When you see flowers for sale, do you ever think of how they got from where they were grown? In most cases, they were grown in another country and imported to a big market in the Netherlands (荷兰),which sells 80 percent of the flowers and plants in the world. After they are traded there, they are exported again by plane all over the world.  Eventually, they come to your town or city.
Since the 1500s Netherlands has been famous for growing and selling plants. In 1592,the first tulip (郁金香)bulb was imported to Netherlands from Turkey and tulips quickly caught on. As a matter of fact, some people struck it rich with tulips. Just one tulip bulb was worth as much as a house in Amsterdam!
These days, the nation is still famous for its tulips and many other kinds of flowers as well. Many kinds of flowers are grown in greenhouses that are heated and lit so it's summer all year inside. In addition, millions of flowers arrive by plane every day at Amsterdam Airport. The center of the flower industry is the Aalsmeer Flower Auction located near the airport, about 16 kilometers from downtown Amsterdam. Every year, three billion flowers and 400 million plants are traded here. They come from 8,000 growers in places like Kenya, Ecuador and Indonesia.  In an auction, buyers try to get the best flowers for the lowest prices so they can make a profit. At Aalsmeer, the prices start high and decrease. You have to watch out because it happens very quickly. The first person to press a button gets the plants at that price. As a rule, it only takes seconds to sell bunches of flowers, especially those in high demand.  six hundred groups are sold each hour, so you have to decide what price you will pay in a hurry. As soon as beautiful roses catch your eye, you must act. The next time you admire a bunch of roses, think about the adventure that the flowers have had. Where they came from may remain a mystery, but they almost certainly had a brief stop at Aalsmeer.
46. What do we know about Netherlands from Paragraph 1?
A. It has many famous flower markets. B. It sends flowers to your city by train.
C. It sells 80% of the flowers and plants in the world.  D. It is a small country in Europe.
47. Which of the following is NOT true about tulips?
A. Netherlands is famous for its tulips and many other flowers.
B. Tulips were traded to Netherlands from Turkey in the 1500s.
C. A tulip bulb is as expensive as a house in Amsterdam these days.
D Tulips made some people own quite a lot of wealth easily.
48. Which fact about greenhouses is true?
A. People sells flowers in them. B. Flowers can grow at a good temperature.
C. They are only used in winter. D. They are only used to grow tulips.
49. What do we know from the third paragraph?
A. 3 billion flowers and 400 million plants are traded in Kenya, Ecuador, and Indonesia.
B. Amsterdam Airport is about 16 kilometers from downtown Aalsmeer.
C. Buyers may miss getting the flowers they want if they can't make a quick decision.
D. The prices of the flowers in Aalsmeer are higher than those in other cities.
50. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. The History of Tulip. B. The Flower Trades in Netherlands.
C. Make money by Planting Flowers. D. Flowers make Netherlands beautiful.

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