(A) “Congratulations!” That was the first word that Steven saw when he opened the envelope that his dad handed to him. He knew that he would win the essay contest. Overly excited, he shouted, “Hooray!” At that moment, two tickets to Ace Amusement Park, the prize, slipped out of the envelope. He picked them up and read the letter thoroughly while sitting on the stairs in front of his house. “Wait a minute! That’s not my name!” (a) he said, puzzled. The letter was addressed to his classmate Stephanie, who had also participated in the contest.
(B) Once Steven had heard his dad’s words, tears started to fill up in his eyes. “I was foolish,” Steven said regretfully. He took the letter and the prize to school and handed them to Stephanie. He congratulated her wholeheartedly and she was thrilled. On the way home after school, his steps were light and full of joy. That night, his dad was very pleased to hear what he had done at school. “(b) I am so proud of you, Steven,” he said. Then, without a word, he handed Steven two Ace Amusement Park tickets and winked.
(C) “If I don’t tell Stephanie, perhaps she will never know,” Steven thought for a moment. He remembered that the winner would only be notified by mail. As long as he kept quiet, nobody would know. So he decided to sleep on it. The next morning, he felt miserable and his dad recognized it right away. “What’s wrong, (c) Son?” asked his dad. Steven was hesitant at first but soon disclosed his secret. After listening attentively to the end, his dad advised him to do the right thing.
(D) Reading on, Steven realized the letter had been delivered mistakenly. “Unfortunately,” it should have gone to Stephanie, who was the real winner. (d) He looked at the tickets and then the letter. He had really wanted those tickets. He had planned to go there with his younger sister. Steven was his sister’s hero, and he had bragged to her that he would win the contest. However, if she found out that her hero hadn’t won, she would be terribly disappointed, and (e) he would feel ashamed.
* brag: 허풍 떨다