星火英语15篇文章背完大学英语六级词汇：Unit3-Part2

Some gardeners plan their garden with



Some gardeners plan their garden



with meticulous 1 attention to detail.



They choose colors that



will complement 2 each other



and design their garden



as if they were



painting on a canvas.



Others are more spontaneous



and simply visit a nursery



and purchase plants



that appeal to them.



Often gardeners have a trademark 3 plant



that is their specialty 4.



Perhaps they enjoy the velvet 5



texture 6 of the leaves, or maybe



the flower's color attracts them.



The varieties of gardens



are endless. Terrace gardening



has become popular. With



a herbal garden, cooks enjoy



being able to use fresh herbs



from their garden to



add zest 7 to their favorite dishes.



They simply visit their garden



and clip a few pieces of



the herb they wish to use.



Every garden is as individual



as its owner. Gardens come



in all shapes and sizes.



Some are in the shape



of a rectangle, while others



are circular or irregular in shape.



Some gardeners like the appearance



of an asymmetrical 8 shape



while others work to



achieve symmetry in their gardens.



For vegetable gardens, the most



popular shape is rectangular



and vegetables are usually planted



in a linear fashion.



This method makes it easier



to cultivate between



the rows of plants.



You could mistake some gardens



for a meadow when the gardener



chooses to include only



wildflowers as a choice of vegetation.



Including a pond in



a garden is popular too.



Entrepreneurs are always looking



for innovations and gadgets 9 that



will attract the attention



of devoted 10 gardeners and



induce them to spend their money.



It has become a huge industry



in the last few years,



as the baby boomers reach



retirement 11 age and have more time



to pursue hobbies such as gardening.



There are new  products patented



every year to tempt 12 the gardener.



It is possible to



buy a kit 13 that contains



a complete set of tools



needed by the home gardener.



Unfortunately, often the quality



is poor and the product



is a fraud. Instead of



having something good to



work with, the purchase



turns out to be junk.



If you want to flatter



a gardener, and boost



their ego 14 at the same time,



summon up the courage to



simply ask if you can 



swap 15 plants. Of course,



it will give them a thrill



if you also compliment them



on the hardiness 16 of their plants



as compared to yours.



They might even try to



console you on your lack



of competence 17 as a gardener



because your plants are not



as sturdy as their plants.



Irrespective of the competence



of the gardener, anyone who



augments 18 the number of plants



grown is helping 19 to conserve 20



our planet by averting 21 erosion.



This pays great dividends 22



for everyone as it also



serves to protect the ozone 23 layer.



Some people erect 24 barricades 25



to keep small animals



from attacking the plants.



Squirrels love to dig up



flower bulbs. They find



them a tasty treat.



It is common to see



ceramic 26 fixtures 27 or figurines



in a garden. Even



the untrained eye can tell



that the imitations are a fake,



yet properly placed, they add



to the intrinsic beauty.



A rain gauge 28, attached



by a bracket to a fence,



is a common sight and



is used to enable the gardener



to diagnose the moisture level



of the soil around



the plants and determine



if they need more water.



If nature does not provide



enough rain, then the gardener



will use a plastic or



rubber hose to provide



more irrigation. With a twist



of a knob, or by moving



a lever, the thirst of



the plants for moisture



can be quenched 29.What greater pleasure,



than to work in your garden



and as you clip



the overgrown plants back to



size or prune 30 branches



of fruit trees, hear



the buzz of bees?



You know that they are



enjoying your garden as



they extract the pollen 31



from the blooms. You relish 32



the feeling that you are



one with nature. The hum



of insects as they share



the garden is more pleasurable



than music from a stereo



or a symphony to



a devoted gardener. In addition,



the scent 33 of the flowers



is an integral part



of the joy of spending



time working in a garden.



The irony 34 of the situation



is that nature sometimes



conspires 35 against the gardener,



and a hailstorm can riddle 36



beautiful plants, shredding 37 their leaves



in minutes. Hurricanes can uproot 38



even the largest trees



although this is an event



that seldom occurs in Southern Ontario.



Tornadoes 39 are more likely



in this area.Parasites 40 can



attack plants and threaten their survival.



Any number of things



can become a plague.



It is often difficult



to discern exactly what it is



that is destroying the precious plants.



Any number of complications



can shatter the gardener's dream



of surpassing last year's accomplishment 41.



An authentic 42 gardener will not



brood about the disappointment



for long. Even as



the disaster is occurring,



you might overhear the gardener



murmur 43 “There's always next year.”