Bill Gates’ body might live in the present, b...

Bill Gates’ body might live in the present, but his brain lives in the future. He has made a career out of predicting what will happen in matters of computing, public health and the environment. He correctly predicted the rise of smartphones and social media, and his latest predictions could come true, too. Here’s what Gates predicts for the future of our world.

In his Annual Letter 2015, Gates made the prediction that Africa’s agriculture industry would increase productivity by 50% by 2030. Now the continent buys about $50 billion worth of food from other countries each year, although 70% of people in Africa are farmers. “In the next 15 years，however，creations in farming will solve the food problem in Africa,” Gates wrote. “The world has already developed crops that are more productive; with all the technologies, African farmers could possibly double their harvests.”

By 2035, there could be almost no poor countries. In his Annual Letter 2014, Gates bravely predicted that continued levels of foreign help could mean there would be almost no more poor countries by 2035. “Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer,” Gates explained. “Countries will learn from their most productive neighbors and benefit from things like better seeds and the digital revolution. ”

By 2030, the world will discover a clean-energy breakthrough to power our world. One of Gate’s more hopeful predictions which came in 2016 said that wind, solar, or some other renewable resources would power most of the world within 15 years. “The difficulty we face is big, perhaps bigger than many people imagine,” he wrote in his letter. “But so is the chance to make things better.” Many of the poor countries he visited had no running water or electricity. At night this meant they couldn’t light or power their homes, and keep businesses open.” If the world can find a type of cheap, clean energy, it will do more than prevent climate change,” he wrote. “It will change the lives of millions of the poorest families.”

1.What does the author think of Gates’ predictions?

A.They sound quite unreal. B.They are mainly about computers.

C.They will probably come true. D.They haven’t produced any end result.

2.How is the agriculture in Africa?

A.It is losing its workforce. B.It is in need of productivity.

C.It can satisfy the local needs. D.It is as backward as Africa’s industry.

3.What should poor countries do according to Gates?

A.Use expensive seeds. B.Expect less foreign help.

C.Rely on the digital revolution. D.Learn from the experience of other countries.

4.What’s Gates’ attitude to clean-energy development?

A.It’s no easy task. B.It’s hard to imagine.

C.It can put climate change to an end. D.It has little to do with poor families.

高二英语阅读选择简单题查看答案及解析

The world’s richest man might seem to have it all, but Bill Gates has one regret. The self-made billionaire said he felt stupid for not knowing any foreign languages.

Speaking in his third Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session for online forum Reddit(红迪网), the Microsoft founder said that he wished he spoke French,　 Arabic or Chinese.

He said, “I took Latin and Greek in high school and got A’s and I guess it helps my vocabulary. I keep hoping to get time to study one of these—probably French because it is the easiest. I did Duolingo for a while but didn’t keep it up. ”

Gates, who is worth $79.3billion, praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for surprising an audience in Beijing when he spoke fluent Chinese.“Mark Zuckerberg amazingly learned Chinese and did a Q&A with Chinese students—unbelievable, isn’t it? ” he said.

This isn’t the first time for Gates to admit his regret over language. He also showed his habits at home and personal insights.

Last February, Gates said he likes to do the dishes himself—to his own special standards every night and also told the interviewer that his wife, Melinda,　 would likely want Samuel L. Jackson to play her husband in a biopic(传记片).

He also admitted that he would pick up a $100 bill if he found it on the street.

As he took the top spot on Forbes 28th Annual Billionaires list last year for the fourth time, he said he is pretty basic when it comes to spending on clothes and food, but that he enjoys investing in shoes and racquets(球拍)when he plays tennis.

When asked a life lesson he had to learn the hard way, the billionaire said staying up too late is a habit he is still trying to break. “Don’t stay up too late even if the book is really exciting.You will regret it in the morning. I am still working on this problem, ” he said.

1.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook.

B.Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times.

C.Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high school.

D.Bill Gates’ wife wanted Samuel to play a game with Gates.

2.What advice did Bill Gates give?

