星火英语15篇文章背完大学英语六级词汇：Unit3-Part2

（单词翻译）

Some gardeners plan their garden with

Some gardeners plan their garden

with meticulous¹ attention to detail.

They choose colors that

will complement² 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 trademark³ plant

that is their specialty⁴.

Perhaps they enjoy the velvet⁵

texture⁶ 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 zest⁷ 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 asymmetrical⁸ 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 gadgets⁹ that

will attract the attention

of devoted¹⁰ gardeners and

induce them to spend their money.

It has become a huge industry

in the last few years,

as the baby boomers reach

retirement¹¹ age and have more time

to pursue hobbies such as gardening.

There are new  products patented

every year to tempt¹² the gardener.

It is possible to

buy a kit¹³ 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 ego¹⁴ at the same time,

summon up the courage to

simply ask if you can 

swap¹⁵ plants. Of course,

it will give them a thrill

if you also compliment them

on the hardiness¹⁶ of their plants

as compared to yours.

They might even try to

console you on your lack

of competence¹⁷ as a gardener

because your plants are not

as sturdy as their plants.

Irrespective of the competence

of the gardener, anyone who

augments¹⁸ the number of plants

grown is helping¹⁹ to conserve²⁰

our planet by averting²¹ erosion.

This pays great dividends²²

for everyone as it also

serves to protect the ozone²³ layer.

Some people erect²⁴ barricades²⁵

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

ceramic²⁶ fixtures²⁷ 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 gauge²⁸, 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 quenched²⁹.What greater pleasure,

than to work in your garden

and as you clip

the overgrown plants back to

size or prune³⁰ branches

of fruit trees, hear

the buzz of bees?

You know that they are

enjoying your garden as

they extract the pollen³¹

from the blooms. You relish³²

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 scent³³ of the flowers

is an integral part

of the joy of spending

time working in a garden.

The irony³⁴ of the situation

is that nature sometimes

conspires³⁵ against the gardener,

and a hailstorm can riddle³⁶

beautiful plants, shredding³⁷ their leaves

in minutes. Hurricanes can uproot³⁸

even the largest trees

although this is an event

that seldom occurs in Southern Ontario.

Tornadoes³⁹ are more likely

in this area.Parasites⁴⁰ 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 accomplishment⁴¹.

An authentic⁴² gardener will not

brood about the disappointment

for long. Even as

the disaster is occurring,

you might overhear the gardener

murmur⁴³ “There's always next year.”