Vegetable gardening is the relaxing art and science of turning a love for growing plants into a worthwhile activity.

Vegetable gardeners agree that many home-grown vegetables picked at their best are superior to those vegetables purchased from markets. From spring through late fall, a well-planned and well-kept garden can prove a supply of fresh vegetables, thus increasing the nutrition of the family diet. Freezers make it possible to keep some of the vegetables to be enjoyed at a later date. Other vegetables can be stored for a few months in a cool area.

Having vegetables in the backyard makes home gardening appealing(吸收人的) for many people. In addition, vegetable gardening provides exercise and fun for both urban and suburban families.

Although the money spent for a garden may be little, one cannot escape the fact that gardening requires hard work and time. Many of the gardening tasks must be performed at times that are most inconvenient. Not doing jobs that should be done on a regular basis may result in failure and a negative feeling toward gardening.

One should not plant a garden that is too large for him to care for. A small, well-kept garden is more enjoyable and profitable than a large neglected one. Vegetables do well in full sunlight and need at least five or six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Too much shading results in poor plants and few vegetables. If possible, the garden should be near the house so the gardener can work in it at odd moments.

Soils for vegetables should be easily broken up and porous(能渗透的) for quick water drainage and good aeration(透气). A deep, fine, sandy good quality soil is best.

Usually the hoe owner has little choice in the soil type he can choose. Fortunately, many vegetables can be grown on poor soils if the soils are properly prepared.

Home-grown vegetables ___________.

       A．can remain standing for a long time and need not be picked immediately.

       B．have to be eaten as soon as they are picked

       C．sell well in the market because of their good quality

       D．picked at the right moment are more nutritious than those bought from the market.

Vegetables gardening is appealing for many people because ___________.

       A．it requires little money

       B．it is enjoyable and profitable

       C．they can work in the vegetable garden at odd moments

       D．it provides vegetables for the family all the year round.

The author suggests that an ideal vegetable garden ___________.

       A．should be sunny             B．should be within walking distance

       C．should be large-sized       D．should consist of sandy soil

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

       A．Vegetable Gardening, an Escape from Boredom

       B．An Ideal Vegetable Garden

       C．Vegetable Gardening, a Worthwhile Activity

       D．The Best Soil for Growing Vegetables

Finally, a cell phone
That's… a phone
With rates as low as $3.75 per week ！
“Well, I finally did it. I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone. My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help. But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind. The phones all have cameras, computers and a "global-positioning" something or other that's supposed to spot me from space. Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids ！ The people at the store weren't much help. They couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want a phone the size of a postage stamp. And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the'contract (合同）lasted for two years! I'd almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone. Now,I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use. ”
Affordable plans that I can understand一and no contract to sign (签订）！ Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense. Why should I pay for minutes I m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan，I won ’t find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone. Best of all, there is no contract to sign_so I m not locked in for years at a time. The US-based customer service is second to none. And the phone gets service anywhere in the country.

Finally, a cell phone

That’s… a phone

With rates as low as $3．75 per week ！

“Well, I finally did it． I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone． My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help． But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind． The phones all have cameras, computers and a “global-positioning” something or other that’s supposed to spot me from space． Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids! The people at the store weren’t much help． They couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want a phone the size of a postage stamp． And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the contract （合同）lasted for two years! I’d almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone． Now, I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use． ”

Affordable plans that I can understand---and no contract to sign （签订）！ Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense． Why should I pay for minutes I’m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan，I won’t find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone． Best of all, there is no contract to sign, so I’m not locked in for years at a time． The US-based customer service is second to none． And the phone gets service anywhere in the country．               

Call now and receive a FREE gift when you order． Try Jitterbug for 30 days and if you don’t love it, just return it! Why wait, the Jitterbug comes ready to use right out of the box． If you aren’t as happy with it as I am, you can return it and get your money back． Call now, the Jitterbug product experts are ready to answer your questions．

Call 1-888-809-8794 or visit www.jitlerbugdirect． com．

1.What made “I” finally think of getting a cell phone?

2.On the monthly basis of 100 minutes, the Jitterbug weekly rate is about_______．

3.An advantage of Jitterbug mentioned in the passage is _______．

4.The main purpose of the passage is to _______．

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中选出最佳选项。

　　Vegetable gardening is the relaxing art and science of turning a love for growing plants into a worthwhile activity.

　　Vegetable gardeners agree that many home-grown vegetables picked at their best are better than those bought from markets. From spring through late fall, a well-planned and well-kept garden can provide a supply of fresh vegetables, thus increasing the nutrition (营养)of the family diet. Freezers make it possible to keep some of the vegetables to be enjoyed at a later date. Other vegetables can be stored for a few months in a cool area.

　　Having vegetables in the backyard makes home gardening attractive for many people. Besides, vegetable gardening provides exercise and fun for families.

　　Although the money spent for a garden may be little, one cannot escape the fact that gardening requires hard work and time. Many of the gardening tasks must be performed at times that are most inconvenient. Not doing jobs that should be done on a regular base may result in failure and a negative (消极的) feeling toward gardening.

　　One should not plant a garden that is too large for him to care for. A small , well-kept garden is more enjoyable and profitable (有益的) than a large one. Vegetables do well in full sunlight and need at least five or six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Too much shading results in poor plants and few vegetables. If possible, the garden should be near the house so the gardener can work at it at irregular moments.

　　Usually the home owner has little choice in the soil type he can choose. Fortunately many vegetables can be grown on poor soils if the soils are properly prepared.

1．Which of the following is true about home-grown vegetables?

[　　]

A．They can remain standing for a long time and needn't be picked immediately.

B．They have to be eaten as soon as they are picked.

C．They sell well in the market because of their top quality.

D．Vegetables picked at the right moment are more nutritious than those bought from the market.

2．Why is vegetable gardening attractive for many people?

[　　]

A．It requires little money.

B．It is enjoyable and profitable.

C．It provides vegetables for the family all the year round.

D．They can work in the vegetable garden at irregular moments.

3．It is suggested in the passage that an ideal (理想的) vegetable ________.

[　　]

4．From the passage we can conclude that ________.

[　　]

A．vegetable gardening is a good way to kill time for old people

B．vegetables can be grown in almost any kind of soil

C．vegetables need little care while growing

D．vegetable gardening is a necessary part of life for people

Finally, a cell phone
That’s… a phone
With rates as low as $3．75 per week ！
“Well, I finally did it． I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone． My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help． But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind． The phones all have cameras, computers and a “global-positioning” something or other that’s supposed to spot me from space． Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids! The people at the store weren’t much help． They couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want a phone the size of a postage stamp． And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the contract （合同）lasted for two years! I’d almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone． Now, I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use． ”
Affordable plans that I can understand---and no contract to sign （签订）！ Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense． Why should I pay for minutes I’m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan，I won’t find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone． Best of all, there is no contract to sign, so I’m not locked in for years at a time． The US-based customer service is second to none． And the phone gets service anywhere in the country．