1 4.5 Read the questions from the interview. Then listen to the interview, summarise the speaker’s answers and compare them with your ideas.
1 Why don’t more people eat organic foods?
2 Why is it important to develop organic foods?
3 What can big food producers do to help?
4 Why have pesticides been used for so long?
5 Do you think pesticides will be completely banned in the future?
Suggested answers
1 lack of information
2 to reduce the use of pesticides
3 find alternative ways to protect crops against insects
4 they weren’t researched properly / were too expensive
5 likely, based on demand for organic food
Advanced conditional structures
2 Sentences a–f from the recording in Exercise 1 use advanced conditional forms. Read them and answer questions 1–3.
1 □□ Can you find two sentences where the ‘if’ clause is less likely than with a normal conditional form?
2 □□ Find two sentences which emphasise and focus on nouns by using the structure If+noun/pronoun+to be. What is the diff erence in time reference between them?
3 □□ Find two sentences where if has been replaced. How do these changes aff ect the meaning?
a But for the greed of the big industrial manufacturers, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.
b If the big food producers were to find alternative ways to protect crops ... this might safeguard people’s health.
c If it weren’t for farmers having used these pesticides so much over the decades, the bee populations would be much safer now.
d As long as more and more people demand it, then things will change!
e If you should ever talk to a beekeeper, they’ll tell you about the real problems bees are encountering.
f If it hadn’t been for lack of information, I’m sure people would have started eating organic foods a long time ago.
Answers
1 e, f 2 b (present – future), c (past – present) 3 a, d (they don't)
DUCKS LEND A HELPING BEAK
Chinese farmer, Tang, employs a strange group of workers in his fi elds – ducks! They gorge themselves on the insects and weeds, which would otherwise destroy his crops, and in addition to this, they also fertilise the soil. A Had this ancient Chinese tradition not been rediscovered, farmers, like Tang, would be forced into using a whole range of pesticides to deal with increasing numbers of insects, breeding because of today’s higher temperatures. As it is, his organic rice now commands high prices. However, as the tempting crops begin to bear fruit, the ducks are withdrawn. B Were they to continue, the crop itself might well disappear along with the insects and weeds! This technique is being used in villages all across Asia, in France and South Africa. C Should it be adopted on a larger scale in other places, it could reduce our dependency on pesticides.
Inversion in conditional forms
3 Look at the three underlined sentences in the text above and answer the questions. Then rewrite the sentences using basic conditional forms.
1 Which word that usually appears in basic conditional sentences has been omitted?
2 What has happened to the word order of these sentences?
3 What has happened to the word not in the sentence that is negative?
4 Why has inversion been used in the sentences?
Answers
1 The if clause is replaced with should/were/had + subject + infi nitive
2 The sentences are in inverted word order.
3Not is separated from the auxiliary verb had.
4 Inversion makes the text more formal for this news article. If this ancient Chinese tradition had not been rediscovered, farmers … If they continued, the crop itself … If it were adopted on a larger scale …
4 Rewrite the sentences using conditional sentences with inversion.
1 They don’t use insecticides because they don’t want the rice to be contaminated with chemicals.
Were they...........................
2 They shared the advice online so that other farmers could learn about it.
Had...........................
3 The ducks eat the weeds so that the crops aren’t strangled by them.
Should..............................
4 Reversing climate change would lower global temperatures.
Should................................
Answers
1 to use insecticides, the rice would be contaminated with chemicals
2 they not shared the advice online, other farmers would not have been able to learn about it
3 the ducks not eat the weeds, the crops would be strangled by them
4 climate change be reversed / scientists reverse climate change, this would lower global temperatures / global temperatures would be lowered
5 Choose the correct options to replace the underlined words and phrases in the text. Then decide which of them have similar use.
1Unless / Imagine
2 If you knew / If you didn’t know
3 If you had done / If you were to do
4 If you served / If you didn’t serve
5 If they were / If they weren’t
6 If / Unless
7 If you had / If you didn’t have
8 If / If not
9Apart from / If not
10 If it’s / Should it be
Answers
1 Imagine 2 If you didn’t know 3 If you were to do 4 If you served 5 If they weren’t 6 If 7 If you had 8 If not 9 Apart from 10 If it’s
PONDERING OVER A MENU
1 Supposing you had to organise a feast, what sort of food would you serve? 2 Without knowing all your guests’ dietary preferences, it would be hard to decide. You could play safe and get in a huge amount of pizza, chicken nuggets or burgers. But 3 should you do that, the vegetarians might feel left out. However, 4 as long as you served up fluffy roast potatoes and succulent cheesy omelettes, they should be happy. 5 Unless they were vegans, of course. 6 Assuming you decided to go for a buff et, you would encounter other problems. 7 Provided that you had plenty of space and enough money to hire a cook, it would be a great option. 8 Otherwise, people would have to eat standing up and you’d have to cook yourself. In any case, you should avoid scalding hot soups that get cold fast and deep-fried food that may become soggy. 9 But for dishes like those, anything could be on the table. 10 On condition that it’s healthy and fresh.
6 Complete the table with the words and expressions from the box.
|
assuming on condition otherwise provided (that) should+noun without |
|
as long as, ... |
Very similar to if. Normal condition. |
|
supposing, ... |
The condition is taken for granted. |
|
unless, ... |
Adds a negative meaning to the condition. |
|
but for, ... |
Adds a negative meaning to the condition and requires a gerund or a noun. |
Answers
Very similar to if. Normal condition: should + noun, provided (that), on condition The condition is taken for granted: assuming Adds a negative meaning to the condition: otherwise but for: without
7 Choose the correct words and phrases to complete the article about a bird called the greater honeyguide.
YOU SCRATCH MY BACK …
1Supposing / Provided that you were trying to find a hive full of honey in the wild (2unless / assuming you weren’t a bee!) – how would you go about it? Well, 3should / but for you belong to a certain African tribe, the Yao in Mozambique, you’d give a particular call involving a complicated rolling rrrr sound and, 4otherwise / provided that your call was correct, a bird called the greater honeyguide might appear and show you the way. 5But for / Assuming the help of this amazing bird, the search for honey would be long and complex and, more often than not, unsuccessful. Scientists call this an example of mutualistic behaviour – animal and man interacting for a common outcome. The Yao need the honey from hives, which are usually hidden high up in tall trees, and 6on condition that / unless guided there by the honeyguide, there would be little chance of finding them. In return, the birds feed on the wax and grubs that remain after the honey has been extracted. 7Unless / As long as the Yao don’t deny the birds their reward, as has unfortunately happened in other places, the special relationship will go on. And long may it continue, 8without / otherwise a nourishing food source would remain unexploited.
Answers
1 Supposing 2 assuming 3 should 4 provided that 5 But for 6 unless 7 As long as 8 otherwise
8 SPEAKING Think about the steps involved in food production. Tell your partner your opinion of these activities.
Answers
Students’ own answers
