Listening 1 — Desert solar & hydroponics

Before You Listen

Listen to the audio track first

Listen to the audio in your Listening and Speaking book.

Unlock 3 – Unit 2 - Listening 1

Track: 2.2 — alternative solutions for climate change: solar-powered desert farming and hydroponics.

Discussion Questions

Discuss with a partner or group. Use the listening for ideas.

☀️ Topic & plan

•What alternative solution does the speaker introduce first, and what three parts does he say he will cover?
•Why might someone ask whether hydroponics really helps climate change if it uses fresh water?

🌱 How it works

•What is hydroponics, and what do plants need in the water besides water itself?
•How does Sundrop Farms get fresh water without using the planet’s river/lake water?

🏭 Sundrop & the environment

•Why are supermarkets interested in these vegetables?
•Why does the speaker say desert farms have a “minimal” negative effect on the environment compared with fossil fuels?

💭 Your view

•Do you think desert hydroponics could become a major way we grow food? Why or why not?
•The talk ends by saying “the future of hydroponics is unknown.” What problems might there still be?

Multiple Choice Quiz

Choose the best answer based on the listening.

1. What is the speaker mainly explaining?

How to build supermarkets in the desert Alternative solutions that may help reduce problems related to climate change — starting with solar desert farming Why we should stop eating vegetables How NASA travels to Mars

2. What does “hydroponics” mean in the talk?

Growing plants only in dry sand Growing plants in water (with nutrients added) Using fossil fuels to water fields Growing food without any sunlight

3. Traditional farming uses about how much of the planet’s fresh water?

Between 60 and 80 percent Less than 5 percent Exactly 100 percent Zero percent

4. Sundrop Farms is described as ______.

An Australian company that combines hydroponics with solar energy A NASA project only in Antarctica A European oil company A supermarket chain

5. What water does Sundrop Farms use instead of fresh river or lake water?

Seawater Rainwater only Water from Mars Bottled mineral water

6. How far is Sundrop Farms from the shore?

100 metres 1,000 kilometres 10 metres In the middle of the ocean

7. When the seawater reaches 160 degrees Celsius, what does the steam provide?

Electricity Only cold air Plastic bags Fossil fuels

8. The desalination plant can produce up to how much fresh water per day?

10,000 litres 100 litres 1 million tonnes of oil Zero litres

9. Which crops have Australian farms grown using this hydroponics system, according to the talk?

Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers Only rice Coffee and tea Wheat and corn only

10. Why does the speaker say desert farms’ negative effect on the environment is minimal?

They use solar energy and not fossil fuels They do not use any water at all They only work at night They are all underground

Quiz Results

Fill in the Blanks

Use words from the list (order shuffled on purpose).

10,000 • fossil • desalination • seawater • greenhouse
160 • electricity • 100 • oil • hydroponics

1. ______ means growing plants in water (with nutrients added).

2. Sundrop Farms doesn’t use fresh water; it uses ______.

3. Sundrop Farms is only ______ metres from the shore.

4. Heat from the sun is reflected onto a pipe which has ______ inside.

5. When the seawater reaches ______ degrees Celsius, the steam provides electricity.

6. The steam provides ______.

7. ______ is when we remove the salt from seawater to create drinkable water.

8. The desalination plant can produce up to ______ litres of fresh water every day.

9. The plants grow in the ______ — a building with glass walls and a glass ceiling.

10. Desert farms use solar energy and not ______ fuels.

Results

True or False

Based on the listening only.

1. NASA scientists have been developing hydroponics so food could be grown in different climates, such as Antarctica or the Sahara.

True False

2. Sundrop Farms uses fresh water from rivers for its crops.

True False

3. Some hot water is used to heat the greenhouse during cold desert nights.

True False

4. Many supermarkets are interested because the vegetables are grown with extra pesticides and chemicals.

True False

5. The speaker says the future of hydroponics is certain and we already know all the problems.

True False