Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune , largely to the cause of global health , during the course of his lifetime . With an estimated（估计）worth of more than $ 40 billion , according to Forbes , the project will be no small feat （功绩）for Gates . Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues , Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest ? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world . Improving the health of the populations , he says , has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful . “National borders allow inequalities ,” said Gates : “We all need to take a more global view , rather than just saying my country is doing well . We have to step up these health issues , knowing how few resources are going into them .”
Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child . His father , William H. Gates , was the head of the local Planned Parenthood , and his mother , Mary , volunteered for the United Way . As he gathered his fortune , Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well , but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However , Gates , 47 , began to question his ability to wait that long . “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said . “I started to think , How many lives could I save before then ?”
【小题1】Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is          .

Mark Twain，an American writer, published more than 30 books, hundreds of

short stories and essays and gave lectures around the world throughout his career. 

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. Thou

gh he had little school education, he became the most famous writer of his time

. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Cl

emens, but he is better known all over the world as MarkTwain, his penname. 

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not

expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care,

he managed to survive. As a boy, he causedmuch trouble for his parents. He use

d to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to sc

hool, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of

the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times. After his father's d

eath in 1847, Mark twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him wit

h food and clothing. Then, he worked as  a river-boat pilot (领航

员)and later joinedthe army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During t

his period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time

writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books

including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him fam

ous, and brought him a great fortune. Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts

in bad investments（投资） and he had to write

large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then on

e of their childrenpassed away.At the age of 70, his hair was completely white.

He bought many white suits and neckties. Hewore nothing but white from head to

foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

1. When Mark Twain was a little baby,          .

A．his mother thought he would die

B．he was as active as other boys

C．he was not strong enough

D．he was always in hospital

2. In his childhood,        .

A．Mark Twain learned a lot at school

B．Mark Twain often went swimming with other boys

C．Mark Twain often played games with other boys

D．Mark Twain’s mother often worried about his safety

3. In order to make a living, Mark Twain       .

A．often ran away from home.

B．first worked for a printer.

C．wrote stories in the beginning.

D．joined the army after he worked in a mine.

4. In the later years of his life, Mark Twain      .

A．continued writing until his death.

B．wrote many stories and earned a lot of money.

C．must have been very sad because he lost his wife and one of his children.

D．lent too much money to others.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^②worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates, “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set good examples to him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”
Notes:
①    vast  adj. 巨额的
②    estimate  v. 估计，估价
③    feat  n. 功绩，壮举
④    financially  adv. 财政上，金融上
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

   1. A.
      to improve the health of population in America alone
   2. B.
      to improve the health of population all over the world
   3. C.
      to avoid leaving his children too much money
   4. D.
      to spare the American government the burden of health care
2. 2.

   According to the passage, which of the following is right?

   1. A.
      Americans should care about people in other countries
   2. B.
      Americans should treat fellow citizens well
   3. C.
      Americans should devote themselves to certain projects
   4. D.
      Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune
3. 3.

   Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of       __.

   1. A.
      his weakening health condition
   2. B.
      his parents’ suggestions
   3. C.
      his great success in business
   4. D.
      his concerns for suffering people
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

   1. A.
      brave
   2. B.
      kind-hearted
   3. C.
      strong-minded
   4. D.
      confident

Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H. A. W. Tabor and his wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as “Baby Doe”. Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.

Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. Then he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.” he said.

As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or “grub”, while they looked for ore（矿石）, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.

Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountain side and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made $1,300,000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.

Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117,000. This turned out to be even more fabulous than the Pittsburgh, yielding $35,000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became lieutenant governor of the state.

1.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT that

A.Tabor became its leading citizen.

B.great deposits of lead is expected to be found there.

C.it could bring good fortune to Tabor

D.it was renamed

2.The underlined word “grubstake” in Paragraph 3 means

A.to supply miners with food and supplies

B.to open a general stores

C.to do one's contribution to the development of the mine

D.to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one was discovered

3.We can infer that Tabor’s life career is.

A.purely lucky

B.based on his managing theory of “grubstake’

C.through the help from his wife

D.because he planned well and accomplished targets step by step

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Tabor’s Life.                        B．A legend of the Old West

C．Lead Makes Leadville’s Fortune        D．The Best Investment

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune , largely to the cause of global health , during the course of his lifetime . With an estimated（估计）worth of more than $ 40 billion , according to Forbes , the project will be no small feat （功绩）for Gates . Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues , Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”

So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest ? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world . Improving the health of the populations , he says , has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful . “National borders allow inequalities ,” said Gates : “We all need to take a more global view , rather than just saying my country is doing well . We have to step up these health issues , knowing how few resources are going into them .”

Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child . His father , William H. Gates , was the head of the local Planned Parenthood , and his mother , Mary , volunteered for the United Way . As he gathered his fortune , Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well , but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.

However , Gates , 47 , began to question his ability to wait that long . “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said . “I started to think , How many lives could I save before then ?”

1.Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is          .

2.It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks          .

3.Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of          .