Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, was a Seattle lawyer. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a school teacher.
Gates attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer soft ware, programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, who is now Microsoft's president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version (版本) of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer---the MITS Astair. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desk-top and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates' foresight has led to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. He plays an important role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in touch with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.
In the dozen years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated more than $ 800 million to charities, including $ 200 million to the Gates Library Foundation to help libraries in North America make use of new technologies and the Information Age.Where did Bill Gates begin his career in personal computer software?
| A．At public elementary school. | B．At the private Lakeside School. |
| C．At Harvard University. | D．At Microsoft Company. |
Why did he drop out of Harvard?
| A．To change school. | B．To spend all his energies to Microsoft. |
| C．To find a full-time job. | D．To earn money. |
How does Gates spend much of his time?
| A．Meeting with people. |
| B．Travelling around the world. |
| C．E-mailing some friends. |
| D．Meeting with customers and e-mailing Microsoft employees. |
What does the underlined word “donated” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．gave. | B．earned. | C．made. | D．received. |
These days, many passers-by always spot a beggar on the Jiaochangkou Street in Yuzhong District of Chongqing in southwest China.
The beggar’s name is Xia Haibo, and he was born in Meihe Village, Tianmen City of Hubei Province. Being 25 years old, he is quite a special beggar in some ways — he doesn’t beg on his knees, as other beggars do when begging. Rather, he often stands in the crowded street, either reading a book or thinking about something carefully. He also started a blog on the Internet which has been clicked more than 500,000 times. He likes reading — he has read many classical Chinese poems. He has kept writing and recently, he has planned to publish his writings.
In 1998, Xia entered Tianmen Middle School as the best student in his town. However, a year before he took the college entrance examination, he came down with a high fever and was later diagnosed (诊断) as having rheumatoid arthritis (类风湿性关节炎). In order to treat his disease, his father borrowed 60,000 yuan from relatives and friends. However, with this money, he didn’t recover from the disease. He did not want to become a burden (负担) to his family any more. So in July, 2006, he left his hometown and went to Wuhan to make a living by begging.
Begging has become a job to Xia now. However, he doesn’t plan to go on living like this. “By July 24, 2008, when I have been begging for two years, I will stop my begging life. I promise,” he said.
It is his plan that by using the money he “earns”, he will rent a small shop in his hometown and keep on writing in his spare time.
Right now, he is trying to finish a book of his own. The book, called Love Is With Me, tells about the people who helped him during his begging life. The underlined word “spot” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to “______”.
| A．forgive | B．record | C．beat | D．notice |
When did Xia Haibo get the serious illness?
| A．In 1998. | B．In 2001. | C．In 2000. | D．In 2006. |
How does Xia beg in the street?
| A．He begs on his knees in the street. |
| B．He writes Chinese poems for those who like poems. |
| C．He reads or thinks while standing in the street. |
| D．He teaches people how to surf the Internet. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Xia Haibo?
| A．His dream is to have his book published. |
| B．He will not stop begging until he earns enough money for his future life. |
| C．He is writing a book to express his thanks to those who helped him. |
| D．He will keep writing while running a small business. |
The life-long benefits of teaching children how to take care of their money make it well worth the effort. Children who are not taught these lessons pay the consequences for a life time. Some parents don’t teach children about money because they think they shouldn’t talk about money with children, don’t have the time, or think they don’t have enough money. Parents should take the time to teach children about money regardless of their income and should start when children are young.
Most people have strong feelings and opinions about money, based on childhood experiences and the values and beliefs of their families. Most often, these experiences, values, and beliefs are different for each parent. Parents should talk about these feelings and opinions and establish an unchanging approach（方式） to teaching children about money. This is important for the healthy development of children.
Here are some tips that parents can keep in mind as they begin teaching their children to manage money:
★ Guide and advise your children how to spend their money, rather than tell them what they can and cannot do.
★ Encourage and praise children rather than criticize their actions.
★ Allow children to learn by mistakes and by successes.
★ Be consistent（前后一致的） while taking children’s differences into consideration.
★ Include all family members in money management discussions, decision making, and activities that are suitable for their age. As children get older include them in discussions of limits and consequences.
★ Expect all family members to do some everyday chores based on their abilities without being paid.
★ Express your desire to have things you can’t afford. Children need to know that parents say “no” to themselves, too. It is _____ for parents to teach their children about money management in their childhood.
| A．easy | B．useless | C．too early | D．beneficial |
15-year-old Harry isn’t good at managing his money. His mother is advised to _____.
| A．explain to him how to manage his money better |
| B．pay him more money to deal with his chores |
| C．praise him for what he has done |
| D．allow him to buy what he wants |
When parents discuss how to manage the family finances, they should _____.
| A．include their children in the discussion |
| B．express their desire to have some valuable things |
| C．pay more attention to their children’s differences |
| D．try to meet their older children’s needs first |
Dear Editor,
I have just returned home after studying for a year in Germany. But it seems that my parents don’t understand me now. They expect me to be the same person I was before I went abroad, but I’m not! Why can’t they let me be myself?
Jimmy
Hi, Jimmy,
As far as I know, people who have lived abroad often find that the adjustment （调整） to returning home is more difficult than their adjustment to living in a foreign culture. Why? We expect to have some problems when we go to a new place, speak a different language and learn the rules of a different culture ... But home? ... we know that place!
Your parents expect that the same person who boarded the airplane one year ago will be returning. Especially if they have never been abroad themselves, your parents probably won’t understand the changes that living abroad can cause in a person. On the other hand, you may have maintained (保持) an ideal mental image of your loved ones while abroad, an image that is broken into pieces when you return.
