1 . Tom Brown’s orchard (果园), known as Heritage Apples, is home to 700 varieties of apples. They are among the 1,200 endangered varieties that Brown has recovered from six southern states. Many of these have not been sold for a century or so. In fact, he cloned some of the apples from the last remaining trees of their kinds.

Before Brown discovered lost apples, he was a chemical engineer who, along with his wife, Merrikay Brown, enjoyed visiting farmers’ markets. It was at one, in 1999, that he became fascinated by baskets full of heritage apples with unfamiliar names such as Kane, Lawver, Rusty Coat, and Rambo. These apples had shapes, colors, and tastes like no apples Brown had ever seen before. The seller Maurice Marshall told him other lost apples might still be found in the area. Interested, Brown went in search of them.

Brown advertised in area newspapers seeking information about old apple trees. The response was exciting, but few brought concrete information. Actually, most of the leads about the whereabouts of these old trees come from people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, many of whom he met at local businesses and at festivals where he exhibited heritage apples. When Brown finds a tree, he cuts a branch off and returns during fruiting season to identify them. He compares leaves and apples to historical seed catalogs, and uses photos to correspond with experts for further confirmation.

In 1905, there were more than 7,000 apple varieties in the United States. Then people moved to urban areas and grew less of their own food while large agribusinesses preferred selling fewer varieties, ones that were familiar and shipped easily. Saving the long-forgotten fruits is a race against time. Now, the 79-year-old has to drive over 30,000 miles a year and devotes around three days a week to apple-hunting. He hopes to recover another 100 varieties or more in his lifetime.

1. What do we learn about the apples in Brown’s orchard?

A．They are rare species.	B．They are mostly clones.
C．They sell well in the market.	D．They adapt to different climates.

2. What did Brown decide to do after talking with Marshall?

A．Help him promote fruits.	B．Recover the lost apples.
C．Learn to plant fruit trees from him.	D．Taste the apples mentioned by him.

3. How did Brown locate most of the lost varieties?

A．By referring to documents.	B．By putting advertisements.
C．By consulting the elderly.	D．By communicating with experts.

4. What does the author intend to tell us about Brown?

A．His colorful retirement life.

B．His work in protecting fruit trees.

C．His love for popularizing gardening.

D．His contributions to saving lost apple species.