give free haircuts to underprivileged kids so they'd look sharp on that first day of classes. But then he had a lightbulb moment(突然醒悟的一瞬)："The kids should earn their free haircut by having to read a book to me，" Holmes said.

　　The idea was so popular that he continued it for the next two years. Five­to ten­year­old boys would grab a favorite book, settle into the barber chair, and read aloud while Holmes cut their hair. If they stuttered(结结巴巴地说) over a word, Holmes was there to help.

　　After the haircut, they'd review the book, from the characters and vocabulary to the themes-just like in school, only more fun.

　　Holmes admits he, too, benefits from the free snip­and­reads.

　　"There was this seven­year­old Bob, who struggled through his book, stuttering over words even though he didn't have a stutter，"said Holmes. He had the boy take the book home and practice. When the child came back a few days later，"He read it with no problems. That inspires me."

　　Holmes and his family have recently moved from Dubuque to a Chicago suburb. When they get settled, he plans to continue his role as the Storybook Barber."The way the world is today with guns and violence，" he says, "it's a safe haven(避风港) for the kids, to come to the barbershop and read books."

　　【解题导语】　本文是一篇记叙文。美国爱荷华州迪比克市的一名理发师为那些给他阅读故事的孩子们提供免费理发服务。

1．What does the underlined word "underprivileged" in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Unruly.　　　　　　　 B．Poor.

C．Intelligent. D．Unusual.

B　解析：词义猜测题。由画线词前的．.. offering needy families an opportunity to learn about free resources(资源)和donate his time and give free haircuts可知，Holmes选择给贫困的儿童免费理发。由此可推断，underprivileged意为"穷困的，贫穷的"。

2．What did Holmes say about Bob?

A．He fired his enthusiasm.

B．He gifted him a new book.

C．He preferred to read alone.

D．He had a language disability.

A　解析：推理判断题。由倒数第二段的描述以及That inspires me.可知，这个七岁男孩的变化极大鼓舞了Holmes。

3．What can we infer about Holmes from the last paragraph?

A．He showed great concern for kids.