Remember you have been living a different lifestyle in your host country, and you have probably become very independent while staying there alone. Now that you’re home, you will be expected to conform （顺应） again to the lifestyle of your family. As a result, you may be upset about your parents’ involvement in your life.
Communication is the key to overcoming this problem. Tell your parents how you are feeling. Share with them information about cultural re-entry（重归）, and ask them to be patient. This does not mean that you have to forget your experience and give up everything you’ve learned! Learn to find a balance between the old and new, just as you did when first adjusting to your host country’s culture.What is Jimmy’s main purpose in writing the letter?
| A．To criticize his parents. |
| B．To ask for advice about his studies. |
| C．To complain about his parents. |
| D．To ask for help. |
What does the editor think of Jimmy’s problem?
| A．It’s unusual. | B．It’s normal. | C．It’s serious. | D．It’s interesting. |
The editor thinks that both Jimmy and his parents ______.
| A．have changed in the past year |
| B．have unrealistic expectations of each other |
| C．need to behave like they did before |
| D．need to find a balance between the good and bad |
The author suggests that ______ would help solve Jimmy’s problem.
| A．patience and trust |
| B．patience and politeness |
| C．better communication between family members |
| D．a deeper understanding of the host country’s culture |
Fourteen is not an age at which you try to earn millions of dollars. But for Bangalore boy, Suhas Gopinath, it was.
One day in August, 1999, Suhas, studying at the Air Force School in Hebbal, was surfing the Net at a cyber cafe. He happened to hit an MSN source code （源码）. That made him decide to learn more about HTML （超文本标记语言） and to design and set up his own website under the address of a US-based company, Network Solutions.
He kept updating his website, posting interesting things on it. This impressed Network Solutions and they invited him to attend a class on Web design and development. His mom and uncle criticised him for not taking his education seriously. But gradually, his dad started encouraging him and even bought him a computer and Net connection. In fact, that was his first investment in the company.
On May 14, 2000, along with friends Clifford Leslie and Binay M. N, he floated （筹资开办） his own website — www.coolhindustani.com. He did not have the money to start, for his parents refused to give him a penny. So he wrote to Network Solutions Inc. in the US and they readily agreed.
In August, the same year, he set up Globals Inc., a Web solutions and networking company, with a team of four. Now, he has 400 employees, more than 200 customers across the globe and offices in 11 countries, and he is worth over $100 million.
After finishing his high school education, he studied at Stanford University for two years. But Suhas says: “Education alone will not make a good professional （专业人员）.”When Suhas Gopinath was praised by Network Solutions, his mother ______.
| A．felt proud of his success |
| B．forbade him to enter a cyber cafe |
| C．worried about his studies |
| D．wanted to buy him a computer |
Suhas Gopinath’s website “coolhindustani” was supported by ______.
| A．his parents | B．an American company |
| C．his uncle | D．Stanford University |
In which order did the following events happen?
a. Suhas was invited by Network Solutions to attend a class.
b. Suhas set up his first website.
c. Suhas set up Globals Inc.
d. Suhas went abroad for further education.
| A．a-c-b-d | B．b-a-d-c | C．a-b-c-d | D．b-a-c-d |
What is TRUE about Globals Inc.?
| A．It is a world-class company. |
| B．It is owned by Suhas and his two friends. |
| C．It is a branch of Network Solutions. |
| D．It earns about 100 million dollars each year. |
A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers -- the most far-reaching recommendation up to now — saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related (与分散注意力有关的) accidents, as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to look away from the road.
As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including wireless headsets. No state now has made laws to ban such activity, but the Board said that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ears.
However, the concern was heightened by increasingly powerful phones that people can use to send e-mails, watch movies and play games.
“Every year, new devices are being on sale.” she said. “People are attracted to update their Facebook page, to play music with cellphone, as if sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car.”
The agency based its recommendation on evidence from its investigation of numerous crashes in which electronic distraction was a major contributing factor.
Ms. Hersman said she understood that this recommendation would be unwelcome in some circles, given the number of drivers who talk and text. But she compared distracted driving to drunken driving and even smoking, which required wholesale cultural shifts to change behavior.
“It’s going to be very unpopular with some people.” she said. “We’re not here to win a popularity contest. We’re here to do the right thing. This is a difficult recommendation, but it’s the right recommendation and it is time.”
The agency’s recommendation is not required for states to adopt such a ban. And it won’t likely be agreed upon by state lawmakers who are unwillingly to anger those who have grown accustomed to using their device behind the wheel.
The ban also deserves attention because it is the first call by a federal agency to end the practice completely, rather than the partial ban that some lawmakers have put in place by allowing hands-free talking.The ban on all cellphone use by drivers was put forward ______.
| A．after a long discussion and recommendation |
| B．after about ten years’ investigation in it |
| C．because of the most powerful mobile devices |
| D．for the reason of heading away from the road |
We can know from the passage that ______.
| A．electronic distraction resulted in numerous crashes |
| B．numerous crashes were caused by drunk driving |
| C．electronic distraction contributed much to the ban |
| D．the recommendation was based on electronic distraction |
Ms Hersman thinks that distracted driving, drunken driving and smoking ______.
| A．are just common behaviors | B．can be shifted to behaviors |
| C．are behaviors to be changed | D．are just cultural behaviors |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Cellphone Ban in Cars |
| B．Valuable Ban for Cellphones |
| C．Drivers Ban Cellphones |
| D．Cellphone Ban while Driving |
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