Philip is a school boy. On his twelfth birthday, he decided to give up eating meat. "I don't think it's right to eat animals," he said. "They live on the Earth just like us and they are our friends." Philip's parents were not happy about that. "You are a growing boy," his mother said. "You need meat. Do you want to stay short and be weak?" His mother put some beef, rice and carrots in front of him. "I want you to eat all your food now," she said. "Don't leave anything." Philip didn't want to make his mother sad. But he ate only the rice and the carrots. "You're a silly boy!" said his father. "I'm getting very angry at you." "I'm sorry, Mum and Dad," answered Philip. "I don't want you to be sad or angry. But I really don't want to eat any meat." "Then have some fish, dear," said his mother. "Oh no, I can't!" cried Philip. "Fish are living things too." "Well, you can't have anything to eat at all if you don't eat any meat or fish," said his father. The next morning Philip got up hungry. His father walked to the school with him and asked to see the teacher. "Is this what you teach the students at school?" he asked the teacher. "Philip refuses to eat meat at home. He doesn't listen to what I say." "I don't agree with Philip," replied the teacher. "But I think he's brave to do what he thinks is right. We teach the students to do that." Philip's mother thought that Philip would   _   if he didn't eat any meat.
feel happy keep healthy stay short get hungry