A
“Hey, how are you doing? I'm Courtney. What grade are you in? What's your favorite book? Elephant and Piggy? Yeah, I got it.”
If you thought you'd walked into a library with a greeting like that, you wouldn't be too far off. In fact, you've entered the workplace of Courtney Holmes, the Storybook Barber.
Two years ago, Dubuque, Iowa, held its first yearly Back to School Bash, offering needy families an opportunity to learn about free resources in the community (社区). Holmes agreed to participate. Saturday was his busiest haircutting day, but he chose to donate his time and give free haircuts to underprivileged kids so they'd look sharp on that first day of classes. But then he had a lightbulb moment (突然醒悟的一瞬)：“The kids should earn their free haircut by having to read a book to me.” Holmes said.
The idea was so popular that he continued it for the next two years. Five to tenyearold boys would grab a favorite book, settle into the barber chair, and read aloud while Holmes cut their hair. If they stuttered (结结巴巴地说) over a word, Holmes was there to help.
After the haircut, they'd review the book, from the characters and vocabulary to the themes — just like in school, only more fun.
Holmes admits he, too, benefits from the free snipandreads.
“There was this sevenyearold Bob, who struggled through his book, stuttering over words even though he didn't have a stutter，” said Holmes. He had the boy take the book home and practice. When the child came back a few days later, “He read it with no problems. That inspires (鼓舞) me.”
Holmes and his family have recently moved from Dubuque to a Chicago suburb. When they get settled, he plans to continue his role as the Storybook Barber. “The way the world is today with guns and violence，” he says, “it's a safe haven (避风港) for the kids, to come to the barbershop and read books.”
语篇解读：美国爱荷华州迪比克市的一名理发师为那些给他阅读故事的孩子们提供免费理发服务。
1．What does the underlined word “underprivileged” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A．Unruly. B．Poor.
C．Intelligent. D．Unusual.
解析：选B 词义猜测题。由画线词前的“... offering needy families an opportunity to learn about free resources”和“donate his time and give free haircuts”可知，Holmes选择给贫困的儿童免费理发。由此可推断，underprivileged意为“贫困的，贫穷的”。
2．What can we infer about Holmes from the last paragraph?
A．He showed great concern for kids.
B．He faced serious money problems.
C．He had an excellent sense of humor.
D．He built a shelter for homeless kids.
解析：选A 推理判断题。由最后一段中的“The way the world is today with guns and violence”和“it's a safe haven for the kids, to come to the barbershop and read books”可知，Holmes特别关爱孩子们。
3．What is the best title for the text?
A．Great minds inspire great deeds
B．A new way to make reading fun
C．An unusual library in Dubuque, Iowa
D．Barber gets kids reading with free haircuts
解析：选D 标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文主要讲述了美国爱荷华州迪比克市的一名理发师为那些给他阅读故事的孩子们提供免费理发服务的故事，D项作标题能概括文章主旨。
