英语播客 A Cup of English A growing obsession

If you're looking for a bargain in this town, there is a store that offers some very good deals. It is called the Grocery Outlet. I was in there the other day, searching for the latest 'best buys' when I saw a large shelf of flowers on display. In amongst the different kinds of flowers were orchids. I was pleased and surprised at the same time. You can never really be sure what you will find in this shop; their specials change from one day to the next. To find orchids was a very pleasant surprise. It just so happens that my mother has started collecting orchids. She is very quickly becoming an encyclopedia about them. I called her on the cell phone to let her know about my find. "Get me two of the best, will you? I'll pay you back later," she said. There were several colors to choose from, and the plants ranged from small to about two and a half feet tall. When I got home, I thought I would find out about these exotic flowers that so many people have as a hobby.

Orchids can be found in almost every habitat on the planet, apart from deserts and glaciers. Most are found in the tropics. And when I say most, I'm talking in terms of thousands. Orchids are the largest family of all flowering plants. There are over 22,000 species of orchids; about 800 new kinds are found or cultivated each year. One orchid is responsible for vanilla which we use in cooking. It comes from Mexico, and, not surprisingly, is called Vanilla. With so many orchids around, you can imagine the variety of shape, color (colour), and pollinating practices. Some are self pollinating, and there is even one in Australia which lives underground, and relies on ants and other underground insects to pollinate it. Orchids have been around for a very long time, as well. A fossilized bee that was trapped in amber about 15 million years ago was found to have orchid pollen on its wings. There are annual shows around the world dedicated to orchids, and hundreds or thousands of people visit these shows to feed their obsession.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: from one day to the next, it just so happens, you can never really + inf.

1. You never know what the weather will be like from one day to the next here; one minute it's snowing, the next it's raining.

2. Did you say that you need a calculator? It just so happens that I have one here.

3. You can never really judge a person by his appearance. That scruffy man over their is a generous millionaire.

OR You should never really expect to succeed if you don't work hard.