TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Esther Meduna: Why our future relies on the genetic diversity of food

Unscramble the Blue Letters

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and animals alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on earth today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my antrcseos saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and srteatd domesticating them. This haeenppd through cuotonuins cultivation and selection of those pnltas with a scepail capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild cabbage, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture panlt did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel tewor or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be aware that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (ltgauher) Through domestication process, a huge diversity arose. For almost every part of the world, sceepis and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In snwliazretd, for example, there were distinct varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger crarot or the Uster alppe. I like to watch the reactions of people at exhibitions of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this viretay from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (Laughter) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a ptaopuoiln depends too much on a single variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The Irish were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. Potatoes of the same variety are clones and thus genetically indtaciel. So when a new disease arrived with the ptotao blight, it had a very easy game, and it destroyed the crops in couitsnvece years. The sad cuseeoqnnce was that about a million people died, and one and a half million iirsh had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be easily wiped out by a single disease. The natives in South armicea, for example, do not grow only one snglie potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a yiled, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only sroht living is the bnanaa. It may well be that in a few years, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The tarde relies to 95 pecrent on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very clear, let's look at it from a ceelmoptly different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of losing everything is too big. But, in acgurrluite, instead of dsiiefrnyivg and mimsniinig the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this fnenul represents the cattieooncrnn which is taking place at every level. fitlrsy, it reeesprtns the plopee wriknog in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th cutenry, it was 60 percent of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed cemoniaps. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For farmers and gerrednas, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the seeds. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good business model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional veaierits, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With traditional varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them puwerofl. They can be the base for a more sustainable agricultural future. We do not know what clenlhages lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can safeguard now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be reversed again. With urban gardening and farming and cutminmoy supported agriculture, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the ProSpecieRara Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the mmeont we're sdeafaruging 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in beasl, and the number is still gniorwg. We think it's inpmraott to sow the seeds every year so that they can adapt to changing emvnniroent. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but ftneolrtuay, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the sevad seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in rrnsiveeg this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very simple and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato fresh from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the supermarket type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that suits you. All you need is a sunny spot on your bnlcoay or in front of your house, a pot, erath and water. When a tmtoao is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good variety, you just put the sdees in a gslas and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and family and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (Applause)

Open Cloze

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and animals alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on earth today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my _________ saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and _______ domesticating them. This ________ through __________ cultivation and selection of those ______ with a _______ capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild cabbage, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture _____ did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel _____ or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be aware that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (________) Through domestication process, a huge diversity arose. For almost every part of the world, _______ and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In ___________, for example, there were distinct varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger ______ or the Uster _____. I like to watch the reactions of people at exhibitions of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this _______ from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (Laughter) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a __________ depends too much on a single variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The Irish were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. Potatoes of the same variety are clones and thus genetically _________. So when a new disease arrived with the ______ blight, it had a very easy game, and it destroyed the crops in ___________ years. The sad ___________ was that about a million people died, and one and a half million _____ had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be easily wiped out by a single disease. The natives in South _______, for example, do not grow only one ______ potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a _____, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only _____ living is the ______. It may well be that in a few years, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The _____ relies to 95 _______ on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very clear, let's look at it from a __________ different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of losing everything is too big. But, in ___________, instead of ____________ and __________ the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this ______ represents the _____________ which is taking place at every level. _______, it __________ the ______ _______ in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th _______, it was 60 percent of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed _________. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For farmers and _________, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the seeds. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good business model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional _________, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With traditional varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them ________. They can be the base for a more sustainable agricultural future. We do not know what __________ lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can safeguard now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be reversed again. With urban gardening and farming and _________ supported agriculture, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the ProSpecieRara Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the ______ we're ____________ 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in _____, and the number is still _______. We think it's _________ to sow the seeds every year so that they can adapt to changing ___________. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but ___________, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the _____ seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in _________ this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very simple and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato fresh from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the supermarket type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that suits you. All you need is a sunny spot on your _______ or in front of your house, a pot, _____ and water. When a ______ is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good variety, you just put the _____ in a _____ and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and family and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (Applause)

Solution

represents
firstly
apple
people
happened
percent
banana
america
balcony
single
switzerland
identical
safeguarding
moment
gardeners
special
laughter
century
plant
fortunately
saved
consecutive
growing
earth
agriculture
diversifying
continuous
population
minimising
carrot
potato
species
funnel
tower
companies
varieties
started
short
seeds
ancestors
glass
variety
important
plants
reversing
consequence
challenges
trade
completely
working
irish
basel
community
environment
powerful
tomato
concentration
yield

Original Text

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and animals alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on earth today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my ancestors saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and started domesticating them. This happened through continuous cultivation and selection of those plants with a special capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild cabbage, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture plant did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel Tower or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be aware that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (Laughter) Through domestication process, a huge diversity arose. For almost every part of the world, species and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In Switzerland, for example, there were distinct varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger carrot or the Uster apple. I like to watch the reactions of people at exhibitions of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this variety from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (Laughter) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a population depends too much on a single variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The Irish were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. Potatoes of the same variety are clones and thus genetically identical. So when a new disease arrived with the potato blight, it had a very easy game, and it destroyed the crops in consecutive years. The sad consequence was that about a million people died, and one and a half million Irish had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be easily wiped out by a single disease. The natives in South America, for example, do not grow only one single potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a yield, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only short living is the banana. It may well be that in a few years, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The trade relies to 95 percent on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very clear, let's look at it from a completely different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of losing everything is too big. But, in agriculture, instead of diversifying and minimising the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this funnel represents the concentration which is taking place at every level. Firstly, it represents the people working in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was 60 percent of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed companies. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For farmers and gardeners, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the seeds. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good business model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional varieties, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With traditional varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them powerful. They can be the base for a more sustainable agricultural future. We do not know what challenges lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can safeguard now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be reversed again. With urban gardening and farming and community supported agriculture, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the ProSpecieRara Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the moment we're safeguarding 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in Basel, and the number is still growing. We think it's important to sow the seeds every year so that they can adapt to changing environment. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but fortunately, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the saved seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in reversing this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very simple and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato fresh from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the supermarket type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that suits you. All you need is a sunny spot on your balcony or in front of your house, a pot, earth and water. When a tomato is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good variety, you just put the seeds in a glass and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and family and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (Applause)

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
single variety	3
million people	2
wild plants	2
traditional varieties	2
potato variety	2
huge loss	2
hybrid seeds	2
seed saving	2

Important Words

abundant
adapt
age
agree
agricultural
agriculture
alive
amazed
amazing
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amount
ancestors
angle
animals
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appearance
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