The Special GIFT

Mario was posed to take a bite of his birthday cake when his mother said, "Not so fast, Mister. I think you have a present coming." "Really? What is it?" Mario asked. His father rose from his seat and walk around to Mario's chair. "Son I have been waiting for this day to give you a very special gift, My father gave it to me when I was about your age, and it has been one of my most valued possessions. Now I want to give it to you." He then placed an old, dusty shoebox tied with string in front of Mario. "This is my stamp collection, Son," his father began. "Your grandfather and worked on it together. Now I want to have it. I will teach you about the different stamps and how to preserve them. We can go to the post office tomorrow after school, and you can pick out one of the new stamps sets to add to your collection." Mario tried to be excited about his gift, but he did not understand what was so great about a box of old stamps. "Thanks, Dad," he said. With a forced smile. Then he noticed that Anna had taken the box and was looking in each of the envelopes inside. "Look at this one!" she exclaimed. "It's from the year I was born. Hey Mario, here's one from the year you were born, too!" "That's right," said Mario's father. "There are even stamps from my birthday!" Mario began to understand why the box was so important to his father and grandfather. He moved close to Anna so that he could see the stamps better. Twenty minutes later, he did not even notice that his ice cream was melted all over his cake.

45. Who is the main character in the story?
A. Grandfather
B. Mario
C. Father
D. anna

46. What is the main idea of the story?
A. Good manners are best.
B. Mario received a very special gift.
C. Stamps are valuable.
D. It is the thought that counts.​