A: your garden is looking beautiful this summer. The flowers are really colorful.
B: thank you. I have roses, tulips, and daffodils. Do you like the rockery with the smaller flowers?
A: yes, I do. Those are violets, aren’t they?
B; yes, they are. This afternoon, I’m going to prune¹ the hedge.
A:; the lower branches on that tree are hanging very low. Would you like me to cut them off for you?
B: thank you! That would be very kind of you. I have a saw in the garden shed.
A: when the lower branches are removed, you’ll be able to sit under the tree.
B; tomorrow, I’ll cut the grass. Then the garden will lock perfect.
A; just make sure children don’t play in the flower beds and destroy the flowers.

Intermediate
A: I watched a very interesting documentary about plants yesterday evening. It was called “unusual plants” and looked at several species of plants from around the world which have unusual features.
B: really? Tell me about some of the plants they showed.
A: well. There was one type of plant that catches insects and eats them.
B; is that type of plant found in this country?
A; no, it isn’t. it’s a pity, because I’d like to see it in action.
B; so would i. what other unusual plants did they show?
A: they showed flowers that only provide their nectar to one type of butterfly or bee. The insect has to be the exact size to get the nectar. Other insects cannot get it. Of course, when the insect collects the nectar, it also takes some pollen² from one flower to another.
B: that’s very specialized³. So, the insects and the flowers rely on each other. If one became extinct, the other would too.
A: that’s right. That’s one reason why it’s so important to protect every species.
B: I see. The plants that fascinate me most are cacti⁴. I find it amazing that they can survive in such dry desert conditions.
A: according to the documentary, they have an incredible ability to find water supplies, however small, and then store them without losing much through evaporation⁵.
B: that’s why they often have long roots to find water spines⁶ instead of leaves, to reduce water loss.

Words
Flower root stem trunk seed pollen fruit bark branch twig leaf bush jungle rainforest cactus desert savannah coniferous deciduous forest hardwood softwood blossom wood Cherry blossom rose petal bamboo