The Great Spring Show|万紫千红，争妍斗艳雀儿喜花展

by Owain Mckimm

One of the greatest floral festivals is held in England every year.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show is a renowned British institution. It has been around since 1862 and is the place to be for lovers of plants, gardens, and flowers from all around the world. Held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea on the banks of the River Thames in London, which has been the venue of choice since 1913, the exhibition routinely attracts over 150,000 visitors each May in the space of just five days. Due to extreme overcrowding in the 1980s, tickets must now be bought in advance, and there is a limit on the number of people who can attend each day.

At the center of the show is the Great Pavilion, which takes up an area the size of two soccer fields and is filled with nearly 100 exhibits of rich, exotic plants from every corner of the globe. Most visitors who come to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show are drawn instantly to the Great Pavilion, where they can experience the vibrant colors and fragrant smells emitted from the thousands of flowers on display.

From the Great Pavilion, the next stop for guests is usually the show gardens, where the imaginations of renowned garden designers are allowed to run wild and through which the public is allowed to stroll. Last year, this themed area featured a spectacular hanging garden that was suspended in mid-air, while 2009's most eye-catching garden was one made entirely from Plasticine. In 2010, Taiwan made a great impression on the Queen of England, who visits the show every year, as she praised the beauty and sophistication of Taiwan's orchids, which were on display at the flower show for the first time in its long history.

1.  Why do visitors to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show have to buy tickets beforehand?

(A) To prevent congestion.

(B) To limit the kind of people who enter.

(C) To attract more foreign visitors.

(D) To calculate how many people will attend.

2.  According to the article, what is the first place most guests visit?

(A) The show gardens.

(B) The River Thames.

(C) The Great Pavilion.

(D) The Royal Hospital Chelsea.

3.  What does the phrase "run wild" in the third paragraph mean?

(A) Use as much money as needed.

(B) Be as creative as possible.

(C) Grow flowers in nature.

(D) Move around in all directions.

4.  Which of the following is NOT true about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show?

(A) The exhibition takes place over five days in May.

(B) In 2009, the show featured a garden made entirely from Plasticine.

(C) It has been held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea since 1913.

(D) In 2010, the Queen of England especially praised an exhibition of Taiwanese roses.

万紫千红，争妍斗艳雀儿喜花展

英国的雀儿喜花展是一年一度最盛大的花卉活动之一。

英国皇家园艺协会举办的雀儿喜花展是英国著名的活动。自 1862 年存在至今，它是全世界植物、花园和花卉爱好者的胜地。花展举办在伦敦泰晤士河河岸旁的雀儿喜皇家医院，它从 1913 年起就是展场的首选地点，而每年 5月、为期仅 5 天的展览固定吸引超过 15 万名游客参访。1980 年代由于人潮众多造成展场过于拥挤，所以现在参观花展必须事先购票，而且每日参观人数亦有上限。

雀儿喜花展的焦点是占地 2 个足球场大小的『大帐篷』，里头近百个展示区充满来自世界各个角落昂贵又珍奇的植物。大多数参观花展的游客很快就被大帐篷所吸引，在那里可以体验数千朵参展花朵所绽放的鲜艳色泽和散发的扑鼻香气。

参观完大帐篷，下一站通常会是『百变花园』，知名园艺设计师的创意能在此恣意奔放，民众也可以漫步于花园之中。去年这个主题区的特色是悬浮于半空中的壮观悬吊式花园，而 2009 年最吸睛的莫过于 1 座全由塑料黏土所打造的花园。每年都会参观雀儿喜花展的英国女王在 2010 年对台湾留下深刻的印象，她赞扬长久以来首次参展的台湾兰花的美丽和细致。

答案：1. (A)2. (C)3. (B)4. (D)

全球名闻遐迩的『雀儿喜花展』已有将近 150 年历史，最早于 1862 年在伦敦的肯辛顿花园举行『皇家园艺协会春季大展』，后来展场成为科学博物馆和皇家学院建筑用地，所以在 1912 年借用位于伦敦西区、占地面积达 11英亩的雀儿喜皇家医院作为花展的举办场所，从此固定在此举行。

花展前 2天只提供皇家园艺协会会员参观，之后才开放一般大众入园，每年花展也成为英国王室成员、影视名人聚会的社交场合。1个多世纪以来，雀儿喜花展可说是全世界园艺历史的缩影，参展的各式各样花卉与作品不但反映了时尚潮流，也替园艺发展方向订定了未来指标。（数据源：奇摩旅游）