Question

When my sister Mertie told me she had put out tomato plants last summer, I was quite impressed.

Since she was a garden-beginner, Mertie researched exactly how far apart to space her tomato plants; what kind of fertilizer to use; how to keep away the bugs（害虫）, etc. Once they were planted, she took care of them daily, anxiously awaiting the juicy tomatoes to appear. But, day after day, her plants were tomato-less while all of her neighbors who had also put out tomato plants were already enjoying the fruit of their labor.

Frustrated(upset), Mertie gave in and went to the market to search fresh tomatoes. While paying, Mertie told the farmer her troubles. The farmer paused to think for a moment and then asked, “Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?”

“I think they were called Big Boy,” Mertie remembered.

“Well there’s your problem,” the farmer explained. “Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day growing period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as few as 70 days…you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys.”

With that new knowledge, Mertie went home with excitement, knowing they would be worth the wait.

Thinking about my sister’s gardening experience, I had to smile. She just didn’t know that Big Boy tomatoes took longer--neither did I--but once she discovered that information, she was no longer discouraged and upset about the lack of tomatoes on her plants. Instead, she was encouraged and excited to see them a few weeks later.

It makes me wonder how many of us have “Big Boy” dreams in our hearts, yet we just don’t realize that they are of the “Big Boy” variety so we are discouraged and worn out with the waiting process. Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and figure we must have done something wrong to stop them from coming to pass. Frustrated, we see other people’s dreams coming true, and we wonder why ours haven’t yet been achieved.

1.To better grow tomato plants,what did Mertie do?

A. Using little fertilizer.    B. Keeping them well close.

C. Watering them daily.    D. Controlling pests on them.

2.Why did Mertie’s tomato plants fail to produce at the expected time?

A. Because they were destroyed by her neighbors.

B. Because she grew the wrong kind of tomatoes.

C. Because she didn’t manage the garden well.

D. Because they required more time to produce.

3.What does the author compare tomatoes to in the text?

A. Goals.    B. Experiences.

C. Time.    D. Imagination.

4.What does the text intend to show us?

A. It’s better late than never.

B. A bad beginning makes a bad ending.

C. Success sometimes needs a little patience.

D. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Answer

1. D

2. D

3. A

4. C

【解析】

本文是一篇故事。通过妹妹Mertie种西红柿的故事告诉我们要实现梦想，有时需要耐心等待。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段Mertie researched exactly how far apart to space her tomato plants; what kind of fertilizer to use; how to keep away the bugs, etc.可知“她仔细研究了番茄植株的间隔；使用何种肥料；如何防止害虫等”，可判断出Mertie给她种的西红柿分苗、施肥和控制害虫。分析选项可知D项符合题意，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第五段中的农民对Mertie 说的Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day growing period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as few as 70 days…you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys. Big Boy 和 Better Boy“西红柿有95天的生长期，而普通西红柿植物只在70天内就结出果实……你只要再等一会儿就行了，”可知Mertie 种植的西红柿品种比一般西红柿生长需要的时间长，所以还需要一段时间才能成熟。故选D.

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中It makes me wonder how many of us have “Big Boy” dreams in our hearts, ……Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and……we see other people’s dreams coming true, ……可知我们内心有许多梦想像““Big Boy”的美国梦，但没有意识到梦想的变化，在等待过程中我们可能遇到挫折后会放弃梦想。我们沮丧地看到别人的梦想成真，而在想为什么我们的梦想没有实现。从中可推断出，作者在文中把西红柿比作了梦想和目标。分析选项可知A符合题意，故选A。

4.推理判断题。妹妹精心种西红柿，但别人的西红柿成熟时自己的却没有成熟，当想要放弃时才知道西红柿品种不一样，成熟时间不一样。作者通过这件事告诉我们要实现梦想，有时需要耐心等待。分析选项可知C符合题意，故选C。