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Odd things are happening to Brits... we seem to be developing green fingers!

The number of people growing their own fruit and veg has almost doubled in the past year, according to Gardeners' World magazine.

Gardens and allotments across the UK have been put to use as people discover the joys of home-grown produce.

But not everyone has space for a vegetable patch or a flowerbed. And sometimes a window box just isn't enough of a gardening challenge.

That's why some people have been turning to guerrilla gardening. This is when people plant flowers or vegetables in public spaces to make them greener and more pleasing to the eye.

Many people would approve of prettifying towns and cities, but guerrilla gardening is not strictly legal. Therefore, this type of gardening often takes place in the dead of night.

But the stereotype of the keen gardener is not someone who wears combat boots and breaks the law. It is of someone who wears wellies and spends all their time in greenhouses and potting sheds. We expect such a person to know every aspect of how to tend and cultivate their plants.

Yet, despite the increase in people growing their own, more than half of the UK population still do not know when 18 out of the top 22 fruit and vegetables are in season, according to Gardeners' World.

It seems that Britain still has some way to go before we can justifiably be called a nation of gardeners.

Quiz 小测验

1. What has happened to British people's hands recently? 

Nothing. To have green fingers is an idiom, meaning to be good at gardening.

2. Has gardening increased by over 100%? 

No, it has almost doubled.

3. Is it possible to legally garden public property? 

Yes, if you have an allotment, which is rented off the local authority.

4. Why do some people garden at night? 

Because they are breaking the law by gardening illegally.

5. Is this statement true, false or not given? Brits who have started gardening recently still don't know when many fruit and vegetables are in season. 

Not given. We know that more than half of the UK population don't know this information, but not whether these are the same people who have started gardening recently.

Glossary 词汇表

to reap what one sows 种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆 

to have green fingers 形容有园艺才华的人 

fruit and veg 蔬果 

allotment [英](划成小块出租的)菜地 

home-grown 自家种植 

produce 农作物 

vegetable patch 菜地 

flowerbed 花坛 

window box 放在窗台上的长花盆 

guerrilla 游击队式的 

to prettify something 美化某物 

the dead of night 深夜 

wellies 雨靴 

greenhouse 温室 

potting shed 盆栽棚 

to tend something 照顾某物 

to cultivate something 培养某物 

to grow one's own 种植自己的蔬菜和水果 

in season 当季的 

a nation of gardeners 园艺大国