I worked from the time when I was four and raised seven children, all of them college graduates. It seemed I'd done everything I'd ever wanted to do in my life, but I had one regret. I was born in 1898, the oldest of five kids. Papa couldn't spare me to go to school, so I worked in the fields with him till I was 21 years old.

Everywhere I went, I learned some hard lessons about what happens to a man who even can't read the alphabet. People cheat you out of wages. They sell you a ticket to one city, take your money and hand you a ticket to somewhere else.

By 1928, I'd been wandering for nine years. I met a woman named Elzenia. We fell in love, married and moved to Dallas, where I got work fixing roads for the city. When Amelia, the oldest of our seven children, first went to school, I took my wife aside. "Elzenia," I said. "I don't want the kids to know I can't read or write."

In 1938, one day my boss called me in. "George," he said. "No one knows those machines like you do. I'd like to promote you." But my thrill and surprise were cut short when he said, "Fill out this application and we'll get you a raise." I couldn't admit the truth. I thanked him and walked out of his office. I did stay right where I was, until I turned 65 and my boss made me retire. But I didn't stop working. For the next 25 years, I lived a happy life, but it still seemed to me like something was missing.

A young fellow handed me a piece of paper. It's information about adult education classes. People can learn to read and write. Now I'm 98. I thought of my friends and neighbours and what they might think if they found out I couldn't read. After all these years, my secret would be out. But all my life I've wanted to read. It was high time for action.

注意:1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;

2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;

3.续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;

4.续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

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The young man drove me to __________________________________________________

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Paragraph 2:

I'm still going to school. _________________________________________________

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There’s a trend that more city people decide that they want to grow crops and raise some live-stock (家禽). After all, there are few things more satisfying than biting into a bunch of tender, red carrots you grow yourself, or a fresh egg from the backyard.

Most gardeners understand that the soil in big cities is often polluted with lead and know to get their soil tested. But most are pretty clueless about how to prevent other types of pollutants, like heavy metals and asbestos(石棉)from getting into their vegetables.

Part of the problem is that “there might be pollutants that gardeners can’t test for,” says Brent Kim, a program officer. Most soil tests look for lead, cadrniunt(镉)and arsenic(砷). But they don’t test things like chemicals left behind by cars, which might have escaped into the soil.

So if you’re thinking of staring an urban garden, Kim says, once you’ve found a plot of land, you should learn what’s now an empty plot or a backyard might once have been a parking lot, a gas station or a chemical ground. “Knowing its past will give you some idea about what might be in that soil,” he says.

“People tend to think raised beds are going to solve their pollution problem,” Kim says. But polluted soil could easily kicked onto your plants, especially if the beds are low to the ground.

“Another consideration is that you have to be careful about the materials that you’re using to build a raised bed,” Kim says. Recycling wood from an old construction site might seem like a good, eco-friendly idea. But that wood could be treated with chemicals you don’t want touching your fruits and veggies, Kim says. And it’s always a good idea to use gloves while gardening, and wash all your produce thoroughly.

“I see these urban growing spaces as these oases(绿洲)in the middle of these urban environments,” Kim says. “They bring communities together, and they help people save money on fresh produce. Urban growing spaces are amazing. Let’s keep doing this, but let’s do it safely.”

1.What does the underlined word “clueless” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. unaware B. careless

C. helpless D. considerate

2.What should you do when starting an urban garden?

A. Build it on a parking lot B. Keep it low to the ground

C. Know the history of the ground D. Use recycled wood to build it

3.What do we know about the raise beds from the text?

A. They are free from some tests B. Their plants can be poisoned

C. They are environment-friendly D. Their materials are all recycled

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. More fresh vegetables are produced by urban gardeners

B. Growing vegetables become a fashion in big cities

C. Big cities are short of soil for growing fresh produce

D. Urban gardeners may not realize the seriousness of polluted soil

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