13-year-old Ava Dorsey is the founder of Ava’s Pet Palace, a business that sells organic dog and cat treats. “I actually had the idea when I was six with a picture I drew of a palace,” she says. It was a detailed design for dogs and cats and she had serious plans to build it one day.
Unlike most dog treats that you find in stores, dog treats sold by Ava’s Pet Palace are 100% organic, and are non-GMO (非转基因). Ava has set a goal for herself with these dog treats, and she wants every treat to be healthy, tasty, and top-quality. Seriously, some of her treats sound delicious enough for people to eat! “All of my bags now have the USDA organic stamp, and we’re very excited to have gotten it because it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time,” she says. “A lot of stores like to see organic products because customers like it, so that was really exciting.”
Ava says the biggest challenge of being a kid in business is when people don’t take her seriously, but undoubtedly Ava has proved that her doubters are wrong! When asked how she defines (定义) success . Ava says, “When you hit a bump in the road, you shouldn’t give up and you keep trying.” She learned that from her mom, who sounds like a smart lady! Some more things Ava has learned from her years in business: Hard work eventually pays off and there is nothing wrong with asking for help.
As far as the future of the pet treats industry goes, Ava is optimistic—but she’d also like to be an inspiration for change. “There’s not much diversity (多样性) right now, so that’s something I would love to see in the future,” says Ava. “I would also love to see more kids in this industry. There aren’t many other teenagers around, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to others who hope to lead the pet industry.”
【小题1】What can we learn about Ava’s Pet Palace from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is a palace for pets. | B．It is very popular among kids. |
| C．It sells organic pet food. | D．It designs stamps for customers. |
| A．A serious plan to sell a large quantity of organic pet treats. |
| B．A goal to build a physical palace for dogs and cats. |
| C．A belief to continue to try despite facing obstacles. |
| D．A situation to be taken seriously by people in business. |
| A．She plans to enlarge her business in other industries. |
| B．She wants to employ more teenagers in her company. |
| C．She intends to be a leading figure in the pet industry. |
| D．She hopes to break new ground in the pet treats industry. |
| A．Patient and hard-working. | B．Determined and creative. |
| C．Confident and humorous. | D．Friendly and outgoing. |
