Giant Sunflower

A summer of patience grows a 3-metre champion · 巨型向日葵

Every year in autumn, the fair comes to our town. There are rides like the Ferris wheel and bumper cars. There are games to play. And best of all, there are competitions.

You can win a ribbon for making the best cookies. You can win a ribbon for growing the best vegetables. In fact, there are prizes for almost everything you can think of.

I love to grow sunflowers. In our backyard, every year since I was only five years old, I plant some seeds. You would be surprised how BIG those little seeds can grow. Every year, my mom says that I should enter my sunflowers in the fair. There is a contest for growing the tallest sunflower. This year, I decided to take up the challenge.

In May, I planted my seeds. I carefully tended my sunflowers. I watered them every day. By the end of June, one plant was nearly a metre tall already. Imagine that! By the end of July, when I measured this sunflower, I needed a ladder to reach the top.

Finally, the day of the fair arrived. My sunflower was 3 metres and 87 centimetres tall. Wow! I cut my sunflower the morning of the fair. I took it over to the fair and entered it into the competition.

Then, it was the long wait for the judging to begin. I was nervous. I wanted to take home the red ribbon, the winning prize. I could hardly wait until 4 o’clock.

Finally, the moment arrived. I went to the building and there it was! My sunflower was standing there with the winning red ribbon. I was happy. Really happy!

Mom gave me a big hug. “See,” she said. “I knew my girl was a good gardener. Now you have a ribbon to prove it.”

I went home happy. I hung the ribbon on my wall. It will remind me all winter that gardening is really a fun thing to do.

Giant Sunflower — A little seed, a red ribbon and a summer of patience

Every year in autumn, the fair comes to our town. There are rides like the Ferris wheel and bumper cars. There are games to play. And best of all, there are c(1)__________.

You can win a r(2)__________ for making the best cookies. You can win a ribbon for growing the best vegetables. In fact, there are prizes for almost everything you can think of.

I love to grow sunflowers. In our backyard, every year since I was only five years old, I plant some seeds. You would be s(3)__________ how BIG those little seeds can grow. Every year, my mom says that I should enter my sunflowers in the fair. There is a contest for growing the tallest sunflower. This year, I decided to take up the c(4)__________.

In May, I planted my seeds. I carefully t(5)__________ my sunflowers. I watered them every day. By the end of June, one plant was nearly a metre tall already. Imagine that! By the end of July, when I m(6)__________ this sunflower, I needed a ladder to reach the top.

Finally, the day of the fair arrived. My sunflower was 3 metres and 87 centimetres tall. Wow! I cut my sunflower the morning of the fair. I took it over to the fair and entered it into the competition.

Then, it was the long wait for the j(7)__________ to begin. I was n(8)__________. I wanted to take home the red ribbon, the winning prize. I could hardly wait until 4 o’clock.

Finally, the moment arrived. I went to the building and there it was! My sunflower was standing there with the winning red ribbon. I was happy. Really happy!

Mom gave me a big h(9)__________. “See,” she said. “I knew my girl was a good gardener. Now you have a ribbon to prove it.”

I went home happy. I hung the ribbon on my wall. It will r(10)__________ me all winter that gardening is really a fun thing to do.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

🌻 文化拓展 · The Fair, the Ribbon and a Summer of Patience

本文讲述了一个小女孩参加集市"最高向日葵"比赛并赢得红奖带的故事。从五月播种、每天浇水，到六月齐膝、七月要用梯子才能量到顶端，再到87年秋天赛场上的3米87——作者用一连串精确的数字，写出了一个夏天耐心的分量。

西方的 county fair（县集市）是一项深受家庭喜爱的秋季传统：摩天轮、碰碰车、饼干比赛、种菜比赛……几乎一切劳动成果都能拿去比一比。而获胜者得到的不是奖金，往往只是一条红丝带（red ribbon），但它代表的是整个社区对"用心做事"的认可。

结尾妈妈的拥抱说出了全文题眼："I knew my girl was a good gardener."——真正值得骄傲的不是那条挂在墙上的奖带，而是它背后一整个夏天的浇水、照料与等待。奖带会褪色，但"gardening is really a fun thing to do"的快乐会记一辈子。