Question

“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.

One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.

Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.

Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.

Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.

Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.

1.．What are the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?

A. Frequent pruning and fertilizing.

B. A lot of care and the right soil.

C. Tomato plants grown alongside.

D. Cages placed around the roots.

2.．The writer planted the tomato because _________.

A. there was room for it in the garden

B. the soil was just right for it

C. it cost only $1.25

D. the roses’ branches needed to be covered

3.．This year the writer’s roses were __________.

A. removed from the rose bed

B. largely hidden under the tomato plant

C. mostly damaged by too much sunlight

D. picked along with the tomatoes

4.．By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.

A. express her liking for the roses

B. show the hardship of growing the roses

C. show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes

D. express her care for the tomatoes

5.．In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.

A．the roses cost the writer little money

B．the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes

C．someone will help the writer make the decision

D．the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.C

5.B

【解析】本文大意讲的是作者在春天偶然栽种的一棵西红柿长成后非常大，影响到园中的玫瑰花，作者在享受西红柿美味的同时，又难以割舍珍贵的玫瑰花，面对两种选择，作者举棋不定。

1. 细节题。根据第三段：Roses require a good deal of care和第四段 Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes.可知玫瑰的健康成长需要精心呵护和肥沃的土壤。故选B。

2. 细节题。根据第三段：It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake. 可知是因为有地方作者才种西红柿的。故选A。

3. 细节题。根据第二段：has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants可知西红柿已经盖住了玫瑰。故选B。

4. 推断题。作者在第五段的第一句用了 the task一词，将摘西红柿看成是一项“任务”；其次作者在三个地方用了have to，表示摘西红柿不容易；最后作者还用了stand on my head, reach down and under…等夸张性用词，充分说明了摘西红柿的难度。故选C。

5. 推理题。根据最后一段：Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold可知每天有收获是好事。故选B。

考点：考查说明类短文阅读