Reading
Tomatoes are from South America. When tomatoes came to Europe, people did not eat them. Doctors said they would make them sick. So people just grew tomatoes because they looked nice. Now people from all over the world eat tomatoes. We can use tomatoes in sauce, soup, juice, salsa, and ketchup. Tomatoes are very good for you. Only a tomato leaf or stem will make you sick. People do odd things with tomatoes. They grow them in space. There is a big tomato fight every year in Spain. A long time ago, people threw a bad tomato when they saw a show they did not like. In Canada, farmers grow many tomatoes on big farms. In fact, the farms bring in poor people from far away to help grow tomatoes, but the workers do not get much money. Canada also does not let the workers stay there for ever. Many people say this is not fair. Most farmers pick tomatoes before they are ripe. They last longer this way. But these tomatoes do not taste very good and they aren’t delicious. So lots of people grow their own tomatoes. Grow Your Own Tomatoes. You can grow tomatoes inside if you do not have a garden. Fill a pot with potting soil. Put a seed on top of the soil. Add a bit more soil on top. Add water. The soil must always be a little wet. Put the plant by a window. The plant needs four hours of sun a day. Pick the tomatoes when they are the same red color top to bottom. Enjoy!
A) Answer the questions. (1)
1.Why didn’t people eat tomatoes when they first came to Europe? ……………………………………………………………………..
2.Why do farmers pick tomatoes before they are ripe? …………………………………………………………………………………………… .
B) Choose the best answer. (2)
1. What happened when tomatoes first came to Europe?
A: They were welcomed.
B: People did not like them.
C: Doctors suggested people eat tomatoes for good health.
D: People grew them for food.
2. What is something tomatoes are NOT used for?
A: ketchup
B: juice
C: pastries
D: soup
3. According to the reading, how are the tomato workers treated unfairly?
A: They work in dangerous places.
B: Canadians are not polite to them.
C: They don’t get much money.
D: They can’t stay in Canada.
4. When you are growing your own tomatoes, where should you put the plant and how much sunlight will it need?
A. You should put it in the kitchen and it will not need any direct sunlight.
B. You should put it by a window and it will need 4 hours of sunlight per day.
C. It needs to be outside.
D. It needs to be in the garage with sunlight all day.
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