Fluency U3L5

In today's world, most people have safe jobs. Things

were not always that way. It used to be very different.

Much about the world was not known, and even a job as a

gardener might lead to big adventure. This story is about

someone that most people have never heard of. But what

he did made America a better place. Some of the food

and flowers that we have today came because of the work

of this unknown hero.

Frank Meyer was born in 1875 in the Netherlands, a

country in Europe. He was interested in plants at a young

age. He also liked hiking in extreme places. No one was

surprised when Frank became a "plant explorer." He

worked hard to earn enough money to come to the United

States in 1901.

Eventually, Frank found the perfect job. He worked

for the United States Department of Agriculture, the

government agency that focuses on plants. Frank's job

was to go around the world to find and collect plants of

all kinds.

Frank went back and forth from China a number of

times. He went to other places in Asia, too. This travel

was slow and exhausting. For fifteen years, Frank

explored, and he even had to escape from bandits to

bring back a good plant.

People were amazed with the amazing things that Frank

brought home. Many new plants were seen here for the

first time because of his efforts. He took pictures on his

travels, too. Frank loved sharing what he saw and learned.

His job was not just an adventure, it was a chance to

bring the world together and make it a better place for

everyone.