1 . A few weeks ago, I received a package containing a small batch (一批) of seeds from my friend. When I asked her what it would grow_________ , a flicker of a smile crossed her face. “Just plant them and be patient. You'll see for yourself_________”she said.

I sowed the seeds in a beautiful flowerpot. In the first few days, I was excited to search for the slightest_________ of germination (发芽). But nothing happened. With_________ homework, I began to feel frustrated and a little bit disappointed. How much I_________a splash of color in my fast-paced life!

I watered the plant carefully. I placed the plant in the sunlight and rotated (旋转) it for a_________ illumination (光照). On the fourth day, to my great surprise a few light green sprouts (芽) _________.

Bending down and carefully studying the seedlings, I could almost_________them growing. More days passed, the flowerpot soon became_________with coriander (香菜) plants.

Now they are taller than the edge of the pot,__________shaking their verdant (青翠的) leaves in the gentle__________of the wind, as if they are merrily singing a song of __________ and freedom.

I am certain that after a few more days, my coriander plants will be ready for__________. Thanks to my friend and my patience, these plants have played a crucial part in__________my everyday life. They may not be a main food on our table, but sprinkling some will surely add a__________of flavor to our dishes to spice up (为…调味) our busy days.

2 . Early last summer, I bought some yam（山药）roots for food but days later, a tuber （块茎）left was sprouting（发芽）. Thinking it was a waste of money to throw it away, I _____ the tuber into a flower pot hoping that it might take root and ______ something that could be put on the dinner table.

In the following months, I ____ the tuber regularly. Thankfully, the _____ yam grew well. Soon it was autumn, and I decided to ______ .

I pulled out the leaves of the yam and began to dig with my fingers carefully for I knew the yam could ______easily. Suddenly my fingers __ the yam root. When almost no __ was left, I tried to pull the root but failed.

In ______   , I turned the pot over. Half of the yam root had grown through one of the three holes ______

The whole tuber, _____ two parts, one in and one out of the pot, was in the _____ of a handwritten L. Unlike ordinary yam roots, the part outside the pot was not round—it was _____ , looking like a hand of an old farmer who works hard to make a ______ . The very end of the part outside the pot was _____ . Obviously, the skin must have been rubbed off during its __ with the heavy pot. The very tip of the unusual part seemed to be bleeding.

The sight filled me with ______ . Then and there my opinion of the plant _____ . I came to understand that the tuber, though ______ wounded, had struggled hard. Such was a yam, an ordinary-looking plant with ________characteristics.