【英语时差8,16】浇水开花的室内盆栽

Watering Flowering House Plants Some of us receive flowering plants as gifts, or buy them when it is too cold to keep them out of doors. We may worry about how much water they need in heated homes. First we should read the label that is (hopefully) tucked into the pot. Then we should think about the little root hairs they have on the ends of their roots. We should always remember that they can only absorb moisture if there is air in the soil as well. When soil dries out, oxygen can enter as the soil particles shrink, and the little root hairs can then access it. If we keep the soil soggy, the root hairs rot and we won’t realize that we are killing¹ our plant until it is too late. Let the plant dry out and when the soil feels dry, water it deeply. The plant will signal it needs water by wilting³, but it is best to water it just before it gets to this point, of course. Plants that wilt² occasionally will perk⁴ up, as long as they aren’t repeatedly deprived. We need to watch our plants so we become attuned⁵ to their needs, but small pots dry out faster than big ones and porous⁶ clay pots dry out faster than plastic ones. A plant with buds, needs more water than one in full flower, and a plant in a cool sunless spot won’t need as much to drink as a plant in a warm sunny place. Start by watering well once a week, check plants regularly and remember those root hairs.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

3 wilting   

萎蔫

参考例句：

• The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun. 看得出观众在炎热的阳光下快支撑不住了。
• The petunias were already wilting in the hot sun. 在烈日下矮牵牛花已经开始枯萎了。

4 perk   

n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费；

参考例句：

• His perks include a car provided by the firm.他的额外津贴包括公司提供的一辆汽车。
• And the money is,of course,a perk.当然钱是额外津贴。

5 attuned   

v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音

参考例句：

• She wasn't yet attuned to her baby's needs. 她还没有熟悉她宝宝的需要。
• Women attuned to sensitive men found Vincent Lord attractive. 偏爱敏感男子的女人，觉得文森特·洛德具有魅力。 来自辞典例句

6 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。