UNIT 3: SCANNING - LABELLING A DIAGRAM & TABLE COMPLETION

For this task:

 Locate the section of the text that refers to the diagram, then read it in detail to ensure you fully
understand it. Pay particular attention to locate specific words that form part of the labels in the
diagram.
 When completing the label, be aware of grammatical connections- some words are correct in terms of
meaning but do not fit grammatically.
 Keep in mind that labels on the diagram are generally ordered in a clockwise direction, which will not
necessarily reflect the order the information appears in the passage

FRUIT DRINKING
A smart irrigation sensor that gives plants only
as much to drink as they need can increase
tomato yields by more than 40 per cent. The
sensor has been developed by Yehoshua
Sharon and Ben-Ami Bravdo at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem's faculty of agriculture
in Rehovot, Isarel. The researchers say that
their system not only increases the yield of
crops, but it also dramatically reduces water
usage - by up to 60 per cent for some crops.
At the heart of the system is an electronic
sensor that clips onto a plant leaf and
measures its thickness to an accuracy of 1
micrometre. A leaf's thickness is dependent
on the amount of water in a plant.' says
Sharon 'A healthy leaf is 60 per cent water.' A
thin leaf is a sure sign that the plant is
suffering stress because it is thirsty, and stress
is bad for yields.
The sensor consists of two plates, one fixed
and the other spring-loaded which together
grip the leaf. The moving plate is connected to
a small computer that regulates the voltage in
an electrical circuit. As the leaf's thickness
changes, the plate moves, causing a change in
the voltage. This signal is fed to a processor
that adjusts the plants water supply’.
Unlike conventional irrigation systems,
which water crops periodically, the Israeli
system waters the plants continuously, but
adjusts the flow to the plant's needs. The idea
is to give the plant the proper amount of
water at the correct lime, according to what
the plant requires,' says Sharon Field studies
show the system increases the yields of
several crops while reducing consumption of
water. Yields of grapefruit increased by 15 per
cent while needing 40 per cent less water. For
peppers, the yield rose by 5 per cent while
water usage fell by 60 per cent. Tomato plants
yielded 40 per cent more fruit while
consuming 35 per cent less water
It is an interesting idea.' says John Sadler, a
soil scientist at the US government's
Agricultural Research Service in Florence,
South Carolina.
Other researchers have measured stress by
measuring a plant's temperature or stem
thickness. But I haven't heard of anyone doing
irrigation at such a refined level' he says
But Sadler is a little surprised by the figures
tor water savings. They would depend on the
technique you're comparing these results
with.' he says. Sharon says the savings are
based on n comparisons with the Israeli
government’s recommendations for irrigating
crops.
He admits that the system has to be very
reliable if it is to be effective. 'Because the
plants are watered continuously they are
more susceptible to sudden changes in water
supply.' he says 'This means our system has to
operate very reliably.'
The researchers have founded a company
called Leafsen to sell the new irrigation
system, and they hope to start marketing it
within the next few month
Scan the following article and circle the area of text that describes the lighthouse.

Divers hunt for ruins of Pharos lighthouse

Underwater archaeologists search the waters for Egyptian relics, Christopher Walker writes

A team of 30 divers is hurriedly searching the Mediterranean for the remains of the mighty
Pharos lighthouse, built more than 2,200 years ago and regarded as one of the Seven
Wonders of the ancient world.

In addition to Pharos, the joint French and Egyptian expedition is searching for the remnants
of Greek temples and statues. The aim of the £300,000 project is to map a 23,920 sq yard area
off Egypt's second largest city, founded by Alexander the Great. Under the water is a vast
collection of ruins, some of which the 20 French and ten Egyptian divers hope to excavate and
salvage. The team is hoping that among the remnants may be the lighthouse, built in 279 BC
during the reign of Ptolemy II.

The huge white marble building was the marvel of its day. It was more than 400ft high in a
colonnaded court and was equipped with a hydraulic lift to raise fuel to the roof. Its lantern,
probably magnified by a reflecting device, could be seen over a radius of 34 miles. Within its
square base were up to 300 rooms designed to house mechanics and operators; above were
an octagonal storey and a circular storey, topped by a lantern with a beacon, the exact
workings of which are still a mystery.

Although the lantern collapsed as early as the eighth century, the lighthouse served for 1,400
years as the symbol of Alexandria and a beacon for ships, until devastating earthquakes in
1100 and 1307 brought it tumbling down, presumably sending much of the debris into the sea
surrounding Pharos island on which it was built.

The divers have made some fascinating discoveries, including at least three layers of blocks,
some estimated to be as heavy as 70 tonnes, which may have been part of the lighthouse. "It
is certainly possible that some of the pieces come from the lighthouse itself," said Jean-Pierre
Cortegiani, a member of the expedition. "In fact, it would be amazing if nothing came from
the lighthouse, seeing as this is where it toppled into the sea." Also discovered were hundreds
of smaller blocks, thought to be pieces of temples and statues dating back to the Ptolemaic
period. Among them were pieces of ancient columns, many inscribed, and huge granite and
marble statues of sphinxes and Egyptian Gods, some of which stood 15ft high.

"We are making an identification of the blocks, studying the inscriptions and choosing some to
be taken out," Cortegiani said. "We cannot take all the blocks out, but maybe we can have
something like an underwater archaeological park."
TABLE COMPLETION
For this task
 Take a moment to look at the rows and columns of the table to understand how the information
is organized and what is required to answer each question.
 Scan for keywords or paraphrases from the table in the text. Sometimes the information is
located in one place in the passage, other times the information is distributed across the whole
passage.
 Make sure you use exact words and phrases from the text and pay attention to maximum word
count in the answers