16歲女孩創辦百萬美元社交網絡

孟潔

1.inception n. 起初

2.start?up n. 初創企業

3.poll n. 民意測驗

4.homepage n. 主頁

5.animation n. 動畫片

Juliette Brindak started a social networking site for teens when she was 16， and its doing better than ever. Miss O And Friends generates 10 million monthly visits， a twenty?fold increase from its inception in 2005. Its also worth around $15 million， according to early investor Procter & Gamble.

When she was ten， Brindak drew characters for a set of five friends she called “Cool Girls，” who were all inspired by real?life girls. The main cool girl， Miss O， represents her younger sister Olivia. The set of “Cool Girls” would eventually become Miss O And Friends. In the beginning， like many start?ups， Brindak reached out to family members and friends for investment money. Her mother， a graphic designer， brought her drawings to life while her father， who has a background in business， aided in the fundamentals of creating the company.

The site took off and was ranked the third largest girls?only website in 2011， according to Inc. Magazine. Now， at 23， Brindak isnt in tune with what teen girls are looking for， so she uses the site as an avenue to understand their needs. Through polls， quizzes， and the “Girl2Girl Wall”， members are able to keep Brindak updated.

Through high school and college， the site has continued to improve. When it was originally launched， there was little more than a few attractive graphics. “There was a homepage， which had the five Miss O characters and simple flash animations，” Brindak says. “There was hardly anything to it， but it was definitely a start.” Now the site boasts （有） message boards， quizzes， games， music， and more.

“I was able to learn so much about cultures around the world and also become informed and aware of different ways that I can reach out to women，” Brindak says. “The goal for the site was， and still is， to help young girls build confidence and self?esteem （自尊）.” “We started off with a business plan that we have used as our guide， but that business plan is always changing. We continue to find new ways to engage girls， to generate income， and new markets that are appropriate for Miss O and our community.”

1.Which of the following contributes to the popularity of Miss O And Friends？

A.Gaining the support and help from her parents.

B.Grasping the needs of teen girls easily.

C.Drawing characters at an early time.

D.Designing attractive graphics.

2.What is the goal of the site？

A.Boasting message boards， quizzes， games and more.

B.Helping girls build confidence and self?esteem.

C.Drawing the characters for real?life girls.

D.Launching a business plan.

Ⅰ.Important vocabulary in the text

1.generate v. 產生

2.launch v. 啟動，開始

3.informed? adj. 見多識廣的

4.engage v. 吸引

5.in tune with 與……一致

6.be appropriate for 適合于

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences.

1.據早期投資者寶潔公司（Procter & Gamble）的數據，它的價值約為1，500萬美元。

around $15 million， early investor Procter & Gamble.

2.她的母親是一位平面設計師，使她的繪畫栩栩如生，而她的父親有商業背景，幫助創建了這家公司的基礎。

Her mother， a graphic designer， brought her drawings to life her father， has a background in business， the fundamentals of creating the company.

3.現年23歲的布林達克不太了解十幾歲女孩的需求，所以她把這個網站當成了解她們需求的途徑。

Now， at 23， Brindak isnt in tune with

teen girls are looking for， she uses the site as an avenue to understand their needs.

4.當它最初發布時，只有一些吸引人的圖形。

When it was originally launched， there was

a few attractive graphics.