Growing up on a tobacco farm, Emma Avery was used to hard times. When she was seven, her family’s farmhouse burned to the ground. Her father made a temporary (临时的) shelter, where eight people had to sleep in two beds. As soon as Emma and her four brothers and two sisters were big enough, they were out in the fields.

     Emma would find her comfort in school, even as a C student, thanks to one teacher. When she moved on to middle school, Emma was alarmingly far behind her classmates. She kept her head down, trying not to be noticed, struggling to catch up, and feeling like an outsider.

     Then one day, when Emma was 16, a teacher named Mr. Potts changed everything. Looking his students in the eye, Mr. Potts said, "Being a C student does not mean you do not have a valuable contribution to make. Some of you have to work in the fields in the evening and do not have time to study. But if you do your best, you have a gift to give."

     The teacher’s words made Emma believe she could do well, and she worked harder. In the end she won a scholarship to St. Paul’s College, graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1967, and got a job in the public-school system. Then, at George Washington University, she received a master’s in education in 1970, and afterwards in the same year she married Ron Smothers.

     Over the next six years, Emma taught in public schools in Miami. In 1976, after saving $10,000, she opened her first restaurant in Los Angeles. Eventually Emma stopped teaching, and her business expanded (扩展) to six restaurants.

     In gratitude (感激) for what she has been able to achieve, Emma donates a lot. She has no idea how much money she’s given away. She says, "Those I want to help are the C students who just need help, direction and confidence."

1.The first paragraph serves to show that Emma ______.

A．was poor and had no time to study          B．was born on a tobacco farm C．was sad to lose her house D．was kind enough to help support the family

2.From the text we learn that Emma ______.  

A．won a scholarship to George Washington University                 B．was unsuccessful as a businesswoman C．was thankful to Mr. Potts             D．disliked teaching, and gave up the job

3.From the second paragraph we can infer that Emma was ______.

A．unintelligent       B．unconfident        C．hard-working       D．Considerate

4.The text mainly wants to tell us ______.

A．confidence is the first step to success        B．memory of the past is the teacher of the future C．something attempted, something done       D．nothing is impossible to a willing heart

In modern society, receiving systematic college education seems a necessary way for success as a graduate from first-class university may always get more opportunities than others. However, if it is gold, it will shine one day. In this article, we will get to know three most successful people in U.S. who never finished their college education. Following experiences of these successful dropouts may give you some inspiration.

1. Bill Gates

Harvard’s campus paper “Harvard Crimson” called Bill Gates “Harvard’s most successful dropout,” while the rest of the world preferred to name him “the world’s richest man” for more than a decade. Now, even not on the top, he is still among the list of the world’s wealthiest people. Gates entered Harvard in the fall of 1973. Two years later, he dropped out to found Microsoft with friend Paul Allen. And in 2007, he finally received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.

2. Steve Jobs

The iPad, even Buzz Lightyear probably wouldn’t have existed if Steve Jobs stayed in school. Because his family couldn’t afford his college education, Jobs had to drop out of Reed College just after entering for 6 months. Then he found Apple, NeXT Computer and Pixar, which had made great influences on development of modern technique and culture. However, this wizard thought that his brief college education was not worthless.

3. Frank Lloyd Wright

As the America’s most celebrated architect, Wright spent more time on designing colleges rather than attending classes in them. Once spent one year in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then he left for Chicago and started to learn from Louis Sullivan, the “father of modernism." Wright’ s splendid resume included more than 500 works, most famous of which are Fallingwater and New York City's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

1.What does“dropouts”in Paragraph One mean?

   A. Hardworking students.

B. Very successful students.

   C. Students failing to finish their school education.

D. Students from poor families.

2.Which of the following is right according to Paragraph One?

   A. People graduating from famous universities are more likely to get jobs.

   B. Many successful people had the experience of giving up their school education.

   C. If one has a lot of gold, he will become very rich one day.

   D. We should stop our college education to follow in those successful people’s steps.

3.According to the writer, Bill Gates _________.

   A. is richer than any other man in the world

B. is well-known in Harvard University 

C. finally finished his study at Harvard and got a doctorate degree

   D. is the only founder of Microsoft

4.Which of the following statements can’t be learned from the last two paragraphs?

A. The reason for Jobs’ dropping his college education is that his parents couldn’t pay for it.

B. Jobs thought his six-month college education gave him no help.

C. Wright’s teacher was a very famous artist.

D. Wright is the designer of New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

5.What does the author want to tell us in this passage?

A. Successful people often have unordinary life experience.

B. College education is not so important to one’s success.

C. People from poor families are more likely to give up their college education.

D. Even without college education, one can still achieve success with one’s hard work.

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.

1.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.

2.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.

3.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.

4.What does the underlined word “donated” in the last paragraph mean?

A．gave.             B．earned.           C．made.            D．received.