(BBC)The "father of the personal computer" who kick-started the careers of Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen has died at the age of 68．Dr Henry Edward Roberts was the inventor of 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

题目内容

（BBC）The "father of the personal computer" who kick-started the careers of Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen has died at the age of 68．Dr Henry Edward Roberts was the inventor of the Altair 8800, a machine that led to the home computer age．

Gates and Allen contacted Dr Roberts after seeing the machine on the front cover of a magazine and offered to write software for it．The program was known as Altair-Basic, the foundation of Microsoft's business．"Ed was willing to take a chance on us - two young guys interested in computers , and we have always been thankful to him," the Microsoft founders said in a statement.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told technology website CNET that Dr Roberts had taken " a critically important step that led to everything we have today"．

Dr Roberts was the founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), originally set up to sell electronics parts to model rocket hobbyists．The company went on to sell electronic calculator parts, but was soon overshadowed by bigger firms．

In the mid-1970's, with the firm struggling with debt, Dr Roberts began to develop a computer kit(配套零件) for hobbyists．The result was the Altair 8800．The $395 kit (around £1,000 today) was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in 1975, resulting in a flood of orders．

Among those interested in the machine were Paul Allen and Bill Gates．The pair contacted Dr Roberts, offering to write software that would help people program the machine．The pair finally moved to Albuquerque - the home of MITS - where they founded Micro-Soft, to develop their software．

Dr Roberts sold his company in 1977．He died in hospital on 1 April after a long period of pneumonia (肺炎) ．

1.Why did Dr Roberts probably decide to sell his company?

A．Because he was in heavy debt in the mid-1980's．

B．Because he wanted to take a chance on Gates and Allen.

C．Because he wanted to develop a computer kit for hobbyists.

D．Because he had difficulty competing with big companies．

2.What do we know about MITS?

A．It was set up by Steve Wozniak.

B．It sold electronics parts to big firms.

C．It is located in Albuquerque.

D．It is a technology website.

3.We can learn that Popular Electronics is likely to be ____.

A．a newspaper B．a magazine

C．a Website D．an organization

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A．The story of the Altair 8800

B．The founder of MITS

C．Father of the personal computer died

D．The story of Dr Roberts

【答案】

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】略

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　　During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was the British prime minister. One day he had to go to the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC) to make an important speech to the nation.

　　An hour before the time of his speech, he stopped a taxi in the street and asked the driver to take him to the BBC; but the taxi-driver, who did not recognize him, said he could not take him anywhere just then, because he wanted to go back to his home at the other end of London to hear Churchill make a speech on the radio.

　　Churchill was so pleased when he heard this answer that he gave the man a pound, which was worth quite a lot in those days.

　　“All right, get in,”said the driver happily, opening the door of the taxi. “I'll take you, and to hell with Churchill and his speech.”

(1) Winston Churchill was the head of______ during World War II.

[　　]

A．the American government

B．the Italian government

C．the British government

D．the French government

(2) One day Churchill went to the BBC to _______.

[　　]

A．make a speech to his people

B．see his friends

C．meet the British prime minister

D．listen to an important speech

(3) The driver refused to take Churchill to the BBC because _______.

[　　]

A．he hated Churchill

B．he had something important to do

C．he wanted to go home in the opposite direction

D．Churchill offered him too little money

(4) According to the story Churchill was_______.

[　　]

A．a modest man

B．a great man

C．a generous man

D．fond of listening to good words

What is red but green, open but closed and old but new?

The answer is: London’s new double-decker（双层）buses.

Red double-deckers are a symbol of the city. Their status was sealed (确定) in 2008 when one bus made the longer-than-usual trip to Beijing to collect a special passenger: the Olympic Flame.

On November 11, a life-size model of the new bus was shown to the media. The Guardian reported that the new design shares some of the features of the much-missed double-decker Routemaster bus. The original Routemaster was introduced in 1956 but December 2005 saw the end of the old bus’s general service. It was because the bus was difficult for some passengers to use and not environmentally friendly. But it can still be seen on two heritage routes in the city.

