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.
Some people are optimistic about Microsoft’s future probably in that（）
A. they have faith in its innovation ability
B. its financial situation is better than IBM’s
C. they have noticed the efforts it is making
D. Windows 8 and Skype are bound to be popular
参考答案：C
解析：
[试题类型] 推理引申题。
[解题思路] 根据题干中的people are optimistic about Microsoft’s future可定位至文章第四段，该段第二句指出“一些观察家们注意到微软出现了少许令人鼓舞的进步迹象”，之后具体说明了这些迹象，包括即将推出Windows 8操作系统，微软的财政状况尚可，收购相关公司等。可见人们注意到了微软为了摆脱危机所作的努力，因此对微软的前景感到乐观，由此推断选项[C]符合文意，故为答案。
[干扰排除] 文中并没有提及微软的创新能力(innovation ability)，选项[A]属于无中生有，故排除。第四段末句提到微软目前的财政状况比IBM最低谷时要好得多，并没有说明“微软的经济状况比目前IBM的经济状况好”，故排除选项[B]。虽然该段提到微软即将推出Windows 8以及收购了Skype，但就两个产品的前景，作者只是引用了Sarah Rotman Epps的话指出“Windows 8操作系统如果在明年上市的话，对谷歌用在平板电脑上的安卓(Android)系统可能构成严重威肋”，对Skype的前景并未做任何分析，选项[D]过于绝对，与文意不符，故排除。