Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin growers. He grew world champion pumpk

Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin(南瓜) growers. He grew world championpumpkins for four years running，from 1979 to 1982, andmissed winning the fifth year by only 5 pounds. Today, his Dill Atlantic Giantseeds are sold worldwide to more than 50 seed companies. The pumpkins grownfrom his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds commonly weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. “Idon’t have any training in genetics(遗传学); it was alltrial and error,” Dill says. He got his love of pumpkins from his father andhas enjoyed growing them for years.

Dill still grows giant pumpkins, but not forcompetition. In the fall, visitors come to enjoy the pumpkins on his 90-acrefarm in Nova Scotia, Canada. He plants ten acres of pumpkins for Halloween andtwo acres of giant pumpkins. One of giant pumpkins was recently baked into 442pumpkin pies and sold at $5 each for charity.

It you want to try growing a giant pumpkin,Dill recommends starting with a soil test and then adding fertilizer(农药) as needed. Plant the giant pumpkinseed. A giant pumpkin can gain 15 to 20 pounds a day, so careful watering—everyday or two—is necessary. You should wait about 130 days until the pumpkinmatures and then you can harvest it.

Dill’s favorite pumpkin set the Guinness Bookrecord in 1981. It weighted 493.5 pounds. “I’ve grown them larger since, butthat one meant a lot,” he remembers. “I never would have imagined ten

years ago that there would be a1,000-pounder, but there are many of them now,” says Dill. The 2006 worldrecord holder is Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania. He grew a 1,469 pounder. Dillsays, “These world champions are grown from my seeds, so I feel like a winnerright along with them.”

1.What can we learn about the world championpumpkin of 1983?

    A. It weighed over 1,000pounds.

B. It was missing after the competition.

    C. It was 5 pounds heavierthan that of 1982.

    D. It was 5 pounds heavierthan Dill’s biggest one that year.

2. One of Dill’s giant pumpkins earned              .

    A.$2210            B. $442           C. $1000             D.$1469

3. In the third paragraph Dill mainly tellsabout              .

    A. how to do a soiltest                     

B. how to plant the giant pumpkin seed

    C. when to water thepumpkin             

D. how to grow a giant pumpkin

4.Which of the following is the best titlefor the passage?

    A. Gardening Giant: HowardDill              

B. World Champion Pumpkin

    C. Dill Atlantic GiantSeeds               

D. How to Grow Giant Pumpkins

试题答案

【答案】

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.A

【解析】本文讲述了南瓜冠军的种植者Dill的故事。

1.细节推理题。 根据第一段第二句话，可知Dill种植的南瓜连续四年获得冠军，第五年以5磅之差落败。

2.计算题。根据第二段最后一句话，可知答案为442×5=2210美元。

3.段落大意归纳题。本段第一句话即为本段中心句，故选D.

4.标题归纳题。本文主要讲述了种植大南瓜的能手Dill的故事，所以称她为园艺巨人再恰当不过了。