purchase fresh-cut flowers, do you think about where they came from? It might make sense to think they were grown somewhere nearby.

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1 ! When you! purchase fresh-cut flowers, do you think about where they came from? It might make sense to think they were grown somewhere nearby. The reality, though, is that the cut flower trade is increasingly international. Today, thanks to airplanes and high-tech cooling systems, even the most delicate flower can be exported, and sold in a florist thousands of kilometers away from where it was grown. The country that " dominates the world cut flower trade is the Netherlands. It handles about 60 percent of the world s cut flowers. And its auction houses are # very large indeed Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam, is an auction house in the sense that Tokyo is a city, or Everest a mountain. About 120 soccer fields would fill its main building. Nineteen million flowers are sold here on an average day, including roses, lilies, and of course, tulips. The Netherlands is also a world leader in developing new flower varieties. Dutch companies and the government invest a considerable amount of money in $ flower research. Their scientists look for ways to lengthen a flower s vase life, to strengthen flowers to prevent them from being damaged while traveling, and also to strengthen the natural fragrance of the flowers. Despite the Netherlands dominance of the flower market, there are many places with a better climate for growing flowers, and the climate of Ecuador is almost perfect. Mauricio Dávalos is the man responsible for starting Ecuador s flower industry. Our biggest edge is nature, he claims. Our roses are the best in % & the world. With predictable rainy periods and 12 hours of sunlight each day, Ecuador s roses are renowned for their large heads and long, straight stems. Every ' year, Ecuador sells about 500 million flowers to the U.S. alone. The industry has brought employment opportunities and a stronger economy to regions of the country. My family has a TV now. There are radios, says Yolanda Quishpe, 20, who picked roses for four years. To others, the increasingly international ( nature of the flower trade is very bad news. In recent years, local growers in the U.S. have ) faced huge competition from international flower companies, and many have lost their businesses. Lina Hale, an independent rose grower in California, said her father had predicted the

2 situation in the 1980s. I see a freight train* coming down the track, he warned her, and it s coming straight towards us. (Source: Flower Trade by Vivienne Walt, National Geographic Creative. Reproduced by permission.) freight train!)!$!! buy " arrange # hold $ spend "! cancels " controls # demands $ provides #! brings up " carries out # deals with $ gets rid of $! wise " small # light $ great %! border " framework # advantage $ trouble &! assumes " declares # denies $ hesitates '! criticized " ordinary # famous $ identified (! forest " quantity # scenery $ character )! confronted " joined # avoided $ influenced!%!$! According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true?! Despite new technology, cut flowers are often damaged because of their long-distance transportation. " Advanced technology has made it possible to import flowers grown all over the world. # Fresh-cut flowers are no longer available in local markets because they are exported. $ The number of people who enjoy delicate flowers has increased by the thousands.

3 ! According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true?! Aalsmeer holds many sporting events in its main building. " Tokyo has the largest auction house for cut flowers in the world. # Nineteen million flowers are exported monthly from Amsterdam. $ The Netherlands has the biggest share of the world cut flower market. " According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true?! The Dutch government does not want to spend money on flower research. " Consumers in the Netherlands plan on conducting their own fragrance projects in the future. # Scientists in the Netherlands are trying to make cut flowers last longer. $ Dutch people like to display flowers in beautiful vases. # According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true?! The flower industry in Ecuador has created jobs and raised people s living standard. " The Netherlands is the most ideal place for growing flowers. # The only thing that Ecuador s roses need is a lot of sunlight each day. $ Ecuador s roses are much smaller than the roses grown in the Netherlands. $ According to paragraph 5, which of the following is true?! Lina Hale works for a flower company located in Ecuador. " Roses from Europe are transported to American markets by freight train. # In the 1980s, Lina Hale s father had no idea that his business would suffer in the future. $ Flower growers in the U.S. are in trouble because of increased international competition.

