When Andreea Ayers starting looking for jobs after moving with her husband to Boulder, Colorado, in 2006, she was five months pregnant with her first child. After a handful of interviews that went nowhere, she realized she might be better off building her own business, where she could have some flexibility with her new baby. "I always had side businesses along with full-time jobs," the 39-year-old says. "So I thought. Let me pick one idea and devote myself full time to it."

She decided to start a T-shirt company, using her savings to get started. "It was definitely under $1,000," she remembers. "I wanted to start with $1,000 because I figured, 'If I lose $1,000, it's not that bad.'" Ayers placed her first order for 96 shirts in four colors, drove them to a screen printer in Denver who walked her through the process, took her own photos, and set up a website and Etsy shop in April 2007 selling the tees for $28 each to "see what would happen."

Orders started to trickle in during that first month, and then she had an idea. At a yoga class, she noticed her instructor was wearing a shirt that said, "Be present." "I was riding the bus back, thinking that shirt was so inspiring," she remembers. "I thought maybe it makes sense to sell the shirts to yoga studios." That weekend, she spent two days combing through yoga websites and magazines to build an Excel spreadsheet of 3,000 yoga studios in the US and the names of the owners. "I spent the next week emailing every single one individually," she says. She offered the shirts, which cost her under $8 each to make, to the studios at wholesale, around $14 each. Within a week, she had sold out of her initial order and was able not only to pay herself the starting costs from her savings, but also make a profit and finance another order of shirts.

From there, the business snowballed, and that first year it earned about $124,000. As the business continued earning more, up to $160,000 a year, she was able to pay herself at least $3,000 a month — sometimes up to $10,000— until she sold the business in February 2011, right before her third child was born.

"I was getting so many emails from people asking questions," Ayers remembers. "I had a lot of success getting in magazines, and people would say, 'How did you do it? Can I hire you?'" So she started consulting in April 2011 and took on five clients for $500 a month each, teaching them how to launch their businesses.

But with three young kids, helping five clients was too much. Ayers decided instead to launch an online course, "basically teaching them what I had been teaching them one on one — everyone had the same questions and the same needs." She had been blogging about her experience launching a T-shirt business and had started to build an email list and an audience, to whom she offered her course for $47. Since then, she's begun offering the courses on her website, LaunchGrowJoy.com. 

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1.Why did Andreea Ayers decide to build her own business?

A Because her husband wanted her to make money.

B Because she didn’t find any jobs after interviews.

C Because she needed to get some time for her baby.

D Because she preferred full-time jobs to side businesses.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段第二句的...where she could have some flexibility with her new baby可以得知自己做生意的话，她就可以拥有灵活的时间来照顾孩子。

2.Andreea Ayers started with $1,000 to ________.

A avoid the possible risks

B invite a screen painter to donate

C see what would happen

D set up a website and Etsy shop

解析：选A。A。推理判断题。根据第二段第三句的I wanted to start with $1,000 because I figured, 'If I lose $1,000, it's not that bad'可知得知她开始只投入了1000美元，是为了规避可能的风险。

3.From her making shirts to yoga studios, we can know _____.

A Ayers had many creative ideas

B Ayers provided inspiring websites

C Ayers had a desire for yoga

D Ayers must be good at sports

解析：选A。A。推理判断题。从文章第三段第四句和第五句的I thought maybe it makes sense to sell the shirts to yoga studios." That weekend, she spent two days combing through yoga websites and magazines to build an Excel spreadsheet of 3,000 yoga studios...可知她是个善于思考的人，因此她是个富有创新思维的人。

4.When her business snowballed, she ______.

A paid herself the starting costs from her savings

B made a profit and earned herself much money

C spent weeks emailing every one individually

D got better ways to look after her five children

解析：选B。B。根据文章第四段第一句后半部分和第二句的that first year it earned about $124,000. As the business continued earning more, up to $160,000 a year, she was able to pay herself at least $3,000 a month...可知她赚了很多钱。

5.How did Ayers begin her new job of consulting?

A She knew everyone had the same questions and the same needs.

B Many old people went to the internet for the business chances.

C She had a lot of successful experience in writing in magazines.

D Many people turned to her for successful business experience.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据第五段第二句的...and people would say, 'How did you do it? Can I hire you?可知是因为很多人向她咨询成功的经验，所以她才开始从事咨询行业。

6.In the last paragraph, the writer tells us ______.

A when she blogged about her experience

B where people could find teaching course

C what was the price she charged the people

D how she made her course more efficient

解析：选D。D。主旨大意题。从文章最后一段可知，她通过博客、电子信箱和开办网站的方法来让她的咨询工作更加有效。