Lawn Care
Listen and Read: Listen to the recording about landscaping, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.
We just bought a house with a great lawn, but I want to be sure to take care of it so it looks nice in the neighborhood. At the beginning of each spring, I aerate the lawn so the water can better penetrate the soil. Then, I mow the lawn once a week to a good height, and I check the sprinkler system to make sure the grass is completely watered. Otherwise, we’ll see dry brown spots in the lawn after a while. Next, I fertilize the lawn twice a year with a weed and feed mixture which helps green up the grass and kill broadleaf weeds like dandelions. I sometimes have to use an insecticide to kill bugs that are eating the roots of the grass. Finally, I trim the edges of the lawn along the fence and the sidewalk to make everything look really sharp and tidy.
Discussion
Do people have grass lawns in your hometown to beautify their yards? If not, what ground cover is used instead? How does the climate of a particular area affect how homes are landscaped?
Online Investigation
Companies always produce commercially sold products that can be used to improve the grass or landscaping around a home; however, there are a number of “homemade” solutions that people can create using products that they might already have around the house. Search the internet for a lawn greening recipe that anyone can make. What does each ingredient do?
Online Listening Practice (from www.esl-lab.com):