文章大意:这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了一个非营利性组织Homeless Garden Project,通过提供培训帮助无家可归的人们种植技术,从而得到稳定的居所和正常的生活。
Michael Laffoon has a vivid memory of the day he decided to piece his life back together. “I literally woke up in my van(小货车)and I thought . I can’t do this anymore because I’m going to die,’” he says. “It was just a strong feeling that I had come to the end of a chapter. ”
For eight years, the Santa Cruz, California resident drifted in and out of homelessness because of a serious drug addiction. It was a frustrating, impossible lifestyle. In 2009, Laffoon learned about Homeless Garden Project at a kitchen where he was volunteering. The not-for-profit aims to lift people living on the streets of Santa Cruz out of homelessness through farming. The end goal is that they will leave the farm with stable housing and a full-time job.
After a year and a half of being in the program, Laffoon was able to secure employment and stable housing. He later obtained a degree in horticulture(园艺学). “It was the first step back into normal society-the first open door,” he says.
Trainees are employed to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs on the farm. They get paid a wage, are given basic job skills training and are matched with a social worker to work through specific goals. The project has helped close to 1,000 people. Over the past five years, 96 percent of graduates have obtained jobs or stable income and 86 percent have found housing.
The project’s staffers say that the project has always had a strong element of community, which is central to the healing process of its trainees, as they often feel like they’ve lost their sense of belonging. Laffoon says that while he was homeless, he spent a lot of his time “trying to be invisible” and felt secluded from the rest of society. The project gave him meaningful work and a sense of belonging, which helped him get back on his feet.
Ella Fleming, the project’s farm manager, has seen how growing food can have a life-changing and inspirational impact on trainees. “We provide a place where it’s safe, it’s nurturing, it’s healthy and there’s an exchange that happens,” she says. “When you’re caring for a plant to try to get it to grow, you’re also giving yourself some self-care to know that you can grow,”she says.
4. What kind of person is Laffoon described as in the text?
A.A person who fights his drug addiction. |
B.A person who has experienced homelessness. |
C.A person who gets stable housing and a full-time job. |
D.A person who benefits from Homeless Garden Project. |
5. What is the purpose of Homeless Garden Project for homeless people?
A.To employ them to work on the farm. |
B.To provide them with housing and work. |
C.To enable them to make a living in society. |
D.To give them opportunities for volunteering. |
6. What does the underlined word “secluded” in paragraph 5 indicate?
A.Laffoon felt alone in the world. | B.Laffoon felt sorry for himself. |
C.Laffoon felt different from others. | D.Laffoon felt unsatisfied with society. |
7. Which of the following can best describe Homeless Garden Project?
A.It’s flexible. | B.It’s enjoyable. |
C.It’s inspiring. | D.It’s comforting. |