1 . My grandma passed away last week. My mum began the painful yet necessary task of sorting through her belongings.

“Is there anything you want from grandma’s flat?” Mum texted me.

“Her aloe (芦荟), please.” I required zero thinking time.

Sometime around 1975, Grandma, always believing good things would happen in the future, received this plant as a gift, which she appreciated and placed in her doorway. It came from the local butcher. Five years later, my mum married the butcher’s son and had me. Grandma revealed to me this particular plant was a living relationship between the two families. And so was I.

Recently, whenever we visited Grandma’s flat, I attempted to fix this concept in my children’s minds. “That was a gift your great-grandma bought your other great-grandma! It’s older than me!” Then my kids would nod and ask Grandma for a sweet.

Numerous times, Grandma gave me cuttings or clippings of the plant, hoping I might raise my own and continue the legend. Yet, every time, my new branch died with my awful gardening skills. But that didn’t used to matter, because I could turn to Grandma, who would wait and accept my disturbance without becoming upset. Then I got another clipping and tried again. But now I can’t. So, I decided that the plant will go and live with Ann, my mother-in-law, who is a genius with a greenhouse.

The plan is for Ann to keep hold of the original plant. In time, she can teach me how to deal with its cuttings properly, and then maybe one day I can settle the plant in my place.

In the meantime, Ann will allocate (分配) clippings among my relatives, as Grandma used to do. My wife’s two sisters, for example, are both better at tending plants than I am, so it is quite imaginable they, too, will offer cuttings of the plant to their partners, spreading this loving plant across my entire extended family.

1. Why did the author want his grandma’s aloe?

A．He wanted to pass it down to others.	B．He showed a preference for gardening.
C．He had a pleasant memory of the plant.	D．He received it as a gift from his grandma.

2. Which of the following best describes the author’s grandma?

A．Optimistic and patient.

B．Generous and helpful.

C．Honest and fashionable.

D．Humorous and skillful.

3. The author took the aloe to his mother-in-law to

A．display his skills in gardening	B．have the plant better cared for
C．announce his grandma’s death	D．protect the plant from dying out

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Aloe: my family bond	B．Aloe: a mysterious plant
C．Grandma: my life coach	D．Grandma: a lovely gardener