第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
BILL GATES has promised to give all of his US $ 58 billion fortune to charity—rather than leaving it for his children.
The founder of Microsoft, who steps down from his post Friday, said he wants to make a “positive contribution” to the world. He has promised to transfer his money to the charity he has set up with his wife Melinda, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds health and education projects around the world.
He revealed(透露) his decision a week before he steps down as executive chairman of Microsoft, the firm he founded more than 30 years ago. The 52?year?old will continue to work as non?executive chairman and will spend just one day a week at the business.
Speaking about the joint?decision he made regarding his fortune with his wife, he said,“We’ve chosen not to pass it on to our children. We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive impact.” He said he did not want to leave it in his will for his children and added,“It’s like saying which children are most important.”
In an interview with BBC’s Newsnight, he said:“I want to make a positive contribution to the world.”
Bill Gates will step down from his post Friday, 33 years after he founded Microsoft in 1975. His success with the computer giant has made him the richest man in the world for 13 years in a row according to Fortune magazine’s rich list.
When he founded the firm he said he wanted to put “a computer on every desk and in every home.” Many people have said that the computer revolution would not have happened without him and more than 90 percent of computers in the world run on Microsoft Windows.
He will be succeeded in his post by Steve Balmer, the co?chief executive since 2000. Although the move was announced two years ago and there has been lots of planning, many people speculate that Gates’ departure will leave a big gap in the firm.
Charlene Li, from Consultants Forrester Research, said:“What they’re going to lose is that founding focus, and the ability to rally the troops.”
Microsoft has an outstanding financial performance and currently has profit margins estimated at 30  percent. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation claims to be the biggest philanthropic organization in the world.
51.Why has BILL GATES promised to give all of his US $58 billion fortune to charity?
A.He wants to make a positive contribution to the world.
B.He has set up the charity with his wife Melinda.
C.He has decided to step down from his post.
D.More than 90 percent of computers in the world run on Microsoft Windows.
52.Who set up the charity to which Bill Gates will transfer the money?
A.Bill Gates.                    B.Melinda Gates.
C.Bill Gates and his wife.        D.Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.
53.What’s Charlene Li’s attitude towards Bill Gates’ departure?
A.Optimistic.  B.Worried.    C.Critical.        D.Neutral.
54.The underlined sentence “He will be succeeded in his post by Steve Balmer.” means Steve Balmer will.
A.be as successful as Bill Gates
B.fill the gap Bill Gates leaves in the firm
C.start a computer revolution with the help of Bill Gates
D.take over after Bill Gates steps down

I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved—serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.
Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”
The next day, I shared my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me.”
He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（担保）on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true.”
I took the checks to Merrill Lynch—the first time I had ever entered a brokerage（经纪业）house—where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money.
After great deliberation（考虑） I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.
I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my head forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, “That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make.”
【小题1】 According to the passage, the author thought ______.

 Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Bicycle rental companies in Beijing are going broken, because nobody wants to hire their services. Major rental operators have invested about 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) in almost 20,000 bicycles but are now struggling to survive.

A spokesman from the Bird of Freedom Bicycle Rental said the company had already sold most of the 400 bicycles.“This is a difficult business, especially when it is cold.The cold weather almost killed the business.” he said.

Bigger rental companies are also facing challenges.Beijing Bicycle Rental Co. Ltd. which owns 8,000 bicycles, has invested more than 30 million yuan over the past year.Wang Yong, chairman of the group, said his company had not made a profit since it began in 2005.

Almost all bicycle rental companies in Beijing require deposits of 300 to 400 yuan and then customers need to pay 10 yuan or more per hour.“I don't want to pay 400 yuan to rent a bike.It's too dear,” said Zhang Yu, a student in Communication University of China, who does not own a bike and often takes motorized rickshaws.“If renting for one day will cost 20 yuan and I rent a bike for five days, I can use the money to buy a new one.”

Although facing economic ruin, some enterprises are still hoping that conditions will improve.

