ACTIVITY 1.A BRAINSTORMING
Think about the words given below and try to explain with your classmates what they have in common.
AGRICULTURE
FARMER
FOOD
ANIMALS
ACTIVITY 2.A VOCABULARY
Match the words to their Italian translation. Use a dictionary if necessary.
1. plot of land
2. crop
3. grazing land
4. tool
5. plough
6. harvest
7. stream
8. to mill
a. macinare
b. pascolo
c. aratro
d. raccolto
e. torrente
f. attrezzo
g. coltivazione
h. terreno
ACTIVITY 2.B LISTENING
Listen to the recording and insert the words given below into the text.
flour • substances • horses • population • wheel • triennial • cereals • windmills • soil • rotation
In the Middle Ages agriculture was the predominant activity. The rural ………………………………………… lived on the land and the fertility of the ………………………………………… was essential because it created wealth for the people. If a plot of land is cultivated for many years it loses the mineral ………………………………………… that are necessary to grow plants, for example cereals. For this reason, during the Middle Ages the system of crop ………………………………………… was adopted and so every year only half of a plot of land was cultivated, the other half was used as grazing land for animals. A new form of crop rotation was introduced during the late VIII century and was called ………………………………………… rotation. The farmers used the land for grazing and to produce ………………………………………… and legumes. The most common tool for working the fields was an iron plough that was attached to animals such as …………………………………………, oxen or mules. After the harvest, the cereals were transformed into ………………………………………… in the mill. During the Middle Ages watermills became common. The watermill used water, from a river or a stream, to power the ………………………………………… and to mill the grain. In some regions of Europe, such as Spain and the Netherlands, the mills used the strength of the wind: they were called ………………………………………… .
ACTIVITY 2.C TRUE OR FALSE
Select the correct answer.
1. For the rural population the fertility of the soil was essential.
T F
2. Mineral substances are not necessary for plants to grow.
T F
3. Every year a plot of land was used for cultivation.
T F
4. The iron plough was a tool for working the fields.
T F
5. The watermill used the strength of the wind to mill the grain.
T F