Next Halloween, a small vegetable that looks like a pumpkin may appear in a garden near you. The
vegetable is a type of pepper that is called "Lil' Pumpkin." It's very special because it has orange,
pumpkin－like fruit.
You might think that all vegetables are grown to provide food to eat. But some vegetables are grown
mainly for the lively color and holiday spirit that they bring to gardens. These are called "ornamentals
(观赏性植物)." Just like lights decorate a Christmas tree, they decorate a garden.
The peppers were bred(培育) by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists John Stommel and
Robert Griesbach. Another pepper the scientists developed is called "Pepper Jack." Because Pepper
Jack has orange and black cone shaped(锥形的) fruit, it might remind you of the popular Halloween
treat "candy corn."
Stommel says that vegetable crops such as peppers were first widely grown in Europe in the 15th
century. At that time, people liked these crops more because they looked pretty than because they
provided food.
Back then, when a gardener grew plants for decoration and plants for food, the garden was called a
"potager." An example of this is the large gardens on the lawns(草坪) of castles and very large homes
where kings and queens lived, One of those large royal homes was the French king's palace at
Versailles during the 1600's. The palace is still there today, and people from all over the world still go
there to visit and see the gardens.
Today, Stommel says using vegetables as decorations in gardens has become popular again.
So you might be wondering, if these peppers are for decoration, can people eat them? Yes, but the
fruit from both of these peppers has a sharp taste (kind of like onions！)
These peppers are scheduled to become available in mid2011. These pretty peppers can be grown
in containers and also in garden beds. They grow best with plenty of light and warm temperatures,
Stommel says.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Different kinds of peppers.
B. The history of peppers.
C. Peppers with the Halloween spirit.
D. Food for the Halloween festival.
2. What do we know about "Lil' Pumpkin" and "Pepper Jack"?
A. They are used to decorate Christmas trees.
B. They are grown mainly to provide food to eat.
C. Their fruits have different shapes.
D. Their fruits are the same color.
3. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refers to "______".
A. these vegetables
B. these holidays
C. these lights
D. these scientists
4. According to the passage, a potager was ______.
A. the place where kings and queens lived
B. the garden in the French king's palace
C. a place providing vegetables for the royal homes
D. a garden with plants for decoration and for food
