近來，在英國，新冠肺炎疫情的封鎖讓一些人開始尋找其它途徑來獲取自己的食物。這包括在陽臺上的小花盆里種植蔬菜，或者租用一小塊地來自己種植蔬菜水果。本文討論自己種植食物的好處。

詞匯：growing 栽種

We all need to eat, and when we go to buy food at the supermarket, we’re spoilt for choice in the range of items available that can be turned into a delicious meal. But we often purchase food that’s been mass-produced and that’s travelled many miles before it ends up on our plate. So for some, growing their own food is a better option – and it tastes good too!

From growing vegetables in little pots on your balcony to tending to a small plot of land, called allotments, there are many ways to produce home-grown food. Allotments are a typically British idea, and they give people with a small or no garden, a space to plant and nurture fruit and vegetables. It can be backbreaking work digging, weeding and watering the soil, but the result is fresh, organically grown produce, contributing to our ‘five-a-day’ diet.

The recent Covid-19 pandemic lockdown means demand for allotments has seen a renaissance. Miriam Dobson from the University of Sheffield told the BBC that people with allotments have been spending a lot of their time on their plots, growing plenty of fresh fruit and veg – which, at times, have been challenging to source in supermarkets. She says “Coronavirus has… highlighted to people the fragility inherent within our globalised food system. In a time of crisis, interest in self-sufficiency rises.”

But for those with limited space, a solution to grow your own veg lies closer to home – using pots. Once you can lay your hands on some compost, you can plant seeds. Sheila Brand lives in a third-floor flat in Rotterdam. She has managed to grow tomatoes and aubergines and is already harvesting raspberries. She told the BBC watching the plants grow “is very exciting: 'Oh it's got a new leaf!' ”

As well as the benefits of saving money and enjoying tasty food, gardener Mark Ridsdill-Smith says “growing your own from a balcony or window ledge not only improves your wellbeing and immediate environment, you can actually grow a lot of veg.” So, maybe it’s time for us all to get planting and develop our green fingers!

詞匯表

mass-produced 大批生產的
pot 花盆
tend 照料
plot 小塊土地
allotment 份地，（可租來種菜、水果、花）小塊土地
plant 種植，栽種
nurture 養育，培植
backbreaking 使人筋疲力盡的，非常辛苦的
digging 挖掘
weeding 除雜草
watering 澆水
organically grown 有機種植的
produce 農產品，食品
fruit and veg 水果和蔬菜
self-sufficiency 自給自足
compost 堆肥
seed 種子
harvest 收獲，得到
green fingers 種植技能

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What can you grow vegetables at home in?

2. Why has there been a renewed interest in allotments in the UK?

3. According to Miriam Dobson, when do people become more interested in becoming self-sufficient?

4. True or false: Planting and growing your own food makes your fingers green.

5. Ideally, other than pots, what do you need to help grow your seeds and plants?

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1.Building this brick wall is _______ work!

backbroken                  backbreaking               backedbreaking         brokenback

2. The nurse was very busy _______ to all her patients.

nurturing                      tending                         wellbeing                   harvesting

3. I like to buy _______ from the farm – it tastes so fresh!

producer                     mass-produced              produce                     product

4. My mum always makes _______ cakes for tea every Sunday – they taste so good!

organically                  renaissance                   delicious                    fruit and veg

5. When it comes to buying the right smartphone, we are now _______.

spoilt for choice          spoil for choice              spill for choice           spoiled choice

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。  

1. What can you grow vegetables in at home?
You can grow vegetables in pots.

2. Why has there been a renewed interest in allotments in the UK?
The recent Covid-19 pandemic lockdown means demand for allotments has seen a renaissance.

3. According to Miriam Dobson, when do people become more interested in becoming self-sufficient?
She said “In a time of crisis, interest in self-sufficiency rises.”

4. True or false: Planting and growing your own food makes your fingers green.
False. Being good at gardening is described as being ‘green fingered’ but your fingers are not actually green.

5. Ideally, other than pots, what do you need to help grow your seeds and plants?
You need compost to grow seeds and plants.

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. Building this brick wall is backbreaking work!

2. The nurse was very busy tending to all her patients.

3. I like to buy produce from the farm – it tastes so fresh!

4. My mum always makes delicious cakes for tea every Sunday – they taste so good!

5. When it comes to buying the right smartphone, we are now spoilt for choice.