【一】　Bill gates: Unleashing your creativity

　　I’ve always been an optimists and I suppose that is rooted in my belief that the power of creativity and intelligence can make the world a better place.

　　For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved learning new things and solving problems. So when I sat down at a computer for the first time in seventh grade, I was hooked. It was a chunky old teletype machine and it could barely do anything compared to the computers we have today. But it changed my life.

　　When my friend Paul Allen and I started Microsoft 30 years ago, we had a vision of “a computer on every desk and in every home,” which probably sounded a little too optimistic at a time when most computers were the size of refrigerators. But we believed that personal computers would change the world. And they have.

　　And after 30 years, I’m still as inspired by computers as I was back in seventh grade.

　　I believe that computers are the most incredible tool we can use to feed our curiosity and inventiveness – to help us solve problems that even the smartest people couldn’t solve on their own.

　　Computers have transformed how we learn, giving kids everywhere a window into all of the world’s knowledge. They’re helping us build communities around the things we care about and to stay close to the people who are important to us, no matter where they are.

　　Like my friend Warren Buffett, I feel particularly lucky to do something every day that I love to do. He calls it “tap-dancing to work”. My job at Microsoft is as challenging as ever, but what makes me “tap-dancing to work” is when we show people something new, like a computer that can recognize your handwriting or your speech, or one that can store a lifetime’s worth of photos, and they say, “I didn’t know you could do that with a PC!”

　　But for all the cool things that a person can do with a PC, there are lots of other ways we can put our creativity and intelligence to work to improve our world. There are still far too many people in the world whose most basic needs go unmet. Every year, for example, millions of people die from diseases that are easy to prevent or treat in the developed world.

　　I believe that my own good fortune brings with it a responsibility to give back to the world. My wife, Melinda, and I have committed to improving health and education in a way that can help as many people as possible.

　　As a father, I believe that the death of a child in Africa is no less poignant or tragic than the death pf a child anywhere else, and that it doesn’t take much to make an immense difference in these children’s lives.

　　I’m still very much an optimist, and I believe that progress on even the world’s toughest problems is possible – and it’s happening every day. We’re seeing new drugs for deadly diseases, new diagnostic tools, and new attention paid to the health problems in the developing world.

　　I’m excited by the possibilities I see for medicine, for education and, of course, for technology. And I believe that through our natural inventiveness, creativity and willingness to solve tough problems, we’re going to make some amazing in all these area in my life. (563 words)

　　1. A computer was as big as an icebox when Bill Gates was a high school student.

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　2. Bill Gates has been dreaming of the popularity of computers for his lifetime.

　　A. right

　　B. wrongＷww.KaＯ8.CC

　　C. not mentioned

　　3. Bill Gates compares his hard work on a PC to “tap-dancing to work” .

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　4. To Bill Gates’mind, there is a big difference between the death of the poor’s children and the death of the rich’s children.

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　5. So far Bill Gates has contributed several dozen billion dollars to the charities.

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　6. Bill Gates and his wife consider it their duty to help the poor better their health and education as much as possible.

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　7. Bill Gates will leave only a small portion of his wealth for his children.

　　A. right

　　B. wrong

　　C. not mentioned

　　参考答案：

　　1.A. 细节题。文章第2段中的答案相关句说“30年以前的计算机大小如冰箱”， 根据文章第3段可推断出“30年以前 Bill Gates应该在上7年级”， 综合这两部分信息可知“ 在Bill Gates上7年级的时候， 计算机象冰箱那么大”。7年级正好是在美国上中学的时候， 因此问题句的内容与文章中相关内容一致。

　　2.A. 细节题。 该题的答案相关句在第3段。 根据文章第3段的内容可以推断出bill gates 在30年以前期待计算机的普及， 根据文章第5段的内容可以推断出Bill Gates 现在仍然相信计算机因为其独特的功能受到人们的欢迎。 因此问题句提供了正确的信息。

　　3.B. 细节题。从第7段中可以看出当比尔盖茨给人们展示计算机方面的新成就时， 他感到像是跳着踢踏舞去工作。 因此问题句没有提供正确的信息。

　　4.B. 细节题。 在文章第10段(倒数第3段)中比尔盖茨明确地说“非洲儿童的夭折与其他任何地方的儿童的夭折一样， 都是一个悲剧， 都令人感到悲痛”， 由此可见穷人孩子的死亡与富人孩子的死亡之间并没有大的差异。

　　补充：

　　no + 形容词/副词比较级 than... == as 形容词/副词的反义词 as...

　　e.g. He is no clever(更聪明的) than I = He is as stupid(愚蠢的) as I.

　　5. C。 细节题。利用问题句中的特征结构several dozen billion dollars和细节信息词charities共同作为答案线索， 在文章中查找答案相关句。结果发现这两个线索结构在文章中均没有直接或间接地出现， 由此可见问题句的内容在文章中没有被提及。

　　6.A. 细节题。依据文章倒数第4段和倒数第5段的内容可知“比尔盖茨和他的妻子致力于帮助最多的穷人改善他们的健康和教育情况”， 这与问题句的内容一致。

　　7.C. 细节题。 利用问题句中的细节信息结构a small portion of his wealth 和his children 共同作为答案线索， 在文章中查找答案相关句, 结果发现这两个线索结构在文章中均没有直接或间接地出现， 由此可见问题句的内容在文章中没有被提及。

【二】　Computers

　　Before the widespread use of computers, managers could not make full use of large amounts of valuable information about a company's activities. The information either reached managers too late or was too expensive to be used. Today, managers are facing a wide range of data processing and information instruments. In place of a few financial controls, managers can draw on computer-based information systems to control activities in every area of their company. On any kinds of performance measures, the information provided by these systems helps managers compare standards with actual results, find out problems, and take corrective action before it is too late to make changes.

　　The introduction of computerized information systems has sharply changed management control in many companies. Even a neighborhood shopkeeper may now use computers to control sales, billing, and other activities. In large companies, electronic data processing systems monitor entire projects and sets of operations.

　　Now, there are about 24 million microcomputers in use in the United States —— one for every 10 citizens. It is estimated that by 1996, 61 percent of American managers will be using some sort of electronic work station. In order for managers to be sure that the computer-based information they are receiving is accurate, they need to understand how computers work. However, in most cases they do not need to learn how to program computers. Rather, managers should understand how computerized information systems work; how they are developed; their limitations and costs; and the manner in which information systems may be used. Such an understanding is not difficult to achieve.

　　One research found that business firms were more successful in teaching basic information about computers to business graduates than they were in teaching business subjects to computer science graduates.

　　16 Today, conventional financial controls are still exercised in some minor areas such as billing and vocational training.

　　A Right

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　17 It is unnecessary for a neighborhood baker to use a computer in his shop

　　A Right

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　18 At present about 10% of American citizens possess a microcomputer.

　　A Right

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　19 One thing that managers do not have to understand is how computers work.

　　A Right

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　20 In some cases managers have to learn how to write programs so as to work out computerized information systems that suit their own companies best.

　　A RightＷww.KaＯ8.CC

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　21 Computerized firms would rather employ business graduates than computer science graduates because it is easier to train the former into qualified employees.

　　A Right

　　B Wrong

　　C Not mentioned

　　答案：16. A 17. B 18. B 19. A 20. B 21. C