Mark is calling the gardening show about ____________.

A. a diseased fruit tree B. a strawberry patch C. some dying flowers

2. His wife received the particular plant(s) from her ______________.

A. mother
B. sister
C. a close friend
3. Mark thinks that he might have _________________. 

A. covered the plant(s) accidently
B. driven his truck over the plant(s)
C. killed the plant(s) with deadly chemicals
4. Mark won't be able to deal with the situation unless ___________.

A. his wife goes on vacation
B. the weather improves soon
C. he can buy the right plant food
5. Which advice does Susan, the gardening show host, NOT give Mark at the end of the conversation?
A. Susan suggests that Mark ask for forgiveness.
B. Susan recommends that Mark go on vacation.
C. Susan advises that Mark put away any dangerous items.

3. Fill in the blanks

Susan: Hi. Welcome back to Susan's Gardening Show. I'm Susan, and we're ready to take our next caller. We have Mark from Seattle. Are you still there, Mark?

Mark: Uh. Yeah, but maybe not for long.
Susan: So, how can we help you today?
Mark: Okay. Uh, my wife _________________ gardening, and about five years ago, she received a beautiful climbing rose bush . . . I think an Agatha Christie [That's a nice one.] from her mother who has passed away. Anyway, the rose plant seems to ____________.
Susan: Really? Normally, that rose is really quite _________________ [I know.], and it's very disease-resistant, too. [I know.]
Mark: Yeah. Well, this situation ISN'T normal. You see about a week ago, I was doing some yard work, and I was using some weed killer [UH-oh.], yeah, to try to _________________ some terrible weeds and . . .
Susan: Did you spray the roses?
Mark: Uh, well, not exactly. I set the spray container down near the roses while I was trimming a bush, and the container must have gotten knocked over, and the weed killer soaked into the ground near the roses.
Susan: How much weed killer are you talking about?
Mark: Uh, about six or seven quarts (about six liters or 1.6 gallons), I think. [Oh, that's a lot.] You know, I mean when you put . . .
Susan: And the roses? What do they look like now?
Mark: Oh, Dead, real dead______________________________________, but my wife hasn't seen them yet.
Susan: Really? What have you done? Blindfolded her?
Mark: Well, I've kept her away from that side of the house where the roses are, but she _________________ see them at some point.
Susan: Yeah, yeah. You've got a problem.
Mark: I mean, is there anything I can do to _________________ them?
Susan: Not unless you're a magician.
Mark: Well, can you recommend a quick-growing variety that can take its place?
Susan: Marc. I'm sorry. You've made a mistake . . . A big mistake.
Mark: . . . except that my wife warned me this could happen . . . Oh, man.
Susan: Oh, shoot. Listen. You made a _________________. A big mistake. A really big mistake. But unless you wife goes on vacation for a couple of years, you're not going to be able to replace the roses that fast.
Mark: So, any recommendation? I mean, what do I do?
Susan: You need to talk to her.
Mark: Are you kidding? You don't know my wife.
Susan: I'm sorry. Look. You've waited long enough. Don't ________________________ ____________ . Say something, but be sure to hide the garden ______________before you do. Knell down; ask for forgiveness now.
Mark: But that's what I did when I killed her prized apple tree last year.
Susan: No way. Really?
Mark: Oh, man. Oh! She's coming in from outside [Oh, no, oh no.].
Susan: One final word: Hide the weed killer. [But . . .] Thanks, Mark.
That's all the time we have for now. Let's move on to the next caller.

What are the benefits or challenges of trying to raise your own fruits, vegetables, and even herbs?