A.Avoid staying up too late.

B.Be a good language learner.

C.Do the dishes yourself at home.

D.Pick up the $100 bill in the street.

3.The underlined part in Paragraph 8 may actually mean that 　　 .

A.it is important to lay a good foundation of life

B.food and clothing are basic needs for people’s life

C.he doesn’t spend much money on food and clothes

D.he never cares about buying food and clothing

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

A.An Interview with Bill Gates

B.How Bill Gates Succeeded

C.Bill Gates’ Regret

D.The Richest Billionaire

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Bill Gates doesn’t pretend he lives in an equal household. When it _________parenting his three children, the billionaire admits his wife Melinda has done more than her________of the work raising the kids.

Gates spent two years taking math and computer science courses, but never ________his degree.“My eldest daughter graduates from Stanford in June, so I’m________she won't fall into my footsteps.”Gates joked.

Gates said he and his wife have been quite cautious about the________they've used to' raise their three children. He says the couple ________ a 1970s “Love and Logic” parenting model. The core idea of the philosophy is centered on the idea that taking emotional control, essentially reducing emotional________ like shouting or blaming kids, is________for parents.

“One of the greatest benefits of________“Love and Logic” is that it helps us learn how to keep a tighter control on our emotions and on our________.”Gates said.

Gates admits he and his wife haven’ at ________the approach. “Can you get rid of the emotion? You can’t________ do it.”he said.

Besides, the “Love and Logic” model also________the importance of not relying on rewards for kids, but instead showing unconditional love and praising kids for who they are, not what they do (or don’t)________，like a poor test score or a(n)________grade.

“Many highly successful people________Lwith grades as children.” Gates said，“What’s most important is that our________develop good character, curiosity and problem-solving skills.”

The model is a bit like the Socratic method，________it pushes parents to focus on asking questions of their kids and getting them to think about how to ________their own problems,________ feeding them answers.

1.A. leads to　　 B. devotes to　　 C. refers to　　 D. comes to

2.A. power　　 B. share　　 C. sight　　 D. reach

3.A. purchased　　 B. finished　　 C. missed　　 D. lost

4.A. optimistic　　 B. sorry　　 C. pessimistic　　 D. normal

5.A. idea　　 B. theory　　 C. model　　 D. practice

6.A. adapted　　 B. evaluated　　 C. disliked　　 D. followed

7.A. reactions　　 B. displays　　 C. apartments　　 D. mistakes

8.A. familiar　　 B. expensive　　 C. useful　　 D. meaningless

9.A. repairing　　 B. facing　　 C. lacking　　 D. applying

10.A. tongues　　 B. minds　　 C. hands　　 D. gesture

11.A. holding out　　 B. carrying out　　 C. tying out　　 D. letting out

12.A. gradually　　 B. roughly　　 C. commonly　　 D. totally

13.A. covers　　 B. hides　　 C. stresses　　 D. costs

14.A. show　　 B. earn　　 C. achieve　　 D. love

15.A. harmful　　 B. bad　　 C. various　　 D. impressive

16.A. struggled　　 B. grew　　 C. smiled　　 D. cried

17.A. children　　 B. staff　　 C. teachers　　 D. parents

18.A. what　　 B. when　　 C. why　　 D. where

19.A. guide　　 B. solve　　 C. raise　　 D. overcome

20.A. thanks to　　 B. but for　　 C. instead of　　 D. or rather

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In order to realize his dream, Bill Gates, richest man in the world, gave up studying in Harvard University, that is the most famous in the world. He set up a company and researching the computer software. An old saying go, “Interest is the best teacher.” I quite agree with this idea. I began to be crazy about English when I was a little girl. I got extreme interested in foreign cultures or customs. To meet me curiosity, I read in English stories every day. It seemed to be the best “meal” of a day. As a result, I always did very well in English exam. Interest is the key of success.

高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Super-agers” have long puzzled scientists, but now researchers say they are unpicking why some people live beyond 80 and still appear to be well.

