7 . Christianna Alexander, a high school girl, is the founder of Sweet Christi’s, a company that makes all-natural, plant-based soaps looking like delicate desserts. At 12, Christianna decided she wanted to start a business. Her three business ideas were baking, arts and crafts (手工艺品), and soap. Baking turned out to be more of a challenge than she expected, and her paintings and drawings didn’t sell as she hoped. Not one to give up easily, Christianna turned her passion into purpose by creating Sweet Christi’s.
Meanwhile, Christianna also started a nonprofit focused on the education of girls through STEM. But that’s not all this teen CEO does: she is involved in many practical things, and she’s a speaker at several youth conferences and also the author of the children’s book Stay Sweet and Never Miss a Beat.
Recently, Richard Cuff, founder of NASEMBA Business Alliance, announced the 15-year-old would serve as Youth Ambassador for the Operation ECLIPSE campaign which advocates for the positive representation of local entrepreneurs (企业家) and stresses the economic impact that the entrepreneurs are having on the local economy. Through Operation ECLIPSE, NASEMBA Business Alliance’s goal is to raise funds to back local programmes to benefit small businesses while helping political leaders better understand the historical and social significance of local entrepreneurial families. “We will work with our political leaders who want to close the wealth gap by shaping policies that will direct financial aid to young entrepreneurs,” said Richard.
“Having an instructor is important and I can’t put into words how important it is to be able to talk to successful entrepreneurs,” said Christianna. “The campaign also encourages business owners and managers to give advice or guidance to young entrepreneurs while supporting plans that provide direction to benefit our at-risk youth. I believe entrepreneurs can help address many social issues with love. The campaign would shine a bright light on the young entrepreneurs, and enable us to become better.”
1. Why did Christianna start the soap business?
| A．To avoid failure. | B．To meet a challenge. |
| C．To realize her ambition. | D．To fun d the nonprofit. |
2. Which qualities of Christianna are stressed in paragraph 2?
| A．Caring and active. | B．Visionary and independent. |
| C．Academically-minded and brave. | D．Strong-willed and industrious. |
3. What does NASEMBA Business Alliance aim to do?
| A．Bridge the gap between rich and poor. | B．Raise money for campaigns. |
| C．Explore entrepreneurial families’ impacts. | D．Support local small businesses. |
4. What does Christianna say about Operation ECLIPSE?
| A．It solves many social problems. | B．It provides new insights into leadership. |
| C．It helps protect the youth from potential risks. | D．It advocates the experienced assisting the young. |
