4．Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husband's income．So this year she did something more than a hobby：She planted vegetables in her yard．For her fist garden，Ms Feeley has put in 15tomato plants，and five rows of a variety of vegetables．The family's old farm house has become a chicken bourse，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 it's a win-win situation all around．"
They are among the growing number of Americans who，driven by higher living costs and a falling economy（經濟），have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time．Other have increased the size of their existing gardens．Seed companies and garden shops say no since the 1970s have there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home．Now many gardens across the country hacek 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 last five years．Mr．Ball argues that some of the reasons have been building for the last few years．The big one is striking use in me cost on food like bread and milk，together with the increases in the price of fruit and vegetables．Food prices have increase of higher oil price．People are driving less，taking fewer vacations，so there more time to garden．
68．What does the word"residents"in Paragraph 1probably refer to？A
A．chickens B．tomatoes C．gardens D．people
69．By saying"a win-win situation all around"，Ms．Gartin means thatB．
A．she is happier and her garden bigger
B．she may spend less and lose weight
C．she is selling more and buying less
D．she has grown more varieties of vegetables
70．Why is vegetable gardening becoming increasingly popular？D
A．More Americans are dong it for fun．
B．The price of oil is lower than before．
C．There's a growing need for fruits．
D．The cost of living is on the rise．
71．Which of the following might be the best title for the text？B
A．Family Food Planning B．Banking on Gardening
C．A Belt-tightening Move D．Gardening as a Hobby．
分析 本文給讀者介紹了美國的一種新現象：美國人由于生活成本價格的上漲，加上經濟下滑，越來越多的人開始回歸園藝，很多居民紛紛開始家庭種植蔬菜或者養殖，來減少家庭的開支．并且現在人們開車少了，旅游也少了，有更多的時間來種菜，減少生活費用．
解答 68．A 詞義猜測題．根據上文的The family's old farm house has become a chicken house家里的老房子已經變成了養雞場，可知，雞舍的居民應該是小雞，所以residents指代chickens，故選A．
69．B 推理判斷題．根據前面的The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds too；所有的成本都在上升，我也想減掉幾磅；可知，加廷女士說的雙贏的局面是指她可以花費得更少還可以減肥，故選B．
70．D 細節理解題．根據文章第二段的They are among the growing number of Americans who，driven by higher living costs and a falling economy（經濟），have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time．可知，家庭種植蔬菜變得越來越受歡迎是因為生活成本的上升，故選D．
71．B 主旨大意題．本文給讀者介紹了美國的一種新現象：美國人由于生活成本價格的上漲，開始回歸園藝，很多居民紛紛開始家庭種植蔬菜或者養殖，來減少家庭的開支，因此文章的最佳標題為B．
點評 本文是政治經濟類閱讀，考查學生對細節的理解把握和推理判斷能力，做題時一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進行比較，再做出正確選擇．在做推理判斷題時不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實，要根據文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
