英语博客(A cup of English):003 Seeds for next year.

　　Advanced.
One of my favorite hobbies is gardening. I suppose I must have inherited the gardening gene¹, because, apparently², on my father's side, my grandmother had tremendously green fingers. That is what we say in England for someone who is adept³ and experienced at growing flowers and vegetables. In the United States, the expression is to have 'green thumbs'. Now that the seasons have changed and Winter is approaching, gardening mainly entails⁴ tidying up around the still-blooming Autumn flowers, raking leaves, digging up the last of the vegetables, and collecting seeds. The latter is my favorite. Seeds are everywhere, and what an incredible, potent⁵ piece of nature they are! If you are patient and selective, you can gather enough for next year to propagate a field full of color. You can actually become a designer of next year's garden. What a thrill!
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: I suppose, apparently, mainly, actually, the former, the latter.
What a thrill = it's a thrill.
Gerund used as a noun, ie the gardening. Ex. I must get the gardening done. Other exs: the painting, the raking, the reading, the sewing etc.
Beginners.
I love to work in the garden. Being outside is both healthy and fun. The colors of the flowers and vegetables can be very beautiful. Now is Autumn, so many plants are producing seeds. They are small but very powerful things. I collect them. Why do I do this? Well, next year I will use them in my garden. I don't need to buy seeds if I have so many already in my back yard. My children will help me plant them. We will talk about the plants that will grow, and also how to look after them. This is a fun activity for the whole family.
Grammar notes.
Garden = yard (americanism)
Color (americanism) = colour.
Present continuous tense = verb to be + gerund. Exs: we are going,
the tree is growing, I am leaving now, she is cooking.
Questions. Use either do or does for general present tense non-continuous tense. Ex: Does he read magazines? Why do you shout? Do we need more milk? What do they do on Saturdays? etc.

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

4 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

5 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。