It had been a long, tiring week for the little boy. He had worked day and night at the factory, trying to earn some money for his family. Finally, the moment had arrived. He held his hard-earned wages tightly in his hand.
But there was a problem. Today was his mother’s birthday, and he wanted to buy her a special present to show her how much he loved her. However, if he spent all his money on the present, there would be nothing left for food.
The boy didn’t know what to do. He was walking through the streets and thinking hard, when suddenly, he noticed another boy sitting on the sidewalk. He had various items around him. Curiosity won over him and he approached the boy on the sidewalk.
“What are you selling?” the little boy asked.
The other boy looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope, hunger and fear. “I have this gold rimmed porcelain cup. It’s worth a lot of money, but I need to sell it urgently.”
The little boy examined the cup. It was indeed beautiful, with strange designs and a shiny gold rim. He knew that the boy didn’t get the cup in an honest way.
“Where did you get this cup?” the little boy asked.
The boy hesitated for a moment, then he sighed. “I found it, but I know it belongs to someone else. I don’t have any other way to get money.”
The little boy was thinking for a while. He realised that if he bought the cup, they wouldn’t have money for their meals for the week. However, after a moment of hesitation, the little boy made up his mind.
“I’ll buy it from you, but at a lower price. That way, you won’t have to steal anymore, and I can still get a present for my mother.”
They haggled over the price until they reached an agreement that satisfied both of them. The little boy handed over his hard-earned wages and held the cup tightly.
As he walked home, the little boy’s mind was filled with conflicting emotions. He was imagining how his mother would react to the present. He also worried about the lack of food for the week. Nevertheless, he was happy that he had bought the cup.
Glossary:
tiring /ˈtaɪərɪŋ/ – (unavujúci) – making you feel the need to sleep or rest
wage /weɪdʒ/ – (mzda, plat) – a regular amount of money that you earn, usually every week or every month, for work or services
tightly /ˈtaɪtli/ – (natesno) – close together; leaving little or no space between
sidewalk /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/ – (chodník) – a flat part at the side of a road for people to walk on (BrE= pavement)
various /ˈveəriəs/ – (rôzny) – several different
curiosity /ˌkjʊəriˈɒsəti/ – (zvedavosť) – a strong desire to know about something
approached /əˈprəʊtʃ/ – (pristúpiť k niekomu) – to come near to somebody/something in distance or time
rim /rɪm/ – (okraj, pri okrúhlych veciach) – the edge of something in the shape of a circle / gold rimmed = with gold edge
examine /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/ – (preskúmať) – to consider or study an idea, a subject, etc. very carefully
hesitate /ˈhezɪteɪt/ – (váhať) – to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous
sigh /saɪ/ – (povzdychnúť si) – to take and then let out a long deep breath that can be heard, to show that you are disappointed, sad, tired, etc.
make up your mind – (rozhodnúť sa) – to decide something
haggled /ˈhæɡl/ – (doťahovať sa napr. o cenu) – to argue with somebody in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of something
reach an agreement – (dosiahnuť dohodu) – to agree on stg with another person
satisfied /ˈsætɪsfaɪd/ – (spokojný) – pleased because you have achieved something or because something that you wanted to happen has happened
lack of /læk/ – (nedostatok) – the state of not having something or not having enough of something
nevertheless /ˌnevəðəˈles/ – (napriek niečomu) – despite something that you have just mentioned
© Sparrow’s English Reader / Level 3, English Reading
Sparrow's English Reader 