Trees should only be pruned¹(修剪) when there is a good and clear reason fordoing so and, fortunately, the number of such reasons is small. Pruning² involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.

First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly³, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cur out diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus causing wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing the branches that are locking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.

One result of pruning is that an open would is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry(进入)for diseases, but it is a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, or that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce the risk as far as possible. It is essential to make the area which has been pruned smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually done in winter, for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without the interference(干扰) from the leaves and it is, too, very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed. If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly.

1. According to the article,_____.

A. damage is done to a tree if it is left to grow in its own way

B. pruning is necessary when a tree has grown into a definite shape or size

C. diseased or dead branches should be cut away if they are found to rub against each other

D. growing side branches often prevent air from moving freely

2. Which of the following usually causes a tree to grow unhealthy?

A. Giving a tree a special shape and a definite height

B. Removing small side branches and making a tree look less thick

C. Allowing too many branches to grow in the middle

D. Having a tree surrounded by many other trees

3. The writer suggests that pruning should be done in winter because _____.

A. the cut surface gets dry more quickly

B. open wounds on the tree run the less risk of getting diseased

C. a gardener can do pruning more easily

D. wounds painted with a special substance heal quickly

4. The writer's purpose when writing this passage is _____.

A. to describe how pruning a tree is done

B. to discuss different ways of pruning trees

C. to give practical instructions for pruning a tree

D. to explain how a tree wound gets diseased and heals

KEY: 1. A 2. C 3. C 4. C