7 . In 2000, Andréa Speranza achieved her dream of becoming a firefighter joining the Halifax Regional Fire Service. Her job was exactly as satisfying as she imagined it would be, except for one thing: she still hadn’t seen another woman in her role — not in a magazine, not on television, not in real life. Even today, less than five percent of firefighters in Canada are women. Speranza decided that she wanted to help young women see that they, too, could have a career like hers.
The result is Camp Courage, a program for girls aged 15 to 19 who want to learn more about firefighting. In 2006, Speranza and about 20 volunteers welcomed their first 17 participants, recruiting (招募) attendees through advertising in schools and recreation centers. Over the course of eight days, the girls discovered the ins and outs of being first responders: learning how to put out fires, deliver first aid and even use the jaws of life (救生钳) on a car.
Camp Courage now runs one session every year in Halifax and is free to attend. To offset costs, Speranza and her fellow campers fundraise by holding everything from car washes to comedy nights. Hopeful campers must also submit an essay describing how they plan to help their community, or a specific individual in need. And they have to deliver on the plan—from building a bench (长椅) for a senior at a bus stop to launching a local chapter of the Kids Help Phone.
Hundreds of girls have passed through Camp Courage, and 36 percent are doing exactly what 52-year-old Speranza hoped they would: working as first responders across the country. This past summer, the camp held its first session for young women in Halifax, as well as its first national camp in Calgary with plans to roll out more in 2023.
1. What was probably Speranza’s wish in 2001?
| A．To see more female firefighters. |
| B．To make contact with more teenage girls. |
| C．To be recruited to the Halifax Regional Fire Service. |
| D．To work part-time in schools and recreation centers. |
2. What does the underlined part “ins and outs” in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Risks. | B．Chances. | C．Details. | D．Purposes. |
3. What can be inferred about Camp Courage?
| A．It is a nonprofit international organization. |
| B．It teaches the value of being helpful to others. |
| C．It requires its campers to write an essay every week. |
| D．It introduces boys and girls to the emergency services. |
4. What can we say about Speranza?
| A．She had a burning ambition to play comedy. |
| B．She used to be reserved and disciplined. |
| C．She is intellectual and scholarly. |
| D．She is brave and inspiring. |
