to press
a tool	something you use to do a job
to grow plants	to make plants become bigger
a row	a line of things next to each other
by hand	using your hands, not a machine
to take care of something	to look after something and help it grow or stay well
to remove weeds	to take unwanted plants out of the field
to check for insects	to look for small insects on the plants
a grain	a small hard part of a plant such as rice
to separate	to put things into different groups
a bunch of plants	some plants held together
a wooden board	a flat, hard piece of wood
to dry	to make something have no water
to store	to keep something in a safe place for later

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Match the words with the correct definitions

1. to plant rice
2. to harvest
3. to explain
4. a cycle
5. a village
6. to prepare something
7. to clean a field
8. soil
9. to be soft
10. a tool
11. to grow plants
12. a row
13. by hand
14. to take care of something
15. to remove weeds
16. to check for insects
17. a grain
18. to separate
19. a bunch of plants
20. a wooden board
21. to dry
22. to store

Definitions

A. to keep something in a safe place for later
B. a small hard part of a plant such as rice
C. to put things into different groups
D. to tell someone how or why something happens
E. a flat, hard piece of wood
F. to make plants become bigger
G. a set of things that happen again and again
H. to collect plants when they are ready
I. not hard; easy to press
J. the earth where plants grow
K. a small place where people live
L. to make something ready
M. using your hands, not a machine
N. some plants held together
O. something you use to do a job
P. to put rice plants in the soil
Q. to take unwanted plants out of the field
R. to make something have no water
S. to look for small insects on the plants
T. to take away old plants, weeds, and other things from a field
U. a line of things next to each other
V. to look after something and help it grow or stay well

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Answer key:
1-P, 2-H, 3-D, 4-G, 5-K, 6-L, 7-T, 8-J,
9-I, 10-O, 11-F, 12-U, 13-M, 14-V, 15-Q,
16-S, 17-B, 18-C, 19-N, 20-E, 21-R, 22-A

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Match the definitions with the correct words

1. to keep something in a safe place for later
2. a small hard part of a plant such as rice
3. to put things into different groups
4. to tell someone how or why something happens
5. a flat, hard piece of wood
6. to make plants become bigger
7. a set of things that happen again and again
8. to collect plants when they are ready
9. not hard; easy to press
10. the earth where plants grow
11. a small place where people live
12. to make something ready
13. using your hands, not a machine
14. some plants held together
15. something you use to do a job
16. to put rice plants in the soil
17. to take unwanted plants out of the field
18. to make something have no water
19. to look for small insects on the plants
20. to take away old plants, weeds, and other things from a field
21. a line of things next to each other
22. to look after something and help it grow or stay well

Words

A. a row
B. to harvest
C. to store
D. to check for insects
E. a tool
F. to separate
G. to be soft
H. to plant rice
I. a bunch of plants
J. to prepare something
K. to grow plants
L. a village
M. to dry
N. to explain
O. by hand
P. a grain
Q. to take care of something
R. soil
S. to clean a field
T. a cycle
U. a wooden board
V. to remove weeds

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Answer key:
1-C, 2-P, 3-F, 4-N, 5-U, 6-K, 7-T, 8-B,
9-G, 10-R, 11-L, 12-J, 13-O, 14-I, 15-E,
16-H, 17-V, 18-M, 19-D, 20-S, 21-A, 22-Q

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Reading comprehension – multiple choice

