Katie Steller has her own salon (美发院). She often wheels her red chair and scissors around the city to give free haircuts.
Edward was her first lucky customer. He looked to be in his 60s. He was balding and missing a few teeth. While she was cutting his greying hair, he told her about moving closer to his adult children.
Till now, Steller has offered about 30 such haircuts. These people are all living a hard time, and she is aware of the power of her cleanup job.
“It’s more than a haircut,” she says. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people. I want to build relationships. ”
Steller knows that a haircut can change a life. As a teen, she had a very serious disease and her hair thinned terribly. Her mother took Steller for her first professional haircut.
“To sit down and have somebody look at me and talk to me like a person and not just an illness, it helped me feel cared about and less alone,” she says.
After that, Steller knew she wanted to have her own salon so she could help people feel the way she’d felt that day. In 2019, she began her Red Chair Project.
She says, “I can’t fix their problems with free haircuts, but maybe I can help them feel less alone for a moment.”
Early this year she started the Steller Kindness Project, in which people who do acts of kindness (volunteering for snowstorm relief, helping neighbors in need) are invited for a free haircut at Steller’s salon. In exchange, they tell their stories, which Steller shares on her website. Her hope is that by reading about kind acts, others will spread their own.
So far Steller has had people reach out from around the country.
38. Why did Steller start her Red Chair Project?
A. To help her neighbors in need. B. To attract customers to her salon.
C. To help the lonely people feel less alone. D. To invite customers to tell their kind acts.
39. What does Steller mean by the sentence “It’s more than a haircut” in Paragraph 4?
A. A haircut can fix people’s problems.
B. A haircut is what people need most.
C. Haircut stories are well reviewed on her website.
D. A haircut is a simple act to show care, value and respect.
40. Which best describes Katie Steller?
A. Lonely and inactive. B. Kind and thoughtful.
C. Doubtful and generous. D. Serious and careful.
41. Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?
A. Simple acts of kindness like a free haircut will spread.
B. Haircuts need practice and practice makes perfect.
C. It’s heartbreaking to see how lonely people look.
D. We can win great respect by giving free haircuts.
凯蒂·斯特勒（Katie Steller）拥有自己的美发沙龙。她经常在城市周围推着红色椅子和剪刀，免费理发，这么做是为了暂时减轻他人的孤独感。
38.C【解析】细节理解题。根据倒数第三段I can’t fix their problems with free haircuts, but maybe I can help them feel less alone for a moment.可知理发是为了帮助人们暂时减轻孤独感。故选C。
39.D【解析】词句猜测题。根据第四段“It’s more than a haircut,” she says. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people. I want to build relationships. ”意为“她说：“这不仅仅是理发。” “我希望它成为展示价值和尊重，同时也结识人们的门户。 我想建立关系。 ””因此可知剪发是一种表现关心、价值和尊重的行为。故选D。
40.B【解析】推理判断题。文章讲述了凯蒂·斯特勒（Katie Steller）为人们免费理发，这么做是为了暂时减轻他人的孤独感。由此可推知她关心他人，是个非常善良周到的人。故选B。
41.A【解析】主旨大意题。根据倒数第二段Early this year she started the Steller Kindness Project, in which people who do acts of kindness (volunteering for snowstorm relief, helping neighbors in need) are invited for a free haircut at Steller’s salon. In exchange, they tell their stories, which Steller shares on her website. Her hope is that by reading about kind acts, others will spread their own.意为“今年年初，她启动了“斯特勒善待项目”，其中邀请了做善事的人（为减轻暴风雪而做义工，帮助有需要的邻居）在斯特勒的沙龙免费理发。 作为交换，他们讲自己的故事，斯特勒在她的网站上分享。她的希望是，通过阅读有关善良的举止，其他人将传播自己的行为。”由此可知诸如免费理发之类的简单善意行为将会传播。故选A。