The River Po, one of Italy’s most important rivers, is slowly drying up and in desperate need of rain. This has had an effect on the areas dairy farmers, who use its water for their cows and crops. The region in question is famous for its production of the world-renowned “parmigiano” cheese.
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The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored.
Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.
This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.
So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:
Italian Parmesan Producers Fear for Future Amid Drought | Definition Match
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SCARCE
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EXACERBATE
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TROUGH
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HEARTLAND
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DROUGHT
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GRIM
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COVET
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BANK
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SPORADIC
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FEED
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Italian Parmesan Producers Fear for Future Amid Drought | Fill in the Blank
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TROUGHS – SPORADIC – EXACERBATING – COVETED – GRIM – HEARTLAND – DROUGHT – FEED – SCARCE – BANKS
- The River Po, which cuts through Italy's (heartland), where 30% of its food is produced is fed by winter snow in the Alps and heavy rainfall in the spring. But in 2022, an unusually dry winter meant snow melt was (scarce) and spring rains only (sporadic), which has led to the worst (drought) in the northern regions of Italy in more than 70 years. As a result, the Po is hitting record low water levels. And that is a big problem for the millions of people who rely on the Po for their livelihoods. At dairy farms along the Po’s (banks) near Mantova, the prospect is (grim). Water is an essential part of the operation to feed herds of Friesian cattle. The milk cows that produce 30 liters of milk each per day are transformed into this region’s authentic Parmigiano Reggiano parmesan cheese. If the cows don’t each drink between 100 and 150 liters of water a day or are overheated, their milk won't meet the rigid standards, and the cheese won't be given the (coveted) seal of approval. The area produces about 52,000 rounds of the coveted cheese each year. But a bigger concern than the water in their (troughs) is what they'll eat. Farmers primarily take water primarily from the Po for crop irrigation to feed cattle. Farmers are worried about restrictions on water and where they could even buy (feed) if other farmers are suffering similarly. If it doesn't rain, things will only get worse. In Milan, Italy’s financial hub, the mayor has ordered all ornamental fountains turned off, and prohibited the washing of private vehicles or watering of gardens and lawns. Italy is a net exporter of food, providing goods like wheat to many developing nations. A drought here is only (exacerbating) a food crisis. And the River Po is of incredible significance for Italians.
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Italian Parmesan Producers Fear for Future Amid Drought | True or False
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Each cow needs to drink about 200 liters of water each day.
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Italy exports more food than it imports.
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Farmers worry that they will not be able to feed their cows.
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The Po is not receiving enough water to stay at a proper level.
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The region produces less than 50,000 rounds of cheese per year.
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And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below. We would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!
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Full text:
The River Po, which cuts through Italy’s heartland, where 30% of its food is produced is fed by winter snow in the Alps and heavy rainfall in the spring. But in 2022, an unusually dry winter meant snow melt was scarce and spring rains only sporadic, which has led to the worst drought in the northern regions of Italy in more than 70 years. As a result, the Po is hitting record low water levels.
And that is a big problem for the millions of people who rely on the Po for their livelihoods. At dairy farms along the Po’s banks near Mantova, the prospect is grim. Water is an essential part of the operation to feed herds of Friesian cattle.
The milk cows that produce 30 liters of milk each per day are transformed into this region’s authentic Parmigiano Reggiano parmesan cheese. If the cows don’t each drink between 100 and 150 liters of water a day or are overheated, their milk won’t meet the rigid standards, and the cheese won’t be given the coveted seal of approval. The area produces about 52,000 rounds of the coveted cheese each year.
But a bigger concern than the water in their troughs is what they’ll eat. Farmers primarily take water primarily from the Po for crop irrigation to feed cattle. Farmers are worried about restrictions on water and where they could even buy feed if other farmers are suffering similarly.
If it doesn’t rain, things will only get worse. In Milan, Italy’s financial hub, the mayor has ordered all ornamental fountains turned off, and prohibited the washing of private vehicles or watering of gardens and lawns.
Italy is a net exporter of food, providing goods like wheat to many developing nations. A drought here is only exacerbating a food crisis. And the River Po is of incredible significance for Italians.