Researchers say studies show that super-agers appear to adapt more easily to the slings and arrows of life, and are more open-minded and less sensitive. But they have also made another discovery. Looking at the brains of 10 super-agers after they died, Prof Emily Rogalski, from Northwestern University said they discovered these individuals have more of a certain type of brain cell known as Von Economo neurons ( 神经) than average elderly individuals. “We can’t explain how they ended up with more Von Economo neurons or why that is important. But these are a special type of neurons that have only been found in a couple of regions of the brain.”

Studies have shown there are other differences as well. “When we look at the rate of cognitive ( 认知的) thinning in the cognitively average 80-year-olds, their brains are thinning at nearly two and a half times that of the super-agers,” said Rogalski.

Being underweight also seemed to matter, with those who had a very low body mass index after the age of 80 more likely to die. It’s not bad to be skinny when you’re young but it is when you’re old.

The researchers say they have also found that the common bad habits do not necessarily lead to an early grave, with many super-agers saying they smoked and enjoyed a drink. “We ask them why is it that you think you are a super-ager, how did you get here, and there are a couple of funny ladies and they will say, well it’s　 because I have some alcohol with my friends every day at 5 o’clock. Others have never had a drink,” said Rogalski.

However, Rogalski added, that did not mean that people should take up bad　 habits to live longer, noting that some people might have a genetic makeup that allowed them to tolerate smoking and drinking. Nonetheless, Rogalski thinks we can learn from super-agers. “We are getting quite good at extending our lifespan but our health span isn’t keeping up and what the super-agers have is more of a balance between those two, they are living long and living well,” she said.

1.What can we learn about Von Economo neurons?

A.They can be found all over the super-agers’ brains.

B.They lead to super-agers’ easier adaptation to hardships.

C.Super-agers are found to have more of them in their brains.

D.Scientists have discovered how they are produced in brains.

2.Compared to the average elderly, super-agers　 .

A.have better life habits

B.tend to drink more alcohol

C.are usually much slimmer

D.are slower in brain thinning

3.What does Rogalski intend to tell us by the underlined sentence?

A.We should develop good habits to live longer.

B.We should seek to live well while living long.

C.Super-agers should help us extend our health span.

D.Extending lifespan is harder than keeping health span.

4.What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To reveal some secrets of super-agers.

B.To introduce the ways of staying young.

C.To explain the advantages of living long.

D.To describe various habits of super-agers.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

After Bernini broke his neck and lost all movements below his shoulders when he was 18, his brain still told his hands how to move - - but the message couldn't get through the injured part that connects his brain to other parts of his body. Now, thanks to recent advances in electrical stimulation (刺激) technology. Bernini can once again grasp, pour, and even play Guitar Hero. To do so, he uses a micro-electrode array (MEA) that reads his brain's signals and sends them through wires to something like a sleeve on his arm that electronically stimulates his muscles.

In the past years, researchers have used several approaches to guide patients like Bernini to move their hands. In some systems, researchers implanted (植人)sensors in shoulder muscles that patients could still control, allowing them to move one hand by contracting muscles in the opposite shoulder. Other systems use brain implants similar to those in the new study, but to control robotic arms, rather than the patient’s own muscles. But never before has a patient been able to precisely move his hand using the same neural (神经的)signals that controlled his hand before his injury.

After implanting the MEA in Bernini 's brain, researchers connected it to a computer. Bernini trained the system to connect patterns of neural signals to specific movements by repeatedly mirroring the movements of an imaginary hand on a computer screen. Soon, Bernini could hold large objects like glasses and lift small objects like straws. He could also move each finger on his own just by thinking about it, which previous systems had never achieved. And it was absolutely an amazing moment.

1.How is Bernini now?

A.He does well in playing the guitar.

B.He has recovered from his neck injury.

C.His thoughts can control his hand movements.

D.His shoulder muscles guide his hand movement.

2.What did researchers want to do through brain implants in the past?

A.Control the patients' hands.

