In a heartwarming act of kindness, 14-year-old Emilio Santana, currently a ninth grader, has donated two feet of his hair to children in need, a gesture he’s been preparing for since the third grade.

Emilio’s inspiring journey began when a single moment of empathy at the beach left a lasting impression. “I started growing out my hair in the third grade,” Emilio recalled. “A little girl at the beach was going to the water and took her hat off, and her hair went with it. You could see she was sad and felt embarrassed, and that stuck with me.” The sight of the young girl’s struggle motivated Emilio to take action, sparking a mission to help children who have lost their hair due to illness.

For many years, Emilio kept his hair with one goal in mind: to donate it and make a difference in someone’s life. “Knowing how big of a part that could play in somebody else’s life and bring joy to them, it made me want to take action,” he explained. 

Growing his hair wasn’t always easy. Emilio faced challenges, especially as an athlete. Maintaining long hair while being active in sports was a task in itself, and he also encountered negative remarks from others. “Even when I got some comments like ‘boys shouldn’t have long hair’ and stuff like that, I decided as long as I get to see somebody smile and make their life better, I wanted to do it,” Emilio said.

Despite the challenges, Emilio remained committed, and his perseverance paid off. His hair has been donated to Hair We Share, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to children with medical hair loss at no cost. Thanks to Emilio’s thoughtful gesture, a child will now receive a wig that could help restore their confidence and bring a smile to their face.

1.1.What inspired Emilio to grow long hair?

A A journey to a hospital.

B A break during class at school.

C A sick experience.

D A beach encounter.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第二段内容可知，埃米利奥决定留长发是因为他一次去海边，看到一个小女孩想下水，摘下帽子，头发也跟着掉下来了。这个令人尴尬的经历一直留在埃米利奥的脑海中，让他决定留长发，帮助和那个小女孩有相同遭遇的人。故选D。

2.2.What kind of person is Emilio?

A Kind-hearted and determined.

B Well-rounded and responsible.

C Independent and flexible.

D Generous but shallow.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据埃米利奥留长发帮助他人可知，他很善良；根据他在留长发过程中遇到很多困难仍坚持不懈可知，他很坚定。故选A。

3.3.Why is growing hair especially tough for Emilio?

A For his bad health condition.

B For his special identity.

C For his young age.

D For his family’s stop.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“Emilio faced challenges, especially as an athlete.”可知，留长发对埃米利奥来说尤其困难，因为他是一名运动员。故选B。

4.4.What can we learn from the passage?

A What does not kill me, makes me stronger.

B Confidence in yourself is the first step to success.

C The shortest way to do many things is do only one thing at a time.

D Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据文章内容，埃米利奥作为一个男生留长发，遭遇很多流言蜚语，但他依然坚持，由此可知，“做你内心认为正确的事，因为无论如何都有人评论你”最符合文意。故选D。