It was the Christmas season of 2022. Nine-year-old Jaron and his six-year-old brother, Parker, were invited to attend a reading 1 sponsored(赞助) by a store in the hometown. The students who read the most books would each2 a bicycle. All they had to do was to have their parents and teachers sign for each book they read.
Parker was especially3 because this was a great way for him to get a bike by reading books. He really wanted one and started to read books as fast as he could. But4 seemed to work hard for the competition. No matter how many books he read, he found it difficult to catch up with the others.
However, his brother Jaron didn't5 the competition. As a member of the school football team, he had to train hard after school every day so that he6 did reading. But he still kept an eye on his younger brother. This afternoon, on his way home from school, he went to the store and checked how many books each reader had finished. He found that his younger brother had a7 chance of winning the competition.
Touched by the true meaning of Christmas—the happiness of8 , he hoped to win the competition, not for9 but for Parker. He really wanted to help Parker achieve his dream. But10 could he make it? Jaron read as much as eight hours a day. It was the excitement of giving such a wonderful gift that kept him going.
The11 came when the final lists were to be turned in. Jaron's mother took him to the store, 12 he turned in his list. By reading 280 books, Jaron had won the prize for his younger brother!
In order to make it a big surprise, with his parents' help, he13 the bicycle in his grandma's basement(地下室).
14 Christmas Eve, the whole family gathered together at Grandma's home for a special family home evening. They talked and laughed. Then Jaron ran to the basement and wheeled out the two-wheeled treasure. Seeing what Jaron had done for Parker, the rest of the family15 smiled. Parker ran over to the bike, and the brothers hugged over the top of it.
