Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father,
William H. Gates II, was a Seattle lawyer. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a school teacher. Gates
attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It
was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer soft-ware, programming computers
at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve
Ballmer, who is now Microsoft's president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version (版本) of the
programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer—the MITS Astair. In his junior year, Gates
dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975
with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable
tool on every office desk-top and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates' foresight has led to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. He plays an important
role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in touch with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.
In the dozen years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated more than $ 800 million to charities (慈善机构), including $ 200 million to the Gates Library Foundation to help libraries in North America
make use of new technologies and the Information Age.
1. Where did Bill Gates begin his career in personal computer software?
A. At public elementary school.
B. At the private Lakeside School.
C. At Harvard University.
D. At Microsoft Company.
2. Why did he drop out of Harvard?
A. To change school.
B. To spend all his energies to Microsoft.
C. To find a full-time job.
D. To earn money.
3. How does Gates spend much of his time?
A. Meeting with people.
B. Travelling around the world.
C. E-mailing some friends.
D. Meeting with customers and e-mailing Microsoft employees.
4. What does the underlined word "donated" in the last paragraph mean?
A. gave.
B. earned.
C. made.
D. received.
