Plenty of businesses have suffered during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but business for Laura Stone is booming.
Laura is the founder of Sydney by Kayak, a company that offers guided kayak (皮艇) tours of Sydney Harbor (海港) in Australia. Not only did their business not decrease during the pandemic, but one of their tours is actually more popular than ever.
A few years ago, Laura was paddling in the harbor when she noticed trash (垃圾) floating in the water. For reference, the United Nations Environment Programme estimates that about 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, causing big problems for wildlife.
Laura was so appalled by the garbage in the water that she decided to dedicate a few paddles each week to trash cleanup. Incredibly, her clients were immediately on board with the idea, so Sydney by Kayak now leads four to five garbage-collecting tours every week!
At the start of the pandemic, Laura assumed her business would drop off as many others had. Instead, desperate for purpose and a way to get outdoors, people went to her “Clean Up Kayak” tours. They now routinely take about 441 pounds of garbage out of the harbor each week!
“We’ve been quite surprised, even through the pandemic, we’ve been very busy,” Laura said. “Because they can’t travel, people are looking for something to do, that is not just good for them, but also good for the environment.”
Each tour begins with participants preparing a paddle, bucket, picker stick, and sieve (筛子). Some people come back multiple times for the satisfaction of collecting trash from the harbor. Julie Greening, for example, has done about 10 tours so far and says “every little bit is worth it”.
“There’re 7 billion people on this planet, so everyone does a little, and of course it’s going to help,” she says.
Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, good company, and a great cause: What else do you need? Laura has found on an incredible, pandemic-proof business idea that helps the earth as much as it helps participants.
4. Why is Laura’s business more popular during lockdown?
A.Because her business is related to guided kayak tours. |
B.Because she helps tackle the litter problem in the oceans. |
C.Because she deals with the food problem for ocean wildlife. |
D.Because she has unique business skills compared to other businessmen. |
5. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “appalled” in Paragraph 4?
A.Shocked. | B.Curious. | C.Satisfied. | D.Excited. |
6. What qualities does Laura have according to the text?
A.Caring and devoted. | B.Active and gifted. |
C.Creative but selfish. | D.Hard-working but mean. |
7. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Sea Kayak Adventure Group |
B.Properly Maintain Your Kayak |
C.How to Clean the Outside of Your Kayak |
D.Kayakers Remove Trash from Sydney Harbor |