湖南长沙市高考英语二轮阅读理解训练69及答案.docVIP

湖南长沙市2016高考英语（二轮）阅读理解训练（69）及答案 阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。 Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husbands income. So this year she did something more than a hobby: She planted vegetables in her yard. For her first garden, Ms. Feeley has put in 15 tomato plants, and five rows of a variety of vegetables. The familys old farm house has become a chicken house, its residents arriving next month. Last year, Ms.Rita Gartin kept a small garden. This year she has made it much larger because, she said, “The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds too; so its a win-win situation all around.” They are among the growing number of Americans who, driven by higher living costs and a falling economy(经济), have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time. Others have increased the size of their existing gardens. Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the 1970s has there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home. Now many gardens across the country have been sold out for several months. In Austin, Tex., some of the gardens have a three-year waiting list. George C．Ball Jr, owner of a company, said sales of vegetable seeds and plants are up by 40% over last year, double the average growth of the last five years. Mr.Ball argues that some of the reasons have been building for the last few years. The big one is the striking rise in the cost of food like bread and milk, together with the increases in the price of fruits and vegetables. Food prices have increased because of higher oil prices. People are now driving less, taking fewer vacations, so there is more time to garden. 本文讲述了由于生活费用增高，加上经济下降，越来越多的人开始自己种菜，并且现在人们开车少了，旅游少了，有更多的时间来种菜，减少生活费用。 1. What does the underlined word “residents” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to? A．chickens B．tomatoes C．gardens D．people 答案：A。词义猜测题。由上文的a chicken house(鸡舍)可知，它的居民应该是小鸡，故A项正确。 2．Why is vegetable gardening becoming increasingly popular? A．More Americans are doing it for