【備忘録】
◆ 物語の読解問題
"Christine, come and help me in the garden. I want to plant all of the seeds today." My father was calling to me. "I'm busy," I said. My father loves his garden, but at that time I didn't understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
◆ 物語の読解問題
"Christine, come and help me in the garden. I want to plant all of the seeds today." My father was calling to me. "I'm busy," I said. My father loves his garden, but at that time I didn't understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
By the end of April, his plants had come up in neat rows, and he put wooden stakes marked with the name of the vegetable on each row. Unfortunately, in early May, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He was in the hospital for about two months and during that time he often asked me about his garden. Even after he came home, he had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips so she couldn't take care of the garden. I didn't want my father to worry, so without being asked, I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often so I didn't think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning in July, my father said to me, "Christine, I think that the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let's have a salad today!" I took a bowl and went out to the garden. I looked at the leaf lettuce and was upset to see that many of the leaves had been half eaten. There were hundreds of bugs all over them! I tried to get them off, but there were just too many. I looked at the carrots next, but they didn't look healthy. I pulled up a carrot, but it was tiny and looked like something had taken small bites from it.
I panicked for a moment, but then thought of a good idea. I got my wallet, quietly went out the door, and rode my bicycle to the nearest store to buy some vegetables. I went back home and cut them up to make a salad for my father.
When I gave it to him, he said, "Oh, Christine, what a beautiful salad!" I can't believe | the carrots are this big already. The lettuce is so crisp and delicious. You must be taking very good care of my garden." My father looked happy, but I felt a little bit guilty.
I went back to the kitchen and was cleaning up when my mother came home from her most recent business trip. She saw the bag from the supermarket. I was embarrassed when she looked at me. So, I confessed, "Dad wanted a salad, but the garden was a disaster. I didn't want to disappoint him so I went to the store." She laughed but promised to make time to help me in the garden, and we worked hard for the next few weeks. We made a mixture of water with chopped-up fresh hot peppers and then sprayed it on the vegetables. I thought | this was a great idea because the spray is not harmful to humans or animals, or even the bugs. They simply don't like the spicy water. The bug-free vegetables grew quickly, and finally I was able to pick some.
I carefully made a salad and took it to my father. He looked at it with a hint of a smile. "Christine, the carrots are smaller in this salad, but they taste better." I realized that he had known all along about my shopping trip. I smiled back at him.
Now, I better understand how putting a lot of effort into caring for something can help you appreciate the results more, however small they may be. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for my father's love of gardening.
In a few days he'll be back in the garden. I'll be right beside him helping him in any way | I can. (650 words)