Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated (估计) worth of more than $40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat (功绩) for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.

  So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the population, he says, has proven to be an essential (实质的) method in helping poor countries to be financially successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates: “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”

  Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.

  However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency (紧迫),” Gates said. “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”

1... Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to ___.

   A. improve the health of population in America alone

   B. improve the health of population all over the world

   C. avoid leaving his children too much money

   D. spare the American government the burden of health care

2... Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is ___.

   A. to set up more foundations for them           B. to aid them with natural resources

   C. to put more effort into the health issues in them    D. to help them take a more global view

3..  It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks ___.

   A. Americans should care about people in other countries

   B. Americans should treat fellow citizens well

   C. Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

   D. Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune

4... Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of ___.

   A. his weakening health condition                B. his parents’ suggestions

   C. his great success in business             D. his concern for suffering people

5..  The underlined word “channel” probably has a similar meaning as it is used in sentence “___”.

   A. Try to channel your abilities into something useful

   B. We ought to channel this street so that water can flow away easily

   C. Ships must follow the channel into the port   D. Which channel will you be broadcasting tonight

Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You’re just the kind of person we need here. You’re being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I’m sure we can find a place for you in our organization.” Martha was so happy she almost danced out of the building.

That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”

This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

“Look,” she said angrily, “if you don’t like the way I work, I don’t need to stay here. I’ll go where I’m appreciated! Good-bye!” She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, “What do you think?”

“Well,” said Maria carefully, “are you sure about the other job?”

“Well, not exactly, but…”

Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation from Mrs. Kenny if you need one?”

“A recommendation?…from Mrs. Kenny?” hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

“Martha, I hope you didn’t burn your bridges.” Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”

1.Martha is unhappy in her job because _____.

2.Which of the following statement is NOT true?

3.The phrase “the last straw” probably refers to _____.

4.What does Maria think of Martha’s decision?

Believe it or not,the ability to choose is the power to change.If you can choose to live your life differently,will you be the same person?
Well,choosing to do the following few “simple”things will help to change your life.
Review your life.Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, “If I do the same thing I do every day,will there be a change?If I want to change,where will my first step be?”
Make careful choices.Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life;describe and think what you really want
Keep up with chances.Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals,write them down and see which one suits you most.
Get down to business.Start working on your goals.People may bring you down;you may have difficulties;you will fail and want to give up.But the most important thing is never to give up.
If you try these “simple”things,you will find that success is something for everyone,and you will finally become what you want to be.Remember,success is more than what you hold in your hands;It is something from the heart.
【小题1】How many pieces of advice does the writer give on changing one’s life?

 Only when your identity has been checked ____________.

请根据下列提示写用英语一篇120词左右的短文.

Everybody can’t live happily and healthily without other’s help. As a result , we should be grateful to our parents, teachers and friends. Now write an article “Learn to be grateful”. Your composition should include the following points:

1.       why should you be grateful?

2.       to whom  and for what  should  you give thanks  ?

3.       How will you be grateful to other people by giving one or two examples?

Learn to be grateful