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. wrong 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
在線作業(yè)參考答案：
1．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第2段中的答案相關(guān)句說“30年以前的計(jì)算機(jī)大小如冰箱”， 根據(jù)文章第3段可推斷出“30年以前 Bill Gates應(yīng)該在上7年級(jí)”， 綜合這兩部分信息可知“ 在Bill Gates上7年級(jí)的時(shí)候， 計(jì)算機(jī)象冰箱那么大”。7年級(jí)正好是在美國(guó)上中學(xué)的時(shí)候， 因此問題句的內(nèi)容與文章中相關(guān)內(nèi)容一致。
2．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。 該題的答案相關(guān)句在第3段。 根據(jù)文章第3段的內(nèi)容可以推斷出bill gates 在30年以前期待計(jì)算機(jī)的普及， 根據(jù)文章第5段的內(nèi)容可以推斷出Bill Gates 現(xiàn)在仍然相信計(jì)算機(jī)因?yàn)槠洫?dú)特的功能受到人們的歡迎。 因此問題句提供了正確的信息。
3．B． 細(xì)節(jié)題。從第7段中可以看出當(dāng)比爾蓋茨給人們展示計(jì)算機(jī)方面的新成就時(shí)， 他感到像是跳著踢踏舞去工作。 因此問題句沒有提供正確的信息。
4．B． 細(xì)節(jié)題。 在文章第10段（倒數(shù)第3段）中比爾蓋茨明確地說“非洲兒童的夭折與其他任何地方的兒童的夭折一樣， 都是一個(gè)悲劇， 都令人感到悲痛”， 由此可見窮人孩子的死亡與富人孩子的死亡之間并沒有大的差異。
補(bǔ)充：
no + 形容詞/副詞比較級(jí) than... == as 形容詞/副詞的反義詞 as...
e.g. He is no clever(更聰明的) than I = He is as stupid（愚蠢的） as I.
5. C。 細(xì)節(jié)題。利用問題句中的特征結(jié)構(gòu)several dozen billion dollars和細(xì)節(jié)信息詞charities共同作為答案線索， 在文章中查找答案相關(guān)句。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩個(gè)線索結(jié)構(gòu)在文章中均沒有直接或間接地出現(xiàn)， 由此可見問題句的內(nèi)容在文章中沒有被提及。
6．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。依據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第4段和倒數(shù)第5段的內(nèi)容可知“比爾蓋茨和他的妻子致力于幫助最多的窮人改善他們的健康和教育情況”， 這與問題句的內(nèi)容一致。
7．C. 細(xì)節(jié)題。 利用問題句中的細(xì)節(jié)信息結(jié)構(gòu)a small portion of his wealth 和his children 共同作為答案線索， 在文章中查找答案相關(guān)句, 結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩個(gè)線索結(jié)構(gòu)在文章中均沒有直接或間接地出現(xiàn)， 由此可見問題句的內(nèi)容在文章中沒有被提及。
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. wrong 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
在線作業(yè)參考答案：
1．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第2段中的答案相關(guān)句說“30年以前的計(jì)算機(jī)大小如冰箱”， 根據(jù)文章第3段可推斷出“30年以前 Bill Gates應(yīng)該在上7年級(jí)”， 綜合這兩部分信息可知“ 在Bill Gates上7年級(jí)的時(shí)候， 計(jì)算機(jī)象冰箱那么大”。7年級(jí)正好是在美國(guó)上中學(xué)的時(shí)候， 因此問題句的內(nèi)容與文章中相關(guān)內(nèi)容一致。
2．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。 該題的答案相關(guān)句在第3段。 根據(jù)文章第3段的內(nèi)容可以推斷出bill gates 在30年以前期待計(jì)算機(jī)的普及， 根據(jù)文章第5段的內(nèi)容可以推斷出Bill Gates 現(xiàn)在仍然相信計(jì)算機(jī)因?yàn)槠洫?dú)特的功能受到人們的歡迎。 因此問題句提供了正確的信息。
3．B． 細(xì)節(jié)題。從第7段中可以看出當(dāng)比爾蓋茨給人們展示計(jì)算機(jī)方面的新成就時(shí)， 他感到像是跳著踢踏舞去工作。 因此問題句沒有提供正確的信息。
4．B． 細(xì)節(jié)題。 在文章第10段（倒數(shù)第3段）中比爾蓋茨明確地說“非洲兒童的夭折與其他任何地方的兒童的夭折一樣， 都是一個(gè)悲劇， 都令人感到悲痛”， 由此可見窮人孩子的死亡與富人孩子的死亡之間并沒有大的差異。
補(bǔ)充：
no + 形容詞/副詞比較級(jí) than... == as 形容詞/副詞的反義詞 as...
e.g. He is no clever(更聰明的) than I = He is as stupid（愚蠢的） as I.
5. C。 細(xì)節(jié)題。利用問題句中的特征結(jié)構(gòu)several dozen billion dollars和細(xì)節(jié)信息詞charities共同作為答案線索， 在文章中查找答案相關(guān)句。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩個(gè)線索結(jié)構(gòu)在文章中均沒有直接或間接地出現(xiàn)， 由此可見問題句的內(nèi)容在文章中沒有被提及。
6．A． 細(xì)節(jié)題。依據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第4段和倒數(shù)第5段的內(nèi)容可知“比爾蓋茨和他的妻子致力于幫助最多的窮人改善他們的健康和教育情況”， 這與問題句的內(nèi)容一致。
7．C. 細(xì)節(jié)題。 利用問題句中的細(xì)節(jié)信息結(jié)構(gòu)a small portion of his wealth 和his children 共同作為答案線索， 在文章中查找答案相關(guān)句, 結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩個(gè)線索結(jié)構(gòu)在文章中均沒有直接或間接地出現(xiàn)， 由此可見問題句的內(nèi)容在文章中沒有被提及。