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Zara sat on a in the city square. It was a warm morning. The square was busy. People walked past her quickly. There were pigeons on the ground near her feet. Zara looked at them but did not see them. She was thinking hard. She had two letters in her hand. One letter was from a big school far away. The other letter was from a job in her city. Both were very good. She read the letters again. Her hands felt a little cold. She took a deep breath. She did not know what to do. She closed her eyes for a . A friend walked across the square.
His name was Tom. He saw Zara on the . "Hello, Zara!" he said. "You look . Are you okay?" Zara looked up at him. "I have a big problem," she said. "I need to make a today." Tom sat down next to her. "Tell me about it," he said. Zara showed him the two letters. Tom read them . He was quiet for a minute. "Both are really good," he said. "What do you want most?" Zara thought about the question. "I want to learn new things," she said. "But I also love this city." Tom nodded slowly. "That is hard," he said. Zara stood up and walked to the middle of the square.
She looked at the tall buildings around her. She looked at the . The water was bright in the sunlight. She thought about her family. She thought about her dreams. She took another deep breath. Then she smiled. She walked back to Tom. "I made my ," she said. "I am going to the school." Tom looked happy. "That is wonderful!" he said. "I am of you." Zara felt scared but also . She put the letters in her bag. She looked at the square one more time. "I will come back one day," she said quietly. She walked away with her head up.
a choice you make after thinking about something
"Zara had to make a big decision in the city square."
a long seat that people sit on outside
"Zara sat on a bench and read her letters."
feeling nervous or unhappy because of a problem
"Tom could see that Zara looked worried."
giving attention to what you are doing
"Tom read the two letters carefully."
a structure in a public place that shoots water into the air
"Zara looked at the fountain in the middle of the square."
feeling very happy and eager about something
"Zara felt scared but also excited about her choice."
feeling very pleased about something good someone has done
"Tom said he was proud of Zara for making her decision."
a very short period of time
"Zara closed her eyes for a moment to think."
take a deep breath
to breathe in slowly to help yourself feel calm
"Zara took a deep breath before making her decision."
make a decision
to choose one thing from two or more options
"Zara needed to make a decision about her future."
tell me about it
used to ask someone to explain their problem or situation
"Tom said, "Tell me about it," when he saw Zara was worried."
think hard
to use a lot of mental effort to consider something
"Zara was thinking hard about which letter to choose."
nod slowly
to move your head up and down gently to show you understand
"Tom nodded slowly when he heard Zara's problem."
come back one day
to return to a place at some time in the future
"Zara said she would come back one day to the city square."
with your head up
in a confident way, not looking down or ashamed
"Zara walked away with her head up after deciding."
Are you okay?
a friendly question to check if someone is well or happy
"Tom asked Zara, "Are you okay?" when she looked worried."
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