... so they gave me up for adoption. (Para.4)
Meaning: ... so they gave me away so others could adopt me.
adoption: n. the act of taking sb. into one's family and treating him as one's own child; the act of using sth.
The teachers are talking about the adoption of a new course of study for the high school. 老师们在讨论给高中学生开设一门新课程。
The boy's adoption by the kind old woman changed his whole life.这位善良的老妇人收养了这个男孩，从而改变了他一生。