Question

My grandmother was a master gardener that could make anything bloom. Even me.

She spent most of her life living on a farm in the mountains of North Caroline, where she got married, raised four children, and watched the changing of the seasons. When I was 12 years old, my dad gave up working downtown and moved back to the farm to turn to gardening. I visited on weekends to keep them company.

Every time my farm chores were done, I was free to climb the mountain, singing songs and gathering flowers. Sometimes the plants scratched me. My grandmother would say: “Beauty has a price. I hope it was worth it.” I would say, “Yes, ma’am. It was.” Then I’d scratch some more. At dusk, we’d sort the flowers and make bouquets(花束): One for the living room, one for the kitchen, and three for the bedrooms.

Even then as a child, I knew that what I desired most from my grandmother was not her flowers but her time. She has been gone for decades, but sometimes when I reach down to pick a flower or pull a weed, I see her hand, not mine. I thought I’d grow up to be a gardener as well. I informed myself, someday, when my children had children，I would be a gardening grandma. Then the grandbabies started showing up, and I discovered I would much rather chase after them than go digging.

The truth is, I’m no gardener. I’m a picker, not a planter. I don’t need to plant a garden. My children are my flowers. They delight me and complete me with a beauty that is worth any price.

My grandmother and I differ in lots of ways, but from her, I do learn what a grandmother means. I also learn that I need attend to my grandbabies with time and water them with love. I hope that, one day, when they hold their first grandchild, they might see my hand.

1.Why did the author go to the farm on weekends?

(No more than 8 words) (2 marks)

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2.How did the author and her grandmother deal with the collected flowers?

(No more than 12 words) (3 marks)

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3.What did the author want most from her grandmother when she was a kid?

(No more than 4 words) (2 marks)

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4.What does the author learn from her grandmother?

(No more than 15 words) (3 marks)

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Answer 1