I have two sons. They are as different as night and day. My youngest is sweet, loveable, easy-going, and finds joy in everything. My oldest we’ve nicknamed the “Evil Genius” is ambitious, self-confident, and suffers no fools.

Whenever we mentioned Santa my husband and I were rewarded with major eye rolling and deep sighs from my oldest. At first we both tried to ignore it.

We both knew that our eldest had figured out the big secret. But I’d be damned(指責) if he was going to ruin it for his six-year-old brother who had plenty of Santa-loving years ahead of him. I looked at my husband in the eye and said, “I’ll handle this.” to which he responded “Okay just be careful because I’m not sure he knows - he might just be acting like it.” But I knew. And I had it in my mind that he was about to break his younger brothers spirit and break the news to him. I was afraid he was going to take the Christmas spirit away from my sweet innocent youngest and stamp all over it. I had to protect him. I needed to control this now before it got out of control. I rushed into the play room where my oldest was playing alone. I looked him dead in the eyes and said: “Well you know Santa isn’t real, right?” And as I stared at my eight-year-old son for what seemed like a long time of silence, his eyes started to fill with tears. And a tear dropped down his cheek when he screamed out, “He’s not?”

“Um well it’s not that he’s not real (shut up you idiot- stop saying he’s not real), but he doesn’t really make and deliver all the toys. Dad and I get some of them for you. So he’s real. He’s just got a little help from us.”

The Evil Genius wasn’t buying it. He just sat there looking at me with an expression of doubt.

You know when you make a terrible mistake but you can’t stop yourself from making it worse? That was me because I just had to know. I had to know why he had seemed to be over Santa. So I asked him why he rolled his eyes and sighed every time his father and I mentioned Santa, to which he replied that kids at school had been saying Santa wasn't real but that he still thought he was.

1.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Two different sons

B. Santa secret given away

C. Protecting one, ruining the other

D. Making a mistake worse

2.What did the writer conclude when “Evil Genius” rolled his eyes and sighed?

A. “Evil Genius” had discovered Santa was not real.

B. “Evil Genius” had broken the secret to his younger brother.

C. “Evil Genius” had passed his Santa-loving years.

D. “Evil Genius” had been influenced by his classmates.

3.What does the underlined sentence mean in the passage?

A. “Evil Genius” refused to buy toys.

B. “Evil Genius” didn’t believe his mother’s words.

C. “Evil Genius” wanted to keep silent.

D. “Evil Genius” would not give away the secret.

4.What lesson can we learn from the story?

A. Lies can never change facts.

B. Honesty is the best policy.

C. No one is perfect.

D. We should think twice before we act.

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