Its replacements —boxy, modern double—deckers—have failed to win Londoners’ affection.

London mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC that the new buses were “a combination of nostalgia（怀旧）and the latest technology”. “Standing on the back platform of this bus brings a sense of nostalgia but also shows the best part of the latest technology and design, making this bus fit for the 21st Century,” he said.

The new bus also returns to the driver—and—conductor model—a key feature of the original version. It will be quieter than the old type and have a platform offering passengers the traditional hop—on hop—off service.

The first five new buses will be seen on the roads by early 2012.

Which of the following shows that red double—deckers are a symbol of London?

A．They have a long history and are seen everywhere in London.

B．They have nothing in common with the traditional Routemaster bus.

C．One such bus went from London to Beijing to collect the Olympic Flame.

D．They carried British athletes from London to attend the Beijing Olympics.

Which of the following is true of the original Routemaster?

A．The bus came into use in the 1960s.

B．The bus was banned because it was harmful to the environment.

C．Passengers didn’t like the bus because it was slow.

D．Visitors to London cannot see such buses on the roads any more.

According to London mayor Boris Johnson, the new Routemaster .

A．has not been as well received as was expected

B．will be widely used in London in 2012

C．is the most environmentally friendly bus in the UK

D．combines the latest technology with key traditional features

What is the characteristic of the new red double – deckers?

A．The buses will make no noises.

B．The buses will have no conductors.

C．They will be equipped with air – conditioning.

D．The bus platform will offer passengers a traditional service.

Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?

In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.

They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.

You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.

All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year.”

Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?

What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. Universities’ charging students fees is quite common all over the world.

B. It’s unfair to charge college students fees in England and Wales.

C. Before 2006 the UK universities didn’t charge students tuition fees in England and Wales.

D. The UK universities are unwilling to carry out the government’s policy.

What might be the reason that the number of British students at UK universities falls?

A. It’s harder and harder for them to get a degree.

B. The credit crisis has great influnce on their families’ income.

C. College education costs them too much.

D. The competition to become a “white collar” is too fiece.

What does the underlined words “a piece of paper” refer to?

A. A written document from the bank. B. A letter of recommendation.

C. A filled application form. D. A diploma.

Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. More Profits for the Banks B. College Life in the UK

C. Welcome! International Students D. UK Universities Students Become Poorer

Many people think that the BBC news programs are better than those on other channels because the BBC is not a commercial company. It pays for its programs from the television license money which everyone must pay if they have a television.
The BBC, which is often known as "Auntie", is the biggest news collecting operation in the world. It has the world’s largest network of foreign correspondents (通讯员；记者）. Ten percent of the BBC’s annual budget is spent on news collecting, reporting and presenting. More than 1,700 people work for the BBC news service.
The BBC produces more than 214 hours of news and current affairs programs for radio and television each week. Each television news program costs about £78,000 per hour and each radio news program costs approximately £4,800 per hour. In the UK, about 19 million people ― almost 35% of the total population, watch the BBC television news progams every day.
Developments in technology are improving news collection and presentation every year. The BBC now uses special cameras in the TV news studios to film the news presenters, and captions― the words and sentences at the bottom of the screen, are now produced automatically by computer.
【小题1】
According to the first paragraph, we can learn that __________.

A．many people are more content with the BBC than with other channels

B．the BBC news programs are better thought of than the news programs on other channels

C．the BBC news programs are better than other programs

D．if we have a television, we must pay the television license money.

【小题2】
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The number of the people working for the BBC news service is the largest in the world

B．The percentage of the BBC’s budget spent on news collecting is the largest in the world

C．The BBC has the largest network of foreign correspondents in the world

D．The BBC now uses special cameras to film the news presenters and captions

【小题3】
We can infer from the passage that the UK has a population of about __________.

A．54 million

B．19 million