Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2005 Taken from the

KEY
1
solution
a way to solve a problem or deal with a bad situation.
reform
to improve a situation by correcting things.
to occupy to be in control of a place that you have entered by force 
absentee
someone who is expected to be in a place but is not there
landowner a person who owns land 
peasant
someone who works on another person’s farm or their own small farm
to oppose to disagree with or disapprove of a plan or policy.
Crop
a plant grown for food, usually on a farm.
fertiliser
a natural or chemical substance which helps plants to grow.
pesticide
a chemical used for killing insects.
exhausted empty or finished, because a supply of something has all been used
soil
the substance in which plants grow.
seed
a small hard part produced by a plant that can grow into a new plant 
2 1t; 2f; 3f; 4f; 5f; 6t; 7t; 8t; 9f; 10t
3 1d; 2a; 3h; 4b; 5g; 6c; 7e; 8f
4 1. poor 2. vast 3. popular 4. to oppose 5. less 6. far 7. fair 8. easy 9. to win 10. to re m e m b er
5 1. to produce 2. to occupy 3. choice 4. to oppose 5. growth 6. to control 7. murder 8. to educate
Working the land to feed the people
L E V E L O N E
- 
E L E M E N TA RY

---

© onestopenglish.com 2002 1 This page can be photocopied.
Pre-reading activities
Key Vocabulary
Match the words in the left-hand column with the meanings in the right-hand column
1 crop
a an area where very poor people live
2 spread 
b a large area of land
3 ruthless
c a plant grown for food, usually on a farm
4 shanty town
d a person who works to get social or political change
5 absentee
e control completely
6 estate
f without mercy
7 side effect
g a poor farmer with no land
8 dominate
h growth or development
9 campaigner
i an unintentional effect of a medicine or chemical
10 peasant 
j a person who is not present
Find the answer
Find the answers to these questions in the text:
1 How has the MST won land from the government?
2 How many people were displaced in the 1970s in the 3 southern states of Brazil?
3 How many peasant leaders, union officials and rural workers were killed between 1981 and 1984?
4 How many members does the MST have today?
5 Why was the attempt by poor families to grow cash crops unsuccessful?
6 Why does chemical farming have no future?
7 How many families benefited from the government’s reform programme?
8 How many small farmers lost their land between 1995 and 1999?
Working the land to feed the people 
L E V E L T W O
- 
I N T E R M E D I AT E

---

© onestopenglish.com 2002 2 This page can be photocopied.
Working the land to feed the people 
L E V E L T W O
- 
I N T E R M E D I AT E