Like all quintessentially British
things, gardening is a pastime that has long been in decline. From a high point
of £5 billion in 2001, spending on plants, tools and garden furniture has fallen
every year since then, to around ~3 billion in 2008.The arrival of economic
recession only deepened the gloom: to credit-crunched consumers, shrubs and
hanging baskets seemed obvious candidates for cuts. Yet the latest figures from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) suggest a bumper year for garden-related expenditure is in the making. Sales volumes were up by 21% in March and 28% in April compared with the same months a year earlier. This was not the result of deep discounting, a strategy that many other retailers have been adopting. The value of garden goods sold was 37% higher in March and 42% higher in April than a year earlier, A. Garden-related expenditure this year is more or less the same as that of last year. B. Many retailers are offering deep discounts. C. Prices of garden goods tend to remain stable in recent years. D. Due to the status quo of economy, garden goods are not promised a bright future. [单项选择]Like all quintessentially British things, gardening is a pastime that has long been in decline. From a high point of £5 billion in 2001, spending on plants, tools and garden furniture has fallen every year since then, to around ~3 billion in 2008.The arrival of economic recession only deepened the gloom: to credit-crunched consumers, shrubs and hanging baskets seemed obvious candidates for cuts.
Yet the latest figures from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) suggest a bumper year for garden-related expenditure is in the making. Sales volumes were up by 21% in March and 28% in April compared with the same months a year earlier. This was not the result of deep discounting, a strategy that many other retailers have been adopting. The value of garden goods sold was 37% higher in March and 42% higher in April than a year earlier, whereas the value of all sales had increased by just 3% in April. Datamonitor, a market-research firm, reckons that gardening will continue to outperf A. Garden-related expenditure this year is more or less the same as that of last year. B. Many retailers are offering deep discounts. C. Prices of garden goods tend to remain stable in recent years. D. Due to the status quo of economy, garden goods are not promised a bright future. 我来回答: 提交
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