1. Where does Nadia live?
   A. In a large city
   B. In another country
   C. In a village
2. What do the farmers do first?
   A. Prepare the field
   B. Harvest the rice
   C. Dry the rice in the sun
3. Why do they put water into the field?
   A. To clean the rice
   B. To soften the soil
   C. To help the young plants grow faster
4. Where do the young rice plants grow first?
   A. In a dry field
   B. In the village
   C. In a small part of the field
5. How do the farmers plant the young rice?
   A. With large machines
   B. By hand
   C. With special farming tools
6. What do the rice plants need?
   A. Water and sunlight
   B. Only water
   C. Water, sunlight, and cold weather
7. What do the farmers remove from the field?
   A. Rice grains
   B. Old tools
   C. Weeds
8. What do the farmers check on the plants?
   A. Insects
   B. The color of the soil
   C. The amount of water in the field
9. When is the rice ready to harvest?
   A. When the plants are small
   B. When the plants are yellow
   C. When the field has no water
10. How do the farmers cut the rice plants?
    A. By hand
    B. With a large machine
    C. With a special machine for rice
11. How do they separate the grains from the plants?
    A. They hit them against a wooden board.
    B. They wash the rice in water.
    C. They put the plants into a machine.
12. Why does this work take a lot of time?
    A. The field is very large.
    B. They do it by hand.
    C. The rice plants are difficult to move.
13. What do the farmers do after separating the grains?
    A. They plant the grains.
    B. They cut the plants again.
    C. They dry the rice.
14. How do they dry the rice?
    A. In the sun
    B. In a large machine
    C. Inside a warm building
15. What happens after the harvest?
    A. The rice grows again immediately.
    B. The farmers prepare the field again.
    C. The farmers stop growing rice for a year.

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Answer key:
1-C, 2-A, 3-B, 4-C, 5-B, 6-A, 7-C, 8-A,
9-B, 10-A, 11-A, 12-B, 13-C, 14-A, 15-B

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Put the steps in the correct order

1. ___ Dry the rice in the sun.
2. ___ Separate the grains from the plants.
3. ___ Take care of the rice plants.
4. ___ Prepare the rice field.
5. ___ Plant the young rice plants.
6. ___ Clean and store the rice.
7. ___ Harvest the rice.
8. ___ Grow the young rice plants.

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Answer key: 4, 7, 6, 1, 2, 8, 5, 3

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Find information in the text – write short answers

1. What do the farmers remove from the field?
2. What do they put into the field to make the soil soft?
3. Where do the young rice plants grow first?
4. How do the farmers plant the young rice plants?
5. What two things do the rice plants need?
6. What do the farmers check for on the plants?
7. What color are the rice plants when they are ready to harvest?
8. How do the farmers cut the rice plants?
9. What do the farmers use to separate the grains from the plants?
10. Where do the farmers dry the rice?

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Answers:

1. What do the farmers remove from the field?
   Old plants and weeds.
2. What do they put into the field to make the soil soft?
   Water.
3. Where do the young rice plants grow first?
   In a small part of the field.
4. How do the farmers plant the young rice plants?
   By hand.
5. What two things do the rice plants need?
   Water and sunlight.
6. What do the farmers check for on the plants?
   Insects.
7. What color are the rice plants when they are ready to harvest?
   Yellow.
8. How do the farmers cut the rice plants?
   By hand.
9. What do they use to separate the grains from the plants?
   A wooden board.
10. Where do the farmers dry the rice?
    In the sun.

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Who does what? Match.

1. Nadia →
2. Anna →
3. The farmers →
4. The farmers →
5. The farmer →

A. asks about rice farming.
B. separate the grains by hand.
C. explains the rice-growing cycle.
D. prepare the fields.
E. dries the rice in the sun.

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Answer key: 1-C, 2-A, 3-D, 4-B, 5-E

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Match the sentence halves

1. The farmers prepare
2. They put water
3. The young rice plants
4. The farmers plant them
5. They remove weeds
6. When the rice is ready,
7. They separate the grains
8. Finally, they dry the rice
   

A. by hand in the wet field.
B. from the plants by hand.
C. in the sun.
D. the rice field.
E. are first grown in a small part of the field.
F. into the field.
G. they cut the plants.
H. and check for insects.

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Answer key:
1-D, 2-F, 3-E, 4-A, 5-H, 6-G, 7-B, 8-C

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Full answers:

1. The farmers prepare the rice field.
2. They put water into the field.
3. The young rice plants are first grown in a small part of the field.
4. The farmers plant them by hand in the wet field.
5. They remove weeds and check for insects.
6. When the rice is ready, they cut the plants.
7. They separate the grains from the plants by hand.
8. Finally, they dry the rice in the sun.

