The group Country Trust is asking for help in testing how healthy our soil (土壤) is. Between March and June this year, the group is hoping for the help of over 10, 000 children. 

Healthy soil has lots of small living things in it. It helps us to grow (种植) food. But it's not just that. Healthy soil is good at taking in and storing water. This helps a lot after heavy rains, or during a long period of time when there is little or no rain.

 ★  More and more people get to know they have to do something. To test soil health in the UK, Country Trust is asking for help. The first thing to do is to get a pair of cotton (棉) shorts. Make sure they are made of cotton. Shorts made from anything else won't do. Find some soil that you can dig (挖) in. That could be at home, in a school garden, a park or even a football field. When you find the soil you want, just dig, put your shorts in, and leave them for eight weeks. If the soil is full of life, it'll begin breaking down your cotton shorts. After two months, dig your shorts back up. The worse they look, the healthier your soil is! People can join in for free on the Country Trust website and then share their findings.

The group hopes that the activity will help people to know a little more about soil. To know how important it is and not just see it as dirt (灰尘).