IbikeMedia, one of the biggest bicycle rental companies in China, also invested tens of millions yuan in Beijing and has more than 10,000 bicycles.Li Weiwei, general manager of IbikeMedia Beijing, said his company has a policy of no deposit and no payment.He said the company tried to put advertisements on the bicycles and in this way, they could make profits.But they had not made a profit yet because of its small scale.However, customers must pay 20 yuan per card and also show proof of good personal credit.

In early July, the Beijing municipal government announced plans to develop a 50,000­bicycle rental operation across the city.“The bigger network we have, the more citizens will rent bikes，” Li said.“This will make rental easier to citizens and we strongly need help from the government.”

1.In which season is the bicycle rental business the most difficult in Beijing? (No more than 2 words)

_____________________________________________________________

2.List the reasons why Zhang Yu is not willing to rent a bike.(No more than 6 words)

____________________________________________________________

3.How can IbikeMedia possibly make a profit according to Li Weiwei? (No more than 6 words)

_____________________________________________________________

4.What is the main idea of the passage ？(No more than 10 words)

______________________________________________________________

Researchers who helped discover a new species of Mexican butterfly are offering to sell the naming rights to raise money to fund more research. Co-discoverer Andrew Warren is hoping to raise at least $50,000 by auctioning(拍卖) off the rights to name the 4-inch “owl eye” butterfly, which lives in Sonora, a Mexican state bordering Arizona.

“That would support at least two years of research for our team down in Mexico,” Warren said. “Money goes a long way down here in Mexico.”

According to the scientific tradition, discoverers of a new species have the say in naming it. In recent years, some discoverers have auctioned off their naming rights to raise money.

Warren said the amount being sought for the butterfly is not out of the question, noting that naming rights for a new monkey species brought in $650,000 two years ago. A group of 10 new fish species that went on the naming auction block at the same time earlier this year brought in a total of $2 million.

The butterfly discovered by Warren and researcher George Austin ranges as far north as Mexico.

The butterfly was actually in a collection, misidentified as an example of another new species, at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of National History in Gainesville, said Warren. They soon began the hard process of determining that it was indeed a “new” model of butterfly.

After checking photos and comparing it with other known species, they determined it was a separate species.

Where did the researchers discover the new species of butterflies?

   A. In Sonora.                        B. In Mexico state.       

   C. In a place in US.                D. Near the US-Mexico border.

Why will the researchers sell the naming rights of the butterfly?

To raise money for wildlife protection.

To raise money for more research.

To cause people’s attention to the new discovery.

To cover the cost of the research.

When the butterfly was first discovered, people thought ______.

it was a new species at once

it wasn’t a species of American butterfly

it belonged to the monarch branches

it belonged to a new species

We can infer from the passage that ______.

the new species of butterfly live both in the US and Mexico

it took the researchers a lot of efforts to determine the new species of butterfly

the researchers are not sure whether they can get the money they want from the auction

it is the first time that the new species of butterfly has been found

Everyone’s at it，even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't done an eBay deal. So，I decided to try my hand at online auction（网上拍卖）。

    Buying for beginners：Sign up on www.ebay.co.uk.  Most items（e.g. tables, computers, and books） ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description；others may be marked with "Buy It Now" and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.

    If the item is being auctioned，you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids（出价）for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid，then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish you get an email telling you whether you have won the item.

    How to pay： Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal，an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card （信用卡）。

    Selling made simple：If you plan to sell on eBay，it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends' advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction，starting on a Thursday. This way, buyers had two weekends to bid.

The big things in life：It' s easy to post a small item，but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by deliverymen (邮递员). Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

1. What is the passage mainly about？

A. How to make payment online.

B. Ways of making delivery online

C. Advantages of an online-auction system.

D. How to use an online-auction system.

2. After bidding for an item，a buyer______

A. will get what he wants in ten days

B. should make payment immediately

C. has chances to make higher bids

D. may check its picture and description

3. The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is______

A. through an online payment system

B. through a local banking system

C. by sending the money to the seller

D. by paying the deliveryman directly