Young men often give flowers to young women when they are in love. This tradition may have come from Turkey.

In the 1700s in Turkey, it was quite popular for people in love to send each other ①baskets (　) of strange things. The baskets were delivered secretly to the person who was receiving it. Usually, an old woman who sold flowers or fruit on the street left the basket beside the person’s door.

These baskets included a variety of “gifts”; flowers, stones, feathers, wax and even charcoal. Each thing in the basket had a special meaning. By figuring out the secret message in each item, ②the person who ( a ) the basket began to understand little by little the true feelings of the person who ( b ) it.

This idea of sending gifts of love with secret meanings quickly spread to Germany, France, and England. However, only sending flowers continued to be ③(　).

A bunch of flowers told young ladies about the feelings in the hearts of young men. Each different flower held a different meaning. For example, the flowers from an orange tree meant, “You are beautiful and pure.” Pink carnations meant, “My love for you is strong and great.” Yellow roses, on the other hand, meant, “I saw you with someone else.”

Many flower dictionaries were made to help young people in love to understand the meaning of the flowers they received. However, not all of the dictionaries agreed on the meaning of each flower, so a person had to be ④[ they / about / to / careful / chose / the flowers ] send.

By the 1880s, using flowers to send messages had fallen out of fashion, and the more direct way of sending love letters began. Today, we still think that flowers are a lovely gift, but each flower has ⑤(　) its original secret meaning.

　baskets that were filled with strange things

　ア　received – sent

　イ　got – received

　ウ　gave – got

　エ　sent – gave

　ア　wrong

　イ　strange

　ウ　popular

　エ　serious

　ア　spread

　イ　grown

　ウ　kept

　エ　lost