I tried to grow a gardenia （梔子花）．I had tried everything my mother taught me about caring for houseplants—more light, less water, spraying, even replanting, but _1_ seemed to work．

I _2_ Mom were here now．Mother’s Day was coming up, the second one since her death, and the pain of losing her was still so fresh．There is a Mother’s Day _3_ I follow．One wears a red flower if one’s mother is _4_ and a white one if she is not．I had hoped that planting a white gardenia, Mom’s favorite flower, would help me through the sorrow of her _5．

Mom had a way with all things _6_．My sister and I always joked, “Mom could _7_ a telephone pole grow leaves and bear fruit．”

Why can’t I? I thought．Still, I couldn’t stand throwing the dead plant away．Instead, I placed it into a dark corner of our bathroom．I didn’t even water it．I just left it there _8_ I could deal with it．

My husband asked me if I was going to wear a white flower to church that Mother’s Day．“Yes,” I told him, “but I need a _9_ gardenia．” I added silently．

Sunday morning I woke up early to get dressed and made for the _10_．Still _11_, I walked to the bathroom．Suddenly I was woken up by a pleasant scent （香味）．I pushed the door open and stepped into the bathroom．That morning I knew I would be ready to wear a small white flower for Mom．In that dark corner, _12_ as if it had a light of its own, bloomed a perfect white gardenia!

1.A．everything               B．nothing                C．anything              D．something

2.A．feel                         B．believe                 C．wish                   D．think

3.A．way                        B．method                C．habit                   D．tradition

4.A．alive                        B．healthy                C．dead                   D．ill

5.A．passing                  B．getting                 C．giving                 D．dying

6.A．white                      B．blue                    C．green                  D．yellow

7.A．cause                      B．make                   C．use                     D．allow

8.A．when                      B．until                    C．while                  D．if

9.A．red                          B．plastic                 C．paper                  D．fresh

10.A．market                   B．school                 C．church                D．office

11.A．excited                  B．angry                  C．happy                 D．sleepy

12.A．bright                    B．dark                    C．large                   D．small