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Match the statements with the evidence

Match 1–8 with A–H.

1. The farmers prepare the field before planting.
2. The soil needs water before the rice is planted.
3. The young rice plants are not planted immediately.
4. The farmers work with their hands.
5. The rice plants need care while they grow.
6. The farmers know when the rice is ready.
7. Separating the rice takes time.
8. The rice is kept for later use.
   

A. They check the plants for insects.
B. The farmers cut the rice plants by hand.
C. They clean and store the rice.
D. They grow them in a small part of the field first.
E. They put water into the field and make the soil soft.
F. The plants become yellow and the grains are hard.
G. They hit the plants against a wooden board by hand.
H. They clean the field and remove weeds.

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Answer key:
1-H, 2-E, 3-D, 4-B, 5-A, 6-F, 7-G, 8-C

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Answer the questions, short answers

1. What do the farmers remove from the field?
2. Where do the young rice plants grow first?
3. When do the farmers move the young rice plants?
4. How do they plant the rice plants?
5. What do the rice plants need to grow?
6. Where do the farmers dry the rice?
7. When is the rice ready to harvest?
8. How do the farmers cut the rice plants?
9. Which tool do they use to separate the grains?
10. What do they do after drying the rice?

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Answers

1. What do the farmers remove from the field? Old plants and weeds.
2. Where do the young rice plants grow first? In a small part of the field.
3. When do the farmers move the young rice plants? After a few weeks.
4. How do they plant the rice plants? By hand.
5. What do the rice plants need? Water and sunlight.
6. Where do the farmers dry the rice? In the sun.
7. When is the rice ready to harvest? When the plants are yellow.
8. How do the farmers cut the rice plants? By hand.
9. Which tool do they use to separate the grains? A wooden board.
10. What do they do after drying the rice? They clean and store it.

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Fill in, words below:

few – prepare – weeds – clean – rows –
by hand – soil – grains –
part yellow – insects –
sun

1. What do you do before you plant the rice?
We _____ the field first.

2. How do you prepare the field?
We prepare the field by cleaning it and making the ______ soft.

3. Where do you grow the young rice plants?
We grow the young rice plants in a small ______ of the field.

4. When do you plant the young rice plants?
We plant the young rice plants after a ______ weeks.

5. How do you plant the rice plants?
We plant the rice plants by hand in _____.

6. What do you do while the rice grows?
We take care of the rice and remove ______.

7. What do you check on the rice plants?
We check the rice plants for ______.

8. When do you harvest the rice?
We harvest the rice when the plants are ______.

9. How do you cut the rice plants?
We cut the rice plants ______.

10. How do you separate the grains?
We separate the ______ by hitting the plants against a wooden board.

11. Where do you dry the rice?
We dry the rice in the ______.

12. What do you do after you dry the rice?
We ______ and store the rice for later.

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Full version:

Interview with a Rice Farmer

1. What do you do before you plant the rice?
We prepare the field first.

2. How do you prepare the field?
We prepare the field by cleaning it and making the soil soft.

3. Where do you grow the young rice plants?
We grow the young rice plants in a small part of the field.

4. When do you plant the young rice plants?
We plant the young rice plants after a few weeks.

5. How do you plant the rice plants?
We plant the rice plants by hand in rows.

6. What do you do while the rice grows?
We take care of the rice and remove weeds.

7. What do you check on the rice plants?
We check the rice plants for insects.

8. When do you harvest the rice?
We harvest the rice when the plants are yellow.

9. How do you cut the rice plants?
We cut the rice plants by hand.

10. How do you separate the grains?
We separate the grains by hitting the plants against a wooden board.

11. Where do you dry the rice?
We dry the rice in the sun.

12. What do you do after you dry the rice?
We clean and store the rice for later.

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Remember how babies
learn a language:

Babies learn a language by listening.
They use their ears to hear sounds.
Their brain remembers these sounds.
Babies connect sounds with people and things.
They listen to their parents.
Then they copy the sounds they hear. They imitate words.
Slowly, babies learn to speak.

So,
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN………………

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