Once upon a time, there was a very close family who lived in a humble house in the countryside. They had worked hard to build the house themselves, for they had always wanted to have a nice home that was energy efficient.

Most of their neighbours had all-terrain vehicles, so eight-year-old Mario, who was the oldest child in the family, had often asked his parents to swap their own car, which was now very old, for a 4X4.

Eventually, Mario’s parents went off to buy a new car, for their own had stopped working. When they got home, Mario was waiting for them in the garden, impatient to see what 4×4 his parents had bought. He thought: “I bet they’ve bought the biggest and fastest 4X4! Now I can show off the new car in front of the neighbours!”

But to his great surprise and disappointment, the new car driving up the road wasn’t a 4×4. Mario immediately ran to the car.

“Dad! Mum! Is this our new car?” asked Mario, looking anguished.

“Yes, darling. Do you like it?” answered his mother.

“No I don’t! It’s not a 4X4! It’s a rubbish old electric car, why did you buy it?” asked Mario angrily.

“We bought it because we like it, and you should respect that. And we also bought it because it’s electric and doesn’t pollute the environment,” his mother explained.

“Mario, you should know that those cars you like so much are very bad. They consume a lot of fuel, which is a limited resource and there will come a day when it runs out. Plus our car doesn’t give off toxic CO2 or any other kind of gas that endangers living beings. And also we think the new car is very pretty!” added his father.

That was how Mario learned that electric cars are much better than all-terrain vehicles, for they are good for the environment and human beings. And of course there are more important things than showing off your new car in front of the neighbours.

THE END

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