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.

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.

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.

What’s Charlene Li’s attitude towards Bill Gates’ departure?

A.Optimistic.  B.Worried.    C.Critical.        D.Neutral.

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

Muhammad Yunus and the bank he founded are honored for their work to help the word’s poor. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. They won the award for their efforts to help bring millions of people, especially women, out of poverty.

“Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Across cultures and civilizations, Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development,” the Nobel Committee said in its citation.

The Peace Prize is one of the biggest honors in the world. Yunus is the first Nobel Prize winner from Bangladesh, a nation of about 141 million people. In 1983, Yunus and the Grameen Bank started a now worldwide system that lets people borrow small amounts of money to start business. Through these loans, called “micro-credit”, the world’s poor have been able to buy much needed to run an egg business, or a cell phone in places where there is on other access to a phone.

Yunus said he would use part of the $1.4 million award money to create a company that will make low-cost, high-nutrition food for the poor. The rest of his share will go toward setting up an eye hospital for the poor in Bangladesh. ”I’m so, so happy, it’s really great news for the whole nation,” Yunus said after hearing of his win.

Since the bank began, it has lent $5.72 billion to more than 6 million Bangladeshis. About 97% of the borrowers are women.

Why does Nobel Peace Prize come to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank?

A.Because they helped the rich become richer.

B.Because they helped children to finish their education.

C.Because they helped millions of people, especially women, out of poverty.

D.Because they helped millions of people, especially men, out of poverty.

What value have Yunus and Grameen Bank demonstrated to use  according to the Nobel Committee’s praise?

   A. Poor people have no right to live a rich life

   B. Poor people can live a happier life by borrowing money from moneylenders.

   C. The poorest of the poor can also have a happier life by working hard.

D. The poor people can only have a right to live a poor life.

It can be inferred that micro-credit system ____.

   A. has made all the people in Bangladesh start their own business

   B. has a history of about 23 years

   C. only loaned money to the people of Bangladesh

   D. has spread all over the world for thirty years

It can be inferred that the average amount of micro-credit might be ____.

   A. 140 dollars   B. 95 dollars

   C. 970 dollars   D. 572 dollars

Henry Edwards Huntington

Henry Edwards Huntington was born in 1850 in OneontaNew YorkIn 1872 he went to work for his uncleone of the owners of the Central Pacific RailroadTwenty years laterHuntington moved to San Francisco at his uncle's request to share management of the Southern Pacific RailroadOn the way to San Franciscohe visited San Marinoand later bought itwhich is home to his collections today

In 1902Huntington moved his business operations to Los Angeleswhere he developed the street railway system that created the structure of the Los Angeles areaHe greatly expanded the existing electric railway linescreating an extensive inter-urban system providing the transportation necessaryHuntington’s business interests continued to grow particularly in the areas of waterpowerand land developmentat one time he served on as many as 60 corporate boards throughout the United States

At the age of 60he announced his decision to retire in order to devote time to his book and art collections and the landscaping of the 600acre farmIn 1911 the large Beaux Arts buildingin the charge of the architect Myron Huntwas completed

In 1913Huntington married Arabella Duval HuntingtonShe shared his interests in collectingAs one of the most important art collectors of her generationshe was highly influential in the development of the art collection now shown in the former building

In 1919Henry and Arabella Huntington signed the agreement that conveyed their San Marino property and collections to a nonprofit educational trustcreating the Huntingtonone of the world’s great culturalresearchand educational centers

Henry EHuntington died in 1927leaving his great treasures the Huntingtonincluding the world—famous H untington LibraryArt Galleryand Botanical Gardens in San MarinoCalifornia to the publicwhich hosts more than 500000 visitors each year.

1.What can you learn about Huntington from the first two paragraphs?

AHe worked in many fields before he came to Los Angeles

BHe built a house to store his art collection in San Marino

CH e did a lot to the USA railway development

DHe founded the Central Pacific Railroad

2.What did Huntington do after his retirement?

AHe devoted himself to his personal interests

BHe worked part time for non—profit business

CH e was in charge of an educational center

DH e shared his wife’s interests with her

3.Which of the following can best describe Huntington?

AAn excellent artist????????????? BA talented architect

CAn ambitious educator????????????? DA successful businessman

4.This passage is most probably taken from

Aa science fiction????? ????????????? Ba newspaper report

Ca novel????????????? ????????????? ????????????? Da biography

 

Kalle Lasn was in a supermarket parking lot one afternoon when he had an experience that changed his life.In order to shop at the store, he needed to put money into the shopping cart to use it.Annoyed that he had to "pay to shop," Lasn jammed the coin into the cart so that it wouldn't work.It was an act of rebellion—the first of many—for Lasn.

