It was harvest time, and several farm hands were working for $10 an hour.But they were not common laborers(劳工)．They were students who had just graduated from colleges.Mr.KraussMalett said he became interested in farming after working in a restaurant and seeing how much food was wasted.They had been in the fields at Hearty Roots Community Farm in the Hudson Valley since 7 a．m.They all said they could not imagine doing any other job.“Farming attracts me, and probably other people, because it's simple work outdoors，” Mr.Bobman said.“It doesn't feel like you're a part of an oppressive (压抑的) company.”
For decades, the number of farmers has been decreasing, and farming has often been seen as a backbreaking (辛苦的)job.But the recent research showed a 4 % increase in the number of farms, the first increase since 1920, and some college graduates are joining in the return to the land.
Jordan Schmidt, a manager at Hearty Roots Community Farm, studied environmental science at Wesleyan.Ms.Schmidt did not have so much as a garden growing up, but in college, she worked at a studentrun farm and fell in love with agriculture(农业)．So she gave up her scientific research and moved onto a farm in Pennsylvania after graduating.This is her third season at Hearty Roots Community Farm.
“Most people who work for me are here for one season and then move onto other farms, so that's actually the biggest challenge，” said Ben Shute, who owns Hearty Roots Community Farm with his wife, Lindsey.“Every year we are busy training new people.But it is worth having such people.A lot of young people want to farm for themselves, so they are motivated(有积极性的)to learn quickly.”
On the East End of Long Island, Sean Frazier and other four people who are recent college graduates in their mid20s, work on Quail Hillfarm in Amagansett and have become close friends.Asked if he felt he was missing out on (失去……机会) the city lifestyle, Mr.Frazier replied, “I much more feel the opposite.It would just really bother me to feel like I was inside all day and I was just missing out on everything that happened.”
40．When working in the fields, the college graduates
______.
A．were lowpaid
B．felt free from pressure
C．became more interested in farming
D．thought their hard work was wasted
41．By mentioning college graduates in the return to the land, the author wants to tell us ________.
A．agriculture has been paid more attention to
B．it is much easier to make a living on a farm
C．more farmers don't like to do farm work
D．something is wrong with American agriculture
42．Why did Jordan Schmidt give up her scientific research?
A．Because she wanted to be a farm manager.
B．Because she moved onto a farm after graduating.
C．Because she wanted to study environmental science.
D．Because she fell in love with agriculture on a studentrun farm.
43．From what Mr.Shute said, we can infer that ________.
A．he was fond of training new college graduates
B．college graduates shouldn't often move onto other
farms
C．he spoke highly of college graduates working on his farm
D．it was a great challenge for college graduates to do farm work