1 . A few weeks ago, I received a package containing seeds from my friend. When I asked her what they would _______ into, a smile crossed her face. “Just plant them and be patient. You’ll see for yourself _______!” she said.

I sowed the seeds in a flowerpot. In the first few days, I was very excited to search for the slightest signs, but _______ happened. With heavy loads of homework, I began to feel sad and _______. How much I longed for the color in my fast-paced life.

I watered the plants in dry periods. On the eighth day, to my great _______, a few light green sprouts (新芽) appeared. Bending down and studying the plants, I could almost hear them growing. More days passed, and the flowerpot soon became _______ with coriander (香菜) plants. Now they are taller than the edge of the pot, constantly shaking their leaves in the gentle wind, as if they were merrily singing a song of _______.

I am certain that after a few more days, my plants will be ready for_______. These plants have played an important part in _______ up my everyday life. They may not be a main dish on our table, but using some will surely make our dishes delicious.

Let us all slow our pace down and be patient. So long as we take steps to set our hearts free, time and patience will ________ us with the pure pleasure of being alive in this lovely world.

3 . I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early________of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to ________my parents.

At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with ________at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to ________!”Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father ever thought it a waste of time.

At that age, I always did something________to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found________, I would plant a garden!

I planted some lily (百合花)seeds in the yard. But they failed to ________. I continued to sunflower seeds and roses. Wild ________joy, I found the first rose bloom (开花). One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off.________, I was touched by this land of wonder.

________, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even________at me because he found it was ________to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s ________, I put her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds________flowers.

Regardless of their ________, I kept on planting my garden and ________to enjoy the pleasure gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they________to care and love.

It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to ________my parent. Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show which makes my parents feel very________. And now I could say it is my affection for________that makes me a real gardener.

I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a_______ over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always _______. Not knowing we were poor, my kids (孩子们) just thought I was _______. I’ve always been glad about that.

It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t _______ for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big _______ for the kids was the fun of Christmas _______.

They planned weeks ahead of time, asking _______ what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for _______ to share by all five of us.

The big _______ arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and __________ them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered (散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would __________ back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.

Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, __________ my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually __________. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies — fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything __________ we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, __________ to be angry again. This is what she told me.

“I was looking __________ thinking of what to buy, and I __________ to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees.’ One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she __________ for Christmas was a doll. So I took the card off the tree and __________ the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”

I never felt so __________ as I did that day.