“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(可用的)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. Second, 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 roses?
A．A lot of care and the right soil.
B．Frequent pruning and fertilizing.
C．Tomato plants grown alongside.
D．Cages placed around the roots.
2．The writer planted the tomato because ________.
A．it cost only $1.25
B．the soil was just right for it
C．there was room for it in the garden
D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered
3．This year the writer’s roses were ________.
A．removed from the rose bed
B．picked along with the tomatoes
C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight
D．largely hidden under the tomato plant
4．By saying“the prize so dearly won”in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.
A．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes
B．show the hardship of growing the roses
C．express her liking for the loses
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
[语篇解读] 有道是：有心栽花花不开，无心插柳柳成荫。作者以轻松的笔调、幽默的口吻给我们讲述了一件这样的事情：仅仅是为了填补玫瑰花坛里的一片空地，作者栽了一棵小小的西红柿苗。谁想到此举竞酿成大错。得益于作者对玫瑰的呵护：肥美的土壤，每日的浇灌，充足的阳光，频繁的施肥，幼小的西红柿苗长得像灌木丛那样高大。它遮盖了一大片花坛，被遮蔽的玫瑰日渐枯黄，生命垂危。鱼与熊掌不可兼得，作者陷入了两难境地：是砍掉这棵日产一二十个果子的西红柿来抢救奄奄一息的玫瑰呢?还是放弃这些重金买来的(expensive)又费尽心血的(treasured)玫瑰呢?最后，作者援引了《飘》的主人公——斯佳丽(Scarlett)在书中的最后一句话：明天我再考虑这件事情。本篇语言地道，充满隽言妙语，具有浓厚的文学色彩，是散文中的佳作。透过鲜红的西红柿和苍白的玫瑰，我们可以体会到作者面对“鱼和熊掌”的尴尬；透过那灵动幽默的笔触，我们又可以看到一个富有生活情趣的作者。
1．A
C和D两项容易被排除。B项“经常修剪和施肥”(frequent pruning and fertilizing)，都属于护理(care)。显然，A项是全面的，是最准确的。
2．C
信息句：It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant.“为了充分利用花园里的一片空地，我栽了一棵小小的西红柿苗。”
3．D
信息句：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.“六月摘西红柿的时候，我看到了两朵完全被覆盖的开着的白色玫瑰。由于无阳光，它们叶子已经枯黄，奄奄一息。”
4．A
信息句：the prize so dearly won=the tomatoes that were won in such a dear way“用如此昂贵的方式得到的西红柿”。作者用此幽默的说法来说明摘西红柿之不易。
5．B
信息句：to tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day.我每天可以从这棵旺盛的西红柿上摘下10到20个熟透的甜甜的西红柿，这正是我不忍拔掉它的原因。那些玫瑰既昂贵(expensive)又珍贵(treasured)，所以A不对。“I’ll think about that tomorrow”说明我求助无门，难以做出决定，故C项是错误的。西红柿虽然生机勃勃，玫瑰却日渐衰败(weak)，显然，两者不可兼得，故D项是错误的。
