1 . Alejandro Buxton’s candle business started with a headache. The 12-year-old’s mom suffers from allergies, and something in their house was causing her head to hurt. After going to the hospital, they discovered the cause of the headache: the candles. His mom had no choice but to get rid of the scented (有香味的) items.
However, he knew his mother really loved candles. To lift her spirits, he set up a lab in the family’s kitchen in the fall of 2019 and made a candle using only natural ingredients, such as soy and coconut waxes (蜡) and essential oils. Chemicals in her old candles were causing the headaches. He named his first product Jurassic Orange, which is similar to the fruit in color and smell. Jurassic Orange was a hit with his mom, whose headaches disappeared. But Alejandro wasn’t done experimenting. Within a few months, he had about six scents, including Chunky Sweaters and Cozy Socks, which smells like a fruit drink mixed with a pine forest.
In September 2020, he put his first collection of candles on Etsy, the online marketplace that specializes in handmade goods. He also sold candles at seasonal markets, such as the one in downtown D. C. where the vice president was shopping for holiday gifts last year. He recommended two candles to the vice president. She took some of his advice.
Jesse Benites, general manager of a big shopping mall, said the vice president’s visit “skyrocketed” Alejandro’s fame. A senior manager contacted Alejandro and invited him to rent one of the 12 retail carts at the mall. On September 1,2022, Smell of Love Candles opened on the second level of the shopping center. Alejandro is the mall’s youngest business owner. Inside the mall, Alejandro turned a large room into his production facility, where he and his staff make 600 to 700 candles a week. There were altogether 25 scents on the shelf. He continued to make new scents and wanted to see all his candles in every single household and love and joy come into the houses.
Alejandro’s candle business makes a good profit, but for him, the money he earned is not just for his own college fund but for local charities.
1. Alejandro started his business because he wanted to________.| A．solve his mother’s problem |
| B．earn some money for the family |
| C．make more people love candles |
| D．change the way candles are made |
| A．It was visited by the vice president. |
| B．It mainly sells candles on the Internet. |
| C．It teaches people how to make candles. |
| D．It will offer new scents of the candles. |
| A．open more chain stores |
| B．help more people in need |
| C．invent new scents of the candles |
| D．promote his candles to more families |
| A．Organized and loving. | B．Smart and outgoing. |
| C．Caring and creative. | D．Generous and honest. |