Born in Estonia, Kalle Lasn moved to Australia as a young man and then later to Japan, where he founded a marketing research firm in Tokyo.Eventually, Lasn moved to Canada and for several years produced documentaries (纪录片) for public television.In the late 1980s, Lasn made an advertisement that spoke out against the logging industry and the deforestation going on in the Pacific Northwest.When he tried to show his ad on TV, though, no station in this area would give him airtime.In response, Lasn and a colleague founded Adbusters Media Foundation, a company for the "Human right to communicate.

Adbusters produces magazine, newspaper, and TV ads with a social message.Many use humor and irony to make their points: In one, for example, a man chain smokes a brand of cigarettes called "Hope".In another, a child is dressed in an outfit used in fast-food ads.Next to the child is a note from its mother telling the restaurant to leave her child alone.

Adbusters also has a magazine and a web site, the Culture Jammers Network, whose members include students, artists, and activists as well as educators and businesspeople interested in social change.Many of these "culture jammers" are working to raise awareness about different social issues by hosting events like "Buy Nothing Day" , " No Car Day" and "TV Turnoff Week" .Lasn and his partners hope these events will encourage people to think about questions such as;

·What kinds of things are we being encouraged to buy by the media?

·Should cars be our primary means of transportation?

·How are television and radio being used now? How could we be using them?

Some culture jammers are using other methods to challenge how people think.Some pretend to be shoppers.They move items in stores from one shelf to another making it difficult for people to find things easily.Other culture jammers break into large company well sites and jam them so that they become unusable.The goal in both cases ia to prevent "Business as usual" and to gel people to ask themselves questions such as "Why am I shopping here?" or "Why should I buy this product?"

Lasn and members of the Culture Jammers Network want to make people aware of social issues, but they also believe it's important to think of solutions, too."A lot of people tell you everything that's wrong but they never say much about how to fix these problems," says Lasn."But there is plenty we can do.If you start despairing, you have lost everything."

Though many TV stations still won't show Adbusters' " uncommercials" , some cable TV stations have started to.People all over the world have joined the Culture Jammers Network and are doing their part to promote social change.

1.What does the underlined word "rebellion" in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A.argument

B.violence

C.opposition

D.protection

2.What's the main point of the ad for "Hope" cigarettes?

A.Smoking can help to remove your worries and make you hopeful.

B.Hopefully, the bad taste of the cigarette can help you to quit smoking.

C.You are hopeless at abandoning the habit of smoking.

D.Smoking can ruin you if you are hopelessly addicted to it.

3.Some culture jammers break into websites in order to ________.

A.ask people to be thoughtful consumers.

B.help make the companies better known.

C.encourage people to think less and buy less

D.challenge how people react to sudden changes

4.It can be inferred from the passage ________.

A.Adbusters Media Foundation was founded to fight against deforestation

B.More and more people will know about and even become culture jammers

C.The Culture Jammers Network is made up of annoying trouble makers

D.People can see some of Adbusters ads on TV stations

5.Which of the following best describes what Lasn has done?

A.One step at a time.

B.We can and must change the world.

C.Accept what you can't change.

D.Everyone deserves a second chance.

 

A T-shirt a day has kept unemployment away for an American man who is making about $85,000 a year by selling advertising space on his shirt.

Jason Sadler, 26, was once a former marketing expert from Florida. In 2008, he founded his own company, “iwearyourshirt”, with the idea to wear a T-shirt supplied by any company and then use social media tools to develop the company . Sadler charges the “face value”of  the day for his human billboard (广告牌) service. So January 1 costs $1, while December 31 costs $365. He said this may not sound like a lot, but it adds up to $66,795 a year if he sells out every day, which he did this year. He also sells monthly sponsorships(赞助) for $1,500, adding another $18,000 to his income.

“I walk around, take photos, wear the shirt all day … I blog about those photos, I put them up on Twitter, I change my Facebook introduction…and then I do a Youtube video. I made about $83,000 this year,” he told Reuters Television. The average U.S income is about $615 a week or about $32,000 a year ,according to the U.S government.

Sadler has already begun to plan for his year 2010. He is making services larger by hiring another person to wear a shirt a day on the west coast of the United States.

1.What is Sadler’s “face value” of the day December 30?

A.$364.       B.$365.       C.$615.       D.$1,500.

2.It can be inferred that Sadler didn’t advertise on ________.

A.Twitter     B.Facebook  C.Youtube   D.Reuters

3.Jason Sadler has a new plan to  ________ for the year 2010.

A.employ another person to replace him    B.start his business on the west coast

C.stay at home on the east coast  D.double the charge for the service

4.The passage is mainly about ________ in a new way.

A.taking photos    B.writing blogs    C.making money D.selling T-shirts

 

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