Bill Gates is one of the most famous people in the world. His books have been translated into many languages.

  What many people do not know is that he is not the only founder of Microsoft. A lot of honor must go to his partner, Paul Allen.

  Allen and Gates met at Lakeside Preparatory School. They and some other friends became interested in computers. They began skipping(逃)PE lessons to play on the school computers. Their school did a deal with a computer company. It al-lowed Allen and Gates to use the company's computers for free. They even started their first software business while in high school. Computers were their lives.

  After leaving school, Alien worked as a programmer. Gates went to Harvard University, one of the best universities in the world, to study law. The invention of computers was small enough to be used at homes, called personal computers, helped Allen persuade Gates to leave Harvard University and start Microsoft together. They designed software like MS-DOS and BASIC for large companies like IBM. However, they were not satisfied with the software and came up with a new system, called Windows. Allen was one of the main programmers. The equally successful Microsoft Office soon followed.

  Allen fell ill in 1983. He stopped working full-time for Microsoft. He took time off, read, traveled and stayed with his family. Allen and Gates are still close. He is still involved in Microsoft, and as one of the richest men in the world, doesn't regret leaving.

(1) It is generally believed by people that ________.

[  ]

A.Bill Gates is the richest person in the world with little education

B.Bill Gates alone founded Microsoft

C.Paul Allen is a close competitor in computers against Bill Gates

D.Paul Allen is also a successful writer besides his achievement in computers

(2) We know from this passage that ________.

[  ]

A.Allen and Gates have known each other for a long time

B.Allen first used a computer at a company

C.Allen and Gates never attended a PE lesson

D.Allen and Gates helped companies with problems for money

(3) Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

[  ]

A.Paul Allen invented personal computers.

B.Bill Gates joined Microsoft after he finished his law degree at Harvard University.

C.Paul Allen lost all of his interest in computers after he fell ill.

D.Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft at the same time.

(4) The best title for this passage is“________”.

[  ]

A.The Other Half of Microsoft

B.Bill Gates

C.How Microsoft Started

D.Microsoft and Its History

Most young architects – particularly those in big cities – can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brian Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical-parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.

In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there – the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation (装置) in there – a slow-motion show.”

Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer (缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.

Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

According to the passage, it is     for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

    A. easy            B. unnecessary          C. unrealistic      D. common

Yocum bought the old building because _________.

A. it was a bargain to him

B. it was still in good condition

C. it was located in the city center

D. it looked attractive from the outside

Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell_.

A. pulled rubbish out through the roof

B. removed the skylights from the bathroom

C. presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery

D. built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell __.

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof

B. turned more old buildings into art galleries

C. got inspiration from decorating their old building

D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery

The main idea of the passage is that __.

A. people can learn a lot from their failures

B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

C. people should not judge things by their appearance

D. creative people can make the best of what they have

When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said, “I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from the high school.

And this month the 78-year-old, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.

Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.

As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions (订阅) , he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues(优点)in investing patience.

After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.

“Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over achieved his aptitude (能力),” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner.

1.The passage is mainly about_____.

A.why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man

B.what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences have on his success

C.how Buffett earned his fortune and achieve his aptitude

D.what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child

2.How did Buffett behave at the stock market?

A.He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value.

B.He often prefers some inexpensive stocks.

C.He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks.

D.He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up.

3.Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?

A.His desire to learn.

B.His family background.

C.His education.

D.His cooperation with his partner.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market

B.Buffett and Gates are business partners.

C.His father helped him a lot in his business.

D.Buffett has a good sense of business.

 

It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’ ”

That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. DeLuca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.

But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.

DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘ We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.

But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says.

And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.

DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multi-million-dollar restaurant chain.

1.Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to _________________________.

A. support his family                            B. pay for his college education

C. help his partner expand business          D. do some research

2.Which of the following is true of Buck?

A. He put money into the sandwich business.

B. He was a professor of business administration (管理).

C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.

D. He rented a storefront for DeLuca.

3.What can we learn about their first shop?

A. It stood at an unfavorable place.

B. It lowered the prices to promote sales.

C. It made no profits due to poor management.

D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwiches.

4.They decided to open a second store because they ______________________.

A. had enough money to do it

B. had succeeded in their business

C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers

D. wanted to make believe that they were successful

5.What contributes most to their success according to the author?

A. Learning by trial and error.               B. Making friends with suppliers.

C. Finding a good partner.                    D. Opening chain stores.

 

 

The Japanese have a genius for dreaming up small, useful and fun machines. You must have used or at least heard of Sony’s walkman, Nintendo or Sega’s video games, and Bandai’s Tamagotchi. And how about karaoke, invented by Daisuke Inoue?

Daisuke, who? Not many people have heard of him, and he never made much money from his invention. But anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of singing karaoke in front of a crowd has Mr.Inoue to thank…

 Daisuke Inoue is an easygoing man with a quick smile. He was born in the suburbs of Osaka in 1940. At Osaka Technical High School he took up the drums, because he says, “All you have to do is hit them.” Before long he was making money as a drummer in a Hawaiian band that played in the old dance-halls left behind by American soldiers.

By 1970, he and six partners were playing in the clubs of nearby Kobe, accompanying middle-aged businessmen who wanted to sing traditional Japanese country and even army songs. His friends, Inous says, could all read music and so they could pick up the latest tunes (曲调). He, on the other hand, had to rely on memory and play by following the lips of the singer as they moved. “Out of 108 club musicians in Kobe,” he says. “I was the worst! And the clients (顾客) in my club were the worst singers!”

One client, president of a small steel company, was especially fond of Inoue’s slow, follow-along style. It made the president’s bad, out-of–time singing sound much better. One evening he wanted Inoue to play for him on a trip to a hot spring resort (胜地). The boss wanted to sing Frank Nagai’s Leaving Haneda Airport on a 7:50 Flight for his friends. But Inoue was unable to leave his job.

To help out his most loyal client, he decided to provide him with a tape. Inoue wouldn’t be there, but the singer would still have his accompaniment. Karaoke was born. 

1. Daisuke Inoue took up the drums at high school because _______.

  A. they were his favorite musical instruments

  B. he knew they would help him make money

  C. he thought they were easy to learn

  D. it was easy for a drummer to find a job

2. What does the underlined word “they” stand for?

  A. His partner      B. His friends    C. The latest tunes    D. The singer’s lips

3. From this passage we know Daisuke Inoue was ______.

  A. an outstanding musician            B. not quite good at music

  C. a good singer and dancer           D. good at inventing things

4. Why did the president like Inoue’s playing so much?

  A. Because Inoue followed his singing.

  B. Because Inoue played very well.

  C. Because he had got used to Inoue’s fast, exciting style.

  D. Because Inoue was an easy-going man with a quick smile.

 

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