地鐵站變成垂直農場

昝亞娟

In recent years， there have been new ways and places to grow food： on warehouse roofs， in old tires， on top of bus shelters， etc. But the city of Taipei is the only city that has a farm in a subway station.

The farm， named Metro Fresh， is located in Taipei Nanjing-Fuxing station. The 40 meter space hosts rows of produce being grown vertically （垂直地） under LED lighting.

Vertical farms have become more and more popular in Taiwan， as the younger generations are more interested in advanced technology jobs than traditional farming. In addition， smart farms have the advantage of being clean， hydroponic （無土栽培）， and organic. That is why many people become concerned about pesticides used in traditional ground-based farming.

“One thing that most people are worried about is the unavoidable use of pesticides in traditional land based farming，” Julia Yang， an executive and Unimicron Technology， the company behind Metro Fresh. The farm’s organic produce and fresh salads are sold at stalls on the third floor of the metro station.

Taiwan covers about 36，000 square kilometers， but is home to about 23.5 million people. It has to take advantage of every square foot of available space in order to keep its citizens well fed and self-sufficient.

This is why the arrival of smart farms like Metro Fresh is so important. They need fewer laborers than regular farms， are less subject to the changes of the weather， and most importantly have a high yield for a small amount of space.

“Right now our production yield is about 180 bags of lettuce， each bag is 200 grams. We can produce 180 bags of lettuce each week，” Winnie Chan， deputy manager at Unimicron said.

This technology could be used in other small and crowded countries such as Singapore and Malta. Vertical farms， like Metro Fresh may be able to feed the world from even the most sunless places.

（材料出自Goodnet網站，有刪改）

1.What causes many people to worry about traditional farming？

A.Fewer laborers. B.A lack of land.

C.Old ways of farming. D.Pesticides being used.

2.Why are vertical farms gaining increasing popularity in Taiwan？

A.Because its population is too large.

B.Because its land for farming is limited.

C.Because its technology is not advanced.

D.Because its young people don’t like working.

3.What is paragraph 6 mainly about？

A.The productivity of Metro Fresh.

B.The solution to farming problems.

C.The advantages of vertical farms.

D.The benefits of modern technology.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards vertical farms？

A.Favorable. B.Neutral.

C.Disapproving. D.Uncertain.

參考答案：1.D 2.B 3.C 4.A