Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^② worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③ 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 populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ 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 good examples to 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,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”

Notes:

vast  adj. 巨额的

estimate  v. 估计，估价

feat  n. 功绩，壮举

financially  adv. 财政上，金融上

Choose the best answers according to the above:

Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

A. to improve the health of population in America alone

B. to improve the health of population all over the world

C. to avoid leaving his children too much money

D. to spare the American government the burden of health care

According to the passage, which of the following is right?

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

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 concerns for suffering people

According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

A. brave   B. kind-hearted   C. strong-minded   D. confident

Attention deficit（不足）hyperactivity（活动过度）disorder is known by the letters A．D．H D．Children with A．D．H．D．might have trouble paying attention．They might not seem to listen and might forget things．They might not be able to stay seated or play quietly．They might talk too much and act and speak without thinking about the results of their behavior．These are among the signs named on the web site of America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention．

Doctors usually identify the disorder in children．But experts say the behaviors often last into adulthood．Researchers have been looking for the cause or causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder．Now, a brain-imaging study offers more evidence that could lead to new ways to treat it．Researchers say they observed shortages in the brain's reward system in patients with A．D．H．D．The study found that levels of some proteins were lower than normal．Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says the lack of attention and self –control that mark A.B.H.D. could be caused by problem in the flow of dopamine（多巴胺）. She says people might have difficulty completing an activity if they cannot expect some kind of reward in return. Researchers studied the pathways on which dopamine travels and A.D.H.D. Doctor Volkow says the researchers then compared the pathways to those of 44 adults without the disorder. “There was a lower concentration of dopamine markers in the brain of individuals with A.D.H.D., specifically in the areas of the brain that are involved with reward and motivation. And the dopamine levels were directly linked to the severity, of the patient’s inattention she says.”

The study used brain images taken at Brookhaven National Laboratory in new York State. Gene-Jack Wang is chairman of the Brookdhaven medical department. He says the finding might also help explain why people with A.D.H.D.

are more likely to abuse drugs or overeat. He says they might be attempting to increase their dopamine levels to make up for the deficits in their reward system.

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

An 8-year-old girl was dragged about 900 feet by a school bus today in Livingston County.

According to State Police, the incident occurred about 2：40 pm on State Route 436 in the town of Ossian after three sisters were dropped off the bus.

As the last sister was leaving the bus, driver John Coley, 62 , of Wayland, Steuben County, told the police that he was not paying attention when he closed the door and trapped her backpack inside. Coley then continued 900 feet before he realized the girl was being dragged, State Police said.

The girl was hurt and was transported to Nicholas H Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville，Livingston County, by Dansville Ambulance.

Another 8-year-old child on the bus said he hit his head on the seat in front of him when the bus came to a sudden stop, causing an earache.

●Conservation staff in New Zealand have put down 33 stranded（搁浅的）whales after several attempts to refloat them failed.

The whales were shot on Farewell Spit on the South Island. Department of Conservation area manager John Mason says staff and hundreds of volunteers had tried all week to get the whales refloated.

He says they thought they were successful on Wednesday when they got the whales into deep water——but were saddened on Thursday to find that they had swum back ashore. He says the condition of the whales had significantly become worse.

As well as the 33 whales that were shot，36 had died naturally since Monday and 17 were successfully refloated. 13 remain unknown.

1.The last sister was dragged by the bus because______________.

2.It can be inferred from the first news that______________．

3.How many whales were trapped ashore in total?

4.The 33 refloated whales returned ashore on______________.

We don’t plan to cry, but it just happens. In fact when we feel sad or angry, a good cry is almost impossible to resist. But if you didn’t know what crying was, you’d have to wonder why some strong feelings started water streaming from people’s eyes and why they seemed to feel better afterwards.
Now a US researcher had found there may be more in crying than we think. William H. Frey II, author of “Crying: The Mystery of Tears,” believes it may really be one of the body’s clever self-repair mechanisms. Crying may be a way of getting rid of the by-products of stress, he says.
He has found that tears contain some chemicals which can cause stress. One of these is the hormone prolactin (激素), which is set free when one is feeling stressed. Since women have more of this than men, that might explain why they usually cry more, he suggests.
Unsurprisingly, Dr Frey’s study seemed to prove that most people feel better after a good cry. And sex has nothing to do with it ––– the result was true for women and men. So, next time you feel like bursting into tears, go ahead. If Dr Frey is right, you’ll be doing yourself a favour.
【小题1】The best title of this passage would be ________.