Question

    Laughter fills the room as Claire Conza distributes balls of wool to a bunch of women gathered in a Birkenhead cafe on a Wednesday morning.

Conza, 34, is the founder of Make Give Live, a social enterprise that’s brought together about 40 women in five groups to knit(编织)hats. Her “makers” meet each week or fortnight. “We swap finished hats for new wool and patterns to keep them busy until the next catch up,” she says.

Since starting up last year, Make Give Live has sold more than 400 woollen hats on a “buy one—give one” model, so another 250 hats have been given to the homeless or elderly people through partnerships with Lifewise and Age Concern, with more donations to come.

But for Conza, the movement is about more than making hats—she sees Make Give Live as a way to connect communities, share good times and improve well-being. “There’s a magical interaction between the generations within our groups. Our older members are enriched by using their knitting skills to teach younger people. Our younger members have new methods to share and get to create something for their community.”

Makers are also enjoying the health benefits of knitting, which Conza says offers many of the same benefits as meditation(冥想). “The rhythmic movements and sense of focus can help keep from symptoms of anxiety, pressure, and stress.”

“I found so many benefits in the mindful process of knitting and the joy of creating something useful and beautiful, at a time when I wasn’t able to do much else. I decided if it worked for me, others would also benefit, and Make Give Live was born,” she says.

“A social enterprise is a hybrid of a charity and a business,” says Conza. “It’s about having the head of a business, the heart of a charity and the hands of the community. The key to its existence is recognizing people for their efforts so they are able to stay involved.

1.Which of the following best explains how the “buy one—give one” model works?

A.A new hat will be made when one is sold.

B.A buyer buys one hat and gets one free.

C.One hat is bought to give it to a person in need.

D.For each hat sold one is given to a person in need.

2.Why does Conza consider Make Give Live more than making hats?

A.It provides warm hats for people of all ages.

B.It helps to develop the members' knitting skills.

C.It creates a good relationship in the community.

D.It introduces new methods for creating better hats.

3.According to the text, what effect does knitting have on people?

A.It makes them relaxed. B.It makes them hopeful.

C.It makes them energetic. D.It makes them courageous.

4.What does the underlined word “hybrid” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A.Branch. B.Standard.

C.Mixture. D.Boundary.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道。文章主要介绍了Make giving Live：一个社会企业，实行“买一送一”的模式，在帮助了无家可归的人和有需要的老人的同时，又拉近了社区的几代人的关系，使其成为一个既是企业又是慈善的混合性质企业。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第三段内容：Since starting up last year, Make Give Live has sold more than 400 woollen hats on a “buy one—give one” model, so another 250 hats have been given to the homeless or elderly people through partnerships with Lifewise and Age Concern, with more donations to come.( Make giving Live自去年成立以来，已经以“买一送一”的模式售出了400多顶羊毛帽子，因此，通过Lifewise和Age Concern的合作伙伴关系，又向无家可归的人或老年人赠送了250顶帽子，未来还会有更多的捐赠。)可推知，“买一送一”的模式是“每卖出一顶帽子，便会赠送一顶帽子给无家可归的人或老年人”的工作原理。D项“For each hat sold one is given to a person in need.”合理概括了该工作模式。故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第四段内容“There’s a magical interaction between the generations within our groups. Our older members are enriched by using their knitting skills to teach younger people. Our younger members have new methods to share and get to create something for their community.(在我们的群体中，几代人之间有一种神奇的互动。我们的老会员通过使用他们的编织技能来教年轻人丰富。我们的年轻成员有了新的方法来分享和为他们的社区创造一些东西。)”可知，在她看来，“Make Give Live”使得社区里的几代人之间产生了互动，增强了联系，因此她认为这不仅仅是在编织帽子。故选C项。

3.细节理解题。根据文章第五段内容“The rhythmic movements and sense of focus can help keep from symptoms of anxiety, pressure, and stress.( 有节奏的动作和专注感可以帮助你远离焦虑、压力和紧张的症状。)”可知，编织可以使人专注于一件事而帮助远离焦虑，压力，紧张，使人放松。故选A项。

4.词义猜测题。根据划线单词所在句内容“A social enterprise is a hybrid of a charity and a business”，其之后的of短语起到修饰作用，“a charity and a business(一个慈善机构和一个企业)”是两件不同的事情，说明划线单词应是这两件事的“结合”。且后文对其进行了具体解释：It’s about having the head of a business, the heart of a charity and the hands of the community.( 它是关于拥有一个企业的首脑，一个慈善机构的心脏和社区的手。)，同样可知，划线单词“hybrid”包含的内容较广，是这些内容的结合或混合。因此可推知，划线单词“hybrid”应是表达“结合/混合”含义。故选C项。