Text Recount :

The effects of acid soil

Soils with a pH of less than 7.0 are acid. The lower the pH, the more acid the soil. When
soil pH falls below 5.5, plant growth is affected. Crop yields decrease, reducing
productivity

Soils provide water and nutrients for plant growth and development. Essential plant
nutrients include phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulfur. Plants require other
elements such as molybdenum, in smaller quantities. Some elements eg aluminium and
manganese, are toxic to plants.

Nutrients become available to plants when they are dissolved in water. Plants are able to
take up phosphate, nitrate, potassium and sulfate ions in solution.

The solubility of nitients changes with pH. In acid soils (low pH), molybdenum becomes
less soluble and aluminium becomes more soluble. Therefore, plant growth may be
affected by either a deficiency of molybdenum or too much aluminium.

Both crop and pasture plants are affected by acid soils. there may be a range of
symptoms. Crops and pastures may be poorly established resulting in patchy and uneven
growth. Plant leaves may go yellow and die at the tips. The root system of the plant may
be stunted. Crops may yield less.

Plants vary in their sensitivity to low pH. Canola and lucerne are very sensitive to acid
soils so do not grow well. Lupins and triticale are tolerant to soils of low pH so they still
perform well.

Land can become unproductive if acid soil is left untreated. Incorporating lime into the
soil raises the pH. Therefore, liming soil can reverse the effects of acid soil on plants and
return a paddock to productivity
Text Explanations :

My Adventure at Leang-Leang Cave

On Sunday, my parents, my best friend Novi, and I visited a cave at Maros called Leang-
leang. It was my first time to visit the cave, better yet, my best friend came to visit it with
me!

The cave was famous for its primitive cave wall paintings which were some hand prints
and wild boar paintings. The cave and its surroundings was turned into a national park, so
it was taken care of. My parents took a rest in a small hut for visitors of the park, while
Novi and I adventured around the cave with a guide. We had to climb some metal stairs
to get to the cave, because the cave was embedded into a small mountain. Next stop was
a place where some seashells littered the ground and some were actually piled into a big
mound! The guide said that these piles of seashells are called kjokkenmoddinger, or
kitchen trash. The humans who lived here ate the shells and dumped the left overs in their
'kitchen'. The last place was a small museum where they have skeletons of the humans
who lived in the caves. The skeletons along with some roughly made jewelry and
weapons were placed inside glass cases for display. The walls of the museum were
adorned with photographs taken when they did an excavation there.

After a quick lunch with Novi and my parents, we decided it was time to go back home.
We really had the time of our lives!
Text News Item :

BEIJING

China denied yesterday that any dispute existed between itself and Indonesia over
the South China Sea’s Natuna Island, but said it was willing to hold talks with Jakarta to
settle demarcation. (newsworthy event)

There is no dispute between China and Indonesia on possession of the Natuna

Islands,’ said foreign ministry spokesman Chen Jian when asked about reports of
growing concerns in Jakarta over Chinese interest in a gas-rich zone near the archipelago.
(source)

“We’re willing to hold talks with the Indonesian side to settle demarcation of this
area.” Chen added, without elaborating. China is one of the six nations which claims all
or part of the Spratly Island in the South China Sea and its interpretation of that claim
includes part of the large Indonesian maritime zone of Natuna, between Borneo and the
Malaysian Peninsula. United States oil giant Exxon signed a contract in November with
the Indonesia state owned firm Pertamina to exploit a natural gas field, 250 kilometres
northeast of Natuna, in a zone apparently claimed by China. (background event)
China has lodged no official protest over the deal. Indonesia has sent a diplomatic note to
Beijing expressing its condemn the moment it found out that the latest Chinese official
map showed Natuna as within dotted line of its boundary.