KK was called by Time magazine “one of the most admired men in Cambodia.” He is the
founder and director of Tiny Toones, a remarkable community drop-in and education center for
at-risk children in one of the poorest sections of Phnom Penh. Along with some staff and other
volunteers, KK has been using break dance as a way to build up those children’s self-esteem, to
show them that they can be good at something and have hope for a future.
KK knows a thing or two about hope and how important it can be. Born in a refugee camp
in Thailand in 1977 after his Cambodian parents escaped from the Khmer Rouge, he went with
them to the United States where they settled in California. He soon 36 school and joined a
notorious gang. He started using drugs; later, he was convicted of armed robbery and
sentenced 37 prison by the time he was eighteen.
Because his parents 38 U.S. citizens, KK was technically a non-citizen. Although he
had never even been to Cambodia and could not speak the language, he was deported to
Cambodia when his prison term ended in 2004. Adapting to a country he had never seen before
was tough. Eventually, he decided to volunteer for a local charity, which 39 led him to his
life work sponsored by non-governmental organizations.
40 , Tiny Toones was born and soon blossomed into an educational and community
drop-in center for thousands of Cambodian children to learn and have fun. Its group of
accomplished break dancers has performed in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, and
Thailand.
Once a man without a country, KK now is perfectly at home. 【題組】
36. (A) passed away (B) dropped out of (C) fell through (D) took leave to