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Compost Exercise

The document discusses how gardeners use compost piles to break down food waste and other organic materials into a nutrient-rich mixture to add to soil. Compost piles need regular turning, moisture, and sunlight exposure to aid the breakdown process by bacteria and microorganisms. Gardeners should avoid adding weeds to compost piles to prevent unwanted plants from sprouting in gardens.

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Huyen Nguyen
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69 views2 pages

Compost Exercise

The document discusses how gardeners use compost piles to break down food waste and other organic materials into a nutrient-rich mixture to add to soil. Compost piles need regular turning, moisture, and sunlight exposure to aid the breakdown process by bacteria and microorganisms. Gardeners should avoid adding weeds to compost piles to prevent unwanted plants from sprouting in gardens.

Uploaded by

Huyen Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name

Date
Compost
What do you do with your orange peels and corn cobs after you
are done eating? Most people throw them in the trash can. But
most food leftovers do not have to go into the trash. They are
biodegradable, which means that they can be broken down by
bacteria into natural materials. People who like to garden often
put their fruit and vegetable scraps in a special place known as
a compost pile.

A compost pile is a spot outdoors where food waste can break


down into compost, which gardeners use. This process takes
several months. Once the compost is created, people spread
this mixture in their gardens to add nutrients to the soil. The
compost in the soil helps new plants grow in the garden.
How do you take care of a compost pile? It needs air, water, and heat. Bacteria and other
microorganisms break down the food waste into more basic elements like water and carbon
dioxide. This process requires oxygen, so people use a shovel to turn compost regularly and help
air reach all parts of the pile. The pile cannot dry out, so it should be covered to keep moisture in.
Finally, heat speeds up the process. This means a compost pile should be in the sun for at least
part of the day.

Food leftovers are not the only things that turn into compost. You can also add yard waste like
grass clippings, dried leaves, and straw. In fact, you should add these things to create a healthy
balance in your compost. But do not add any weeds to your compost pile unless you want to grow
weeds in your garden! Sometimes seeds are left behind in the compost. This can be a welcome
surprise if you find a tomato plant sprouting where you had not planted one. The tomato seed was
hiding in the compost, waiting to begin a new life in the garden.

1) According to the passage, gardeners use compost to

A. reduce the amount of trash on the planet


B. break down food waste
C. add nutrients to the soil
D. take care of bacteria and other microorganisms

2) The author explains that to take care of a compost pile you have to

I. turn it regularly
II. cover it
III. make sure it is in the sun for at least part of the day

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

This document and its content is protected under copyrights laws and owned solely by ReadTheory Limited
Partnership; Distributing, reusing, republishing the document in any way or form is forbidden .
3) Using the passage as a guide, we can understand that you should not put weeds in a
compost pile because

A. they do not create a healthy balance


B. food leftovers are the only things that turn into compost
C. you do not want surprise plants growing in your garden
D. the seeds can create new weeds in your garden

4) As used in the final paragraph, the word sprouting most nearly means

A. blooming
B. growing
C. appearing
D. hiding

5) Would you be interested in starting your own compost pile? Why or why not?

This document and its content is protected under copyrights laws and owned solely by ReadTheory Limited
Partnership; Distributing, reusing, republishing the document in any way or form is forbidden .

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