1 . My husband, Dave, who teaches Botany (植物学), always plants things. He has planted trees anywhere we have lived and is proud to see they are flourishing and providing shade and beauty for whoever lives there.

I also love planting, especially the harvest. But I hate weeding (除草). I remember one of our first gardens in Kansas when I was attacked by the hugest grasshoppers (蚱蜢) I had ever seen while weeding our little garden.

Now, our growing efforts at our new home are vegetables. We are enjoying the garden we have created. It’s large but manageable with daily care. We use methods to minimize weeds. We have the time to keep up with the watering and weeding. I find I don’t hate that anymore.

There is something satisfying about pulling grass, and violets that are growing where we don’t want them, and unnamed weeds that are affecting the growth of what we want. I find that my relationship with gardening is turning into a true romance that has a rosy future.

It’s all about time, environment and attitude. Being in my eighties, I have the time to be patient for results, to enjoy the hope for future harvest, and I have the knowledge that comes from experience. I find a lot to love about growing things and about growing older.

1. What does the author’s husband take pride in?

A．Teaching.	B．Weeding.
C．Planting trees.	D．Growing vegetables.

2. How did the author feel when seeing grasshoppers from the weeds?

A．Calm.

B．Excited.

C．Bored.

D．Frightened.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 4?

A．Weeds are growing wildly.	B．The author begins to enjoy weeding.
C．The author finds new ways to weed.	D．Weeds balance the garden.

4. What does the author say about growing old?

A．It is a time to start work.

B．It is a stage of showing pity for the lost past.

C．It lets people become patient and wise.

D．It makes learning knowledge difficult.

2 . Fig trees are native to Europe around the Mediterranean Sea, Asia and Arica, but they can grow in much cooler climates.

Once big enough, fig trees can accept temperatures even a few degrees below freezing. Some kinds of fig trees do better in such environments than others.

Depending on the weather and pruning (修剪), a fig can grow into a bush or a tee. Bushes with several stems (茎) growing from the ground do best if covered for the winter.     1    Either way, wait until the trees have dropped most of their leaves.

One popular method for burying trees for their protection involves digging a narrow, shallow area.     2    The space should be about 30 centimeters deep, 60 centimeters wide and as long as the height of the tree. To prepare the tree, gather its branches and tie them together with soft rope.

Next, push a shovel (铲子) into the soil about a half-meter from the trunk (树干) on the side opposite the hole. Lift that side of the tree’s root ball out of the ground. Then, gently push the tree toward the hole.    3    

Pack soil around the exposed side of the roots, and around the length of the tree. Load soil over the tree. Make it at least 30 centimeters deep. You will need more soil than you removed from digging.

    4    In this case, you should work upwards from the bottom and put cloth around the tree. Then put heavy brown paper around the cloth and tie it into place. Remove some soil from around the base of the tree. Place a large piece of cardboard into the space.     5    Tie the cardboard into place.

A．And in this area the tree can be laid.

B．All kinds of the trees could use protection.

C．You can also cover, or wrap, the tree instead.

D．And bend it around the bottom part of the tree.

E．When it is lying fat, cover the tree with plastic.

F．Trees with a single trunk can be buried or covered.

G．Remove the cover on the tee on a cloudy day in early spring.

3 . The longleaf pine (长叶松) tree has deep connections with the history and life of the eastern part of America. Forests of these trees once covered two-thirds of the southeastern United States. About 95 percent of those forests were lost in the past 100 years. Many of the forests were cut for their wood, but now they are returning, with the help of government programs that build ties with private landowners.

The wood of the tree is very strong. Most buildings built in the southern U.S. from the 1800s contained longleaf pine wood. Today, although buildings made with longleaf pine are no longer wanted, yet people are reusing the wood because it is still good and resists (抵抗) water and insect damage.

The longleaf pine also takes in CO₂ in the air. It stores the material in its wood. So, the tree is valuable to the environment as a way to store carbon.

At the same time, the pine forests are places for animals to live. The U.S. government has several programs to protect and increase longleaf pine forests. One is the Safe Harbor Program. It uses voluntary agreements with private landowners to help animals at risk. One such agreement protects the red-cockaded woodpecker and also lets landowners use their land, as long as the birds and other connected animals can safely live on it.

Now, farmers and landowners in the southeastern U.S. are growing new longleaf pine trees. Instead of cutting the trees to use as building materials, they are finding ways to make money from the forest of living trees. One way to get money is by selling the leaves of the trees as a ground cover. Farmers can gather the pine leaves by hand or with the help of a machine. Pine leaves can be used instead of wood pieces or skins as a ground cover. It lasts a long time, is light in weight and stays in place because the needles (针) connect to each other.

1. Which of the following has helped bring back the longleaf pine trees?

A．The government’s efforts.	B．The much money it brings.
C．People’s wish to return to the old lifestyle.	D．The great need for their wood.

2. What do we know about houses built of longleaf pine wood today?

A．Welcome.

B．Cheap.

C．Unpopular.

D．Unclean.

3. What is one responsibility of landowners to use their land?

A．Providing longleaf pine wood.	B．Protecting animals in danger.
C．Enlarging the wood’s market.	D．Collecting longleaf pine needles.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The Return of Longleaf Pines Gives Home to Animals

B．Farmers Benefit from Living longleaf Pine Trees

C．New Uses of Longleaf Pine Trees Create Forests

D．Longleaf Pine Trees Give More than Just Wood

4 . How to Make a Window Box Garden

For many people, warm weather means growing things in the ground. Gardening is a popular activity all around the world. But what about people who do not have the space to garden? Don’t worry! Today, we will give you information about growing beautiful window boxes.

Place and safety

    1     They can also sit on other surfaces such as walls, or front steps. Make sure your window boxes are safe so they will not come down in a storm. Because of these possible dangers, window boxes are sometimes not allowed by house owners. If that is the case where you live or if you feel your window box could be unsafe, you can have an indoor window box.

Light and water

Before choosing plants, check your window box place for light and rain.     2     So, they need more water. And if a window box is close to a wall or other buildings, it may not get enough rainwater. Even if all your windows get little sun, do not give up. Browne, a famous gardener, says one of her greatest successes is a beautiful window box in a full-shade area.     3    

Try to be different

So, what makes some window boxes different while others are just so-so? Create a topic!     4     For example, you may have a window box that is filled with all cactuses or all plants fit for eating. Or you could have a color-topic window box with only purple flowers and plants.     5     People who have really nice window boxes cut off anything dead. They also water their window boxes often and change things a lot.

A．This is a main idea for the plants.

B．Besides having a topic, caring is important.

C．Window boxes dry out faster than ground plants.

D．You should not let quick-growing plants get out of control.

E．She suggests knowing which plants look best during each season.

F．Window boxes are not just for the outside edge of the window.

G．She gets a great look by using plants and flowers that don’t need much sun.