Charlotte Hollins faces a battle. The 23-year-old
British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save farm that
their father worked on since he was 14. Although confident they will succeed,
she is aware of farming’s many challenges.
“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot
of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms
it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming
will never make you rich!”
Like others around the world, Charlotte’s generation
tend to leave the farm for cities.
Oliver Robinson, 25, grew up in Yorkshire. But he
never considered staying on his father and grandfather’s land. “I’m sure Dad
hoped I’d stay,” he said. “I guess it’s a nice, straightforward life, but it
doesn’t appeal to me. For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”
For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of
money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from
enjoying the rewards of farming. He describes it as a career that provides “for
a vital human need”, allowing people to work “outdoors with nature.”
Farming is a big political issue in the UK. The “Buy
British” campaigns urge consumers not to purchase cheaper imported foods. The
2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and
raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get
children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.
This national concern gives hope to farmers competing
with powerful supermarkets. While most people buy food from the big
supermarkets, hundreds of independent Farmers’ Markets are becoming popular.
“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct
defiance(違抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously
objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly
do they put on our apples to make them so big and red? It’s terrible,” said
Londoner Michaela Samson, 31.
1.What are the challenges that British farmers face
according to Charlotte Hollins?
a.
loneliness
b. thin profits
c. a lack of good
equipment d. long working hours but
slow results
A．a(chǎn)bc B．a(chǎn)bd C．a(chǎn)cd D．bcd
2.Why did Oliver Robinson refuse to stay on the farm?
A．He hoped for
a simpler life
B．He was fed up
with a hard farm life.
C．Farm life was
too demanding though he liked it.
D．He hoped for
something challenging and rewarding.
3.What happened in 2001 to the British beef farmers?
A．British
people ate more British beef.
B．To be a beef
farmer became profitable.
C．Diseaes
dramatically reduced the amount of beef available.
D．Foreign
farmers stopped selling beef to Britain.
4.Which of the following is an advantage of Farmers’
Markets?
A．Lower prices. B．Flexible
sizes.
C．Convenient
location. D．Healthier
food.
5.What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?
A．Things are
improving for independent farms in the UK.
B．Farming in
the UK can now match the powerful supermarkets.
C．Most British
people are doubtful of food in supermarkets.
D．Most British
people have realized the problems facing farms and begun to help save them.
