C

Researchers from Tufts University, in Massachusetts, inspected lunches belonging to about 600 students at 12 different schools in the state. The researchers said they were astonished that children who bring lunch from home eat fewer fruits and vegetables, more packaged foods and more calories than those who take part in a school lunch program.

　　School cafeterias in the United States must follow the guidelines set out by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a government service that provides low-cost or free lunches to students. The guidelines require schools to serve more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat products. Schools must also limit the amounts of fat, salt, and sugar in the food they serve.

　　The researchers found that none of the packed lunches they examined met all of the requirements on the NSLP list. Only twenty-seven percent of the packed lunches met at least three of the requirements. Ninety-five percent of all lunches did not contain a serving of vegetables. One in four lunches did not include a main food item. Since about forty percent of American school children bring their lunch, unhealthy food in their lunchboxes could have serious consequences. Serving nutritious food to children not only keeps them healthy, but also helps to establish good eating habits.

　　Unfortunately, since the US government passed the laws requiring schools to serve healthier meals, the number of children buying school lunches has dropped by nearly four per cent. "School meals contain so many things that I dislike," students who prefer to eat home-packed lunches said. In Canada, only ten to fifteen percent of school children have access to school meals. There are no national rules for healthy school lunches, but most provinces have established their own guidelines.

　　Jeanne Goldberg, the professor who leads the study in Massachusetts, says parents usually consider the cost and convenience of lunch foods as well as what their children actually like. "Unfortunately, these factors are not always in harmony with good nutrition," she adds. What's more, she emphasizes that the findings not only help parents find lunch options that are convenient, affordable and healthy, but also encourage children to choose those options.

28. What did the researchers find out about students' lunches?

A. Students who eat home-packed lunches seem to be healthier.

B. The majority of American students prefer to eat home-packed lunches.

C. Home-packed lunches are less nutritious than meals provided by schools.

D. Lunches provided by schools can't meet the standards set out by the government.

29. What contributes to fewer children choosing school lunches?

A. The price of the school lunches is increasing.

B. They think the school lunches are less delicious.

C. Parents worry about the poor quality of school lunches.

D. There are only limited types of meals provide by schools.

30. What can we learn from Jeanne's words in the last paragraph?

A. Students should be forced to eat school lunches.

B. Children's preference to foods is the only standard for parents.

C. The findings have convinced more students to take part in school lunch programs.

D. Parents' choices of home-packed lunches fail to satisfy their children's real needs.

31. What's the writer's purpose of writing this passage?

A. To show the study results of home-packed lunches.

B. To introduce some more delicious food to students.

C. To analyze the disadvantages of home-packed lunches.

D. To advise parents to prepare various home-packed lunches.