Compared with IBM, Microsoft is a mere young company. Founded in 1975, it rose swiftly to dominate the world of personal computing with its Windows operating system and Office suite of word-processing and other productivity tools. But the company is now showing some worrying signs of middle-age fatigue. In particular, it is struggling to find a growth strategy that will enthuse disappointed shareholders.
Complaint are understandable. Since Steve Ballmer took over from Bill Gates as chief executive in 2000, Microsoft’s share price has decreased and the company has lost its reputation as a tech trend-setter. It has been left behind in hot areas such as search and social networking by younger companies, some of which love to thumb their noses at their older rival. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, recently proclaimed that leadership in the tech world had passed from Microsoft and others to a "Gang of Four" fast-growing, consumer-oriented businesses: Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.
Few would object to that. The question is: what，if anything, can Microsoft do to change it In at least some respects, the company appears to be suffering from similar ailments to those that laid IBM low before Lou Gerstner was hired in 1993 to get it back on its feet. These include arrogance bred of dominance of a particular area-mainframe computers at IBM, personal computers at Microsoft—and internal fiefs that hamper swift change.
As IBM’s experience shows, recovery in the tech world is possible. And some observers see encouraging signs of progress at Microsoft. Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester, a research firm, reckons that Windows 8, a forthcoming version of Microsoft’s operating system, could be a serious competitor to Google’s Android on tablet computers if the company can get it to market next year．Microsoft is also in far better shape financially than IBM was at its lowest point, so it can afford to splash out on acquisitions such as its recent $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, an internet-phone and video-calling service.
That bet and an alliance with Nokia in mobile phones show that Microsoft is trying to bulk up in promising areas. Yet sceptics worry that such initiatives are not the product of an comprehensive strategic vision, but are instead temporary moves designed to calm critics who fear Microsoft is drifting downwards. David Einhorn, a prominent hedge-fund manager whose fund holds shares in Microsoft, has publicly called for a change at the top of the firm, arguing that Mr Ballmer is "stuck in the past". So far, the company’s board, chaired by Mr Gates, has backed its chief executive. But if IBM’s history is a guide, Microsoft may yet end up jettisoning its leader.
According to the text, which of the following is true of Microsoft（）
A. It is considering hiring a new CEO
B. It is engaged in an internal reform
C. It can rival IBM in mainframe computers
D. It is committing the mistakes IBM once committed
参考答案：D
解析：
[试题类型] 具体信息题。
[解题思路] 文章第三段第三句通过类比，指出微软似乎面临着曾让IBM状态低迷的类似问题(similar ailments)，并具体说明了两方面的问题：由于领先而滋生的傲慢以及公司内部山头主义。由此可以看出，微软犯了IBM曾经犯过的错误，故选项[D]符合文意。
[干扰排除] 选项[A]是根据第三段第三句中before Lou Gerstner was hired in 1993 to get, it back on its feet设计的干扰项，路易斯·格斯特纳是IBM住1993年聘任的CEO，在他的领导下，IBM重振雄风。文章末段虽然提到有人呼吁微软易帅，但倒数第二句明确指出"So far, the company’s board, chaired by Mr Gates, has backed its chief executive"，即微软的董事会目前仍然支持现任.CEO，没有换人的打算，显然，选项[A]错误。选项[B]是利用internal fiefs that hamper swift change(妨碍迅速变化的公司内部山头主义)设计的干扰项，文中并没有说微软正在进行内部改革(internal reform)，故排除该项。第三段未句提到的第一个问题是“在某一个领域占统治地位后滋生的做慢——对IBM而言，是大型主机领域，对微软而言则是个人电脑领域”，可见IBM在主机领域的统治地位无人能撼动，选项[C]与文意不符，故排除。