Turning soil, pulling weeds, and harvesting cabbage sound like tough work for middle and high school kids. And at first it is, says Abby Jaramillo, who with another teacher started Urban Sprouts, a school garden program at four low-income schools. The program aims to help students develop science skills, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.

Jaramillo’s students live in neighborhoods where fresh food and green space are not easy to find and fast food restaurants outnumber grocery stores. “The kids literally come to school with bags of snacks and large bottles of soft drinks,” she says. “They come to us thinking vegetables are awful, dirt is awful, insects are awful.” Though some are initially scared of the insects and turned off by the dirt, most are eager to try something new.

Urban Sprouts’ classes, at two middle schools and two high schools, include hands-on experiments such as soil testing, flower-and-seed dissection, tastings of fresh or dried produce, and work in the garden. Several times a year, students cook the vegetables they grow, and they occasionally make salads for their entire schools.

Program evaluations show that kids eat more vegetables as a result of the classes. “We have students who say they went home and talked to their parents and now they’re eating differently,” Jaramillo says.

She adds that the program’s benefits go beyond nutrition. Some students get so interested in gardening that they bring home seeds to start their own vegetable gardens. Besides, working in the garden seems to have a calming effect on Jaramillo’s special education students, many of whom have emotional control issues. “They get outside,” she says, “and they feel successful.”

1.What do we know about Abby Jaramillo?

A She used to be a health worker.

B She grew up in a low-income family.

C She owns a fast food restaurant.

D She is an initiator of Urban Sprouts.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“And at first it is, says Abby Jaramillo, who with another teacher started Urban Sprouts, a school garden program at four low-income schools.”可知，Abby Jaramillo是Urban Sprouts的发起者。故选D。

2.What was a problem facing Jaramillo at the start of the program?

A The kids’ parents distrusted her.

B Students had little time for her classes.

C Some kids disliked garden work.

D There was no space for school gardens.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第二段第三句“she says. “They come to us thinking vegetables are awful, dirt is awful, insects are awful.”可知，项目之初，一些学生觉得蔬菜、泥土和昆虫都很可怕，不喜欢园艺工作。故选C。

3.Which of the following best describes the impact of the program?

A Far-reaching.

B Predictable.

C Short-lived.

D Unidentifiable.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据最后一段可知，这个项目不仅给学生提供了有营养的食物，而且许多学生回家开创了自己的菜园，对有情绪控制问题的学生也起到了镇静作用，从而推知，该项目的影响是深远的。故选A。

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A Rescuing School Gardens

B Experiencing Country Life

C Growing Vegetable Lovers

D Changing Local Landscape

解析：选C。C 主旨大意题。根据全文可知，文章主要讲述了Abby Jaramillo等老师在低收入学校发起的培养学生科学能力，环保意识以及健康生活方式的Urban Sprouts花园项目，让学生种植蔬菜，对学生影响深远。因此推断C项“蔬菜种植爱好者”符合文意，最适合作为本文标题。故选C。