小小企业家

周晨曲

A marketplace for young entrepreneurs

吆喝聲、欢笑声、讨价还价声此起彼伏，一派热闹景象呈现在眼前。这是发生了什么？原来是小小企业家职业体验活动开始啦！

1 Earlier this March， 44 entrepreneurs gathered on a Saturday to sell their goods. What set these ambitious creators apart？ All of them were between the ages of 5 and 14. For three hours， the entrepreneurs stood at the booths they had created to sell their products. They talked with customers about their handmade creations， which ranged from bookmarks to hair clips and jars. They even made a few sales.

2 The first Little Startup Market took place at the Brea Community Center in California. The idea came from two local moms， Jayne Nekota and Tracy Woo. “We wanted to give kids the opportunity to think outside the box and learn the ins and outs of creating and running a business，” Woo said. Nekota and Woo spent seven months preparing for the event. In the weeks leading up to the market， the young entrepreneurs learned how to design and develop products that other kid consumers would appreciate and want to buy.

3 Carrie Chase talked to her children， Carson and Max， about profitable and nonprofitable product ideas， how much a product would cost them to make， and how much to charge customers in order to make a profit. The children learned important skills， including how to communicate with customers and to thank them for shopping.

4 Nekota and Woo hope that the market will encourage childrens curiosity and drive. Woo said that she was proud to see the kids showing passion when they talked about their products and projects. Emily， 7， made colorful bracelets （手镯） from plastic beads. Her favorite part of the experience was watching new friends having fun picking out bracelets she made.

5 Even the parents took something away from the market. They observed their children learning new skills in a fun and rewarding way. “My favorite aspect of the market was seeing my daughter working hard and being excited as she prepared for the market，” said Catherine Eum， Emilys mother.

6 The first?ever Little Startup Market was a success， with more than 600 visitors. Nekota and Woo are planning a second event. Meanwhile， they hope that the young entrepreneurs will get inspiration from their first sales experience in sales.

Ⅰ. 日积月累

entrepreneur n. 企业家

ambitious adj. 有抱负的

appreciate v. 欣赏；感激

curiosity n. 好奇心

drive n. 冲劲；干劲

profitable adj. 有利润的

observe v. 观察

set...apart 使……与众不同

range from...to... （在一定的范围内）变化；变动

think outside the box 创造性思考；打破常规

the ins and outs （of sth） （尤指复杂的或难的）全部细节；详情

Ⅱ. 翻译句子

1. Her elegant style sets her apart from other journalists.

2. Courses range from cookery to computing.

3. We need to think outside the box.

4. He quickly learned the ins and outs of the job.