Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in
them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift.
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but
the small wage could only be stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family
unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made
beautiful gifts for their mother.It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk
down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.
It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so
wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.
He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the
dime and asked if he could buy one flower.
The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for
you." The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart
sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. "That will be ten cents, young man," said the
shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.
Then the shopkeeper's wife appeared. "Where are the roses you were fixing?"
The shop owner replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice
telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had
lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that
voice was."
1. According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.
A. Bobby's sisters didn't help Bobby to buy a gift
B. Bobby had known what gift he’d give to his mother
C. the children in the family all loved their mother
D. Bobby's family was rich before his father died
2. Why did Bobby walk along the street?
A. Because he didn't know what to do.
B. Because he wanted to try his luck there.
C. Because he wanted to get some money.
D. Because he hoped to see what he could get.
3. What could he buy with a dime then?
A. A flower.
B. Nothing.
C. A piece of cake.
D. Many flowers.
4. Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _______.
A. he did not want any rose flowers
B. the flowers weren't worth a dime
C. the shop owner would cheat him
D. he hardly believed what had happened
5. From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the shop owner ______.
A. was shocked by the voice he heard
B. was always ready to help others
C. didn't know how to run a business
D. was good at making up stories