4 ! "% The manager asked a new employee fifteen copies of the document for today s meeting. " make # making $ made % to make Louis Armstrong, an American trumpet player, was the first famous soloist in jazz. " internal # internationally $ international % internally Alice was not only a talented dancer a talented director. " nor # as well $ neither % but also A bat will often spend the daylight hours upside down in a tree or cave. " hanging # hang $ hung % hangs Broccoli isn t my favorite vegetable. In fact, I don t it at all. " do without # take apart $ put aside % care for The new museum in my town by a famous architect now. " is designed # is designing $ is being designed % has designed The president of XYZ Corporation is a professional baseball player. " past # former $ previous % once Many students forget of the information that they have memorized. " many # already $ much % almost She had pictures of her trip to Paris and of trip to the south of France. " other # another $ others % hers

5 A honeybee has two wings on side of its body.! each " both # all $ neither

6 ! "( easily. " will # of $ solved % not & the shortage ' butter ( be The producer. " than # that is $ wants to % other & put on a show ' more entertaining ( any The city of Kumamoto. " groundwater # known $ of % is & its ' for ( plentiful supply! On New Year s Eve, 1879, Thomas Edison never been done before. " about # that $ to % had & do ' was ( something It was cars to crack walnuts open. " clever # that $ to % proven & crows are ' use ( enough

7 ! "% Tom: Hi, Carolyn. What are you doing? Carolyn: Tom: It s a good idea if you want to have some extra money for some fun after classes. Carolyn: Yes, that s why I m doing it, but I have to make sure I don t work too many hours, or I won t be able to keep up with my studies. " I m studying hard for the test we ve got tomorrow. # Fine, thanks. How are you? $ I m filling out a part-time job application form. % I m about to leave to catch the bus to the station. Tourist: I would like to confirm the departure time of my flight. Airline Clerk: Tourist: Sure. It s Airline Clerk: Tourist: Airline Clerk: And your name? My name is Mark Brown. Thank you, Mr. Brown. Your flight is confirmed and departing on time. " When are you traveling? # What is your final destination? $ What is the name of your travel agency? % May I have your reservation number?

8 First year student: Exchange student: First year student: Hi. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too. Where are you from? I m from Hiroshima, but I m living in Osaka now. Exchange student: First year student: We both have a connection then!! What a coincidence! I just visited Hiroshima with my host family. " The transportation system is really good in Osaka. # Great. I can help you look for an apartment near campus. $ It sounds like you have everything organized. Mary: I ve just dropped by to say thank you for your help in organizing my trip to China. I had the best time ever. Travel agent: Mary: Travel agent: You re welcome. I hope you ll give me some advice for my trip to Italy. Sure. Here are some brochures. Take a look and let me know which ones look interesting.! Did you get any great bargains at the local shops? " You should go to Vietnam for your next trip. # I m so glad that everything went so well. $ Did you have any problems along the way? Teacher: I ve just been looking at your English report on tourism. Atsushi: Really? I hope that you didn t find too many grammar mistakes. Teacher: Atsushi: Well, that s a relief. I was worried about that.! It needs some extra work on the verbs. " On the contrary, you did a fantastic job. # I am giving it back to you to fix all the mistakes. $ I m afraid you ll need to rewrite some parts.

9 !!""# South of the U.S. are Latin American and Caribbean countries. Due to their historical backgrounds, these countries have various official languages. The table below shows the variety of languages and money systems as well as the approximate populations of these countries in Table: Latin American and Caribbean Countries Country Language Currency Population Argentina Spanish peso 43,417,000 Brazil Portuguese real 205,338,000 Cuba Spanish peso 11,239,000 Ecuador Spanish dollar 13,625,000 Jamaica English dollar 2,950,000 Mexico Spanish peso 119,531,000

10 ! Which of the following countries have the same official language?! Mexico and Jamaica. " Cuba and Brazil. # Jamaica and Cuba. $ Argentina and Ecuador. " Which of the following countries currencies share the same name?! Brazil and Jamaica. " Cuba and Argentina. # Jamaica and Cuba. $ Mexico and Brazil. # According to the population data, which of the following is true?! The population of Cuba is about one tenth of Mexico s. " Ecuador has the second smallest population in the list. # The size of population among the six countries is identical. $ The largest population on the list is nearly three billion. $ Which of the following is true about the countries on the list?! English is the most widely used official language. " Countries with the same currency have a similar size population. # More than half of the countries have the same official language. $ The dollar is only used in an English-speaking country.

Market Dynamics. Cut Flowers Europe April The Netherlands. Netherlands Auctions. Netherlands Importers. 30 April, 2014

Market Dynamics. Cut Flowers Europe April The Netherlands. Netherlands Auctions. Netherlands Importers. 30 April, 2014 Market Dynamics Cut Flowers Europe April 2014 30 April, 2014 The Netherlands Netherlands Auctions The March 2014 cut flower figures are published by FloraHolland as following: March turnover decreased