Question

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

Answer 1

【小题1】 A【小题2】C【小题3】B【小题4】D  

解析:

【小题1】

【文章大意】本文主要讲述了Bill Gates， the  founder of  Microsoft 准备将他的58 billion 美元的财产捐献给慈善机构以及他退休的事情等等。 【小题1】考查文章细节理解。根据文章第二段第一句以及第五段“...he（Bill Gates）said ：‘I want to make  a  positive  contribution to the world. ’”可知Bill Gates要对世界作出积极的贡献。 【小题2】考查文章细节理解。根据第二段“He has promised  to transfer his money to the charity he has  set  up with his wife Melinda...”,可知是他和他的妻子建立的慈善机构。 【小题3】考查文章细节理解。根据文章的倒数第二段“Charlene Li ,... said：‘What they’re going to lose is that founding focus, and the ability to rally the troops.‘ ”言外之意，Charlene Li对Bill Gates的离去持担忧的态度。A项 “乐观的”；B项“担忧的”；C项“批评的”；D项“中立的”。所以选B。 【小题4】考查文章的细节推断。根据全文的内容，在Bill Gates退位后, Steve  Balmer 将接管这个公司。