B.Guide robots to help patients.

C.Help patients' own muscles contract.

D.Repair patients' injured neural signals.

3.What's the breakthrough in Bernini 's case compared with previous studies?

A.He can hold and lift objects.

B.He can move each finger independently.

C.He can recognize his specific movements.

D.He can use neural signals for hand moving.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A.Moving Hands by Contracting Muscles.

B.Using New Systems for Muscle Injuries.

C.Sending Neural Signals by Wires.

D.Linking thoughts to Movements.

高二英语阅读选择简单题查看答案及解析

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, 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.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A Four-Year-Old Boy Convinced Father Is a Fool After 45th Hide-and-Seek Victory

GLENDALE, PENNSYLVANIA-Expressing embarrassment and disappointment over being the son of such a loser, local four-year-old Connor Heyward was convinced that his father, Craig Heyward, was a fool after losing 45 games of hide-and-seek. “God, this is bad. I’ve hidden behind that bush a dozen times, and he still can’t find me, “ said Connor, admitting that after finding his father crouched behind a chair half his size, he had started to worry he might grow up to be a “ complete idiot” just like his dad. “At first, I thought I might be really good at this game, but after succeeding in hiding underneath a clothes basket with visible holes, I realized the kind of game was not his cake. It’d be one thing if he were only bad at seeking, but so far, his best hiding spot was behind the back door. Who hides behind a door? There’s no strategy to it whatsoever. “

Reality of Fatherhood Never Truly Dawned on Man Until He Held Newborn Son’s Hospital Bill

MISSOULA, MONTANA-Describing how he suddenly found himself overwhelmed by a flood of intense emotions, local man Mike Bentzen told reporters the reality of fatherhood didn’t truly set in for him until the moment he held his newborn son’s hospital bill. “Wow, this is going to totally change my life,” said Bentzen as tears welled up in his eyes. “Some friends tell me about their experience, but you can’t understand what it feels like until you’re looking down at it in your own hands.” Bentzen reportedly started weeping softly as he sat down with his son’s hospital bill in his lap and began imagining how he would deal with this for the next 18 years.

1.Which of the following best describes Craig Heyward as a father?

A.Foolish. B.Childish. C.Loving. D.Embarrassed.

2.What made Mike Bentzen truly come to know the reality of fatherhood?

A.His plan for the future. B.His friends’ experience.

C.His overwhelming emotions. D.His newborn son’s hospital bill.

3.Where is this text most likely from?

A.A joke collection. B.A loca A Four-Year-Old Boy Convinced l newspaper.

C.A speech selection. D.A child-breeding guidebook.

4.What another story can be added to the text?

A.What to Read While Social Distancing

B.This Is What Your Dog’s Behaviors Really Mean

C.Police Chief Vows to Take Concrete Steps to Reduce Violence

D.Children’s Fondest Memories Times When Dad Trying to Make Up for Things

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

MONTREAL--He may be the world’s richest man, but that didn’t prevent Bill Gates from falling for an April Fool’s day joke by two Quebec radio comics (喜剧演员) pretending to be Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Montreal French-language station CKMF--FM said last Wednesday that staffers (工作人员) Marcantoine Audet and Sebastien Trudel had a 10-minute telephone chat with Microsoft Corp boss Gates on April 1.

The broadcast was aired on their nightly show last Tuesday and repeated last Wednesday.

“We were happy. We had been calling Microsoft persistently (坚持不懈地) for four weeks,” Trudel said.

Trudel said he and his colleague had already fooled Canadian pop singer Celine Dion and Formula One (一级方程赛车) driver Jacques Villeneuve on their show.

“This time, we wanted to give ourselves a challenge with somebody more difficult to reach,” Ttudel said.

He said he was surprised that Gates’s assistants did not check to see if it was really the prime minister’s office on the line.

Trudel said they imitated (模仿) Chretien’s heavily accented English, talking about the economy, asking about Microsoft’s Windows operating system and inviting the multibillionaire to visit a well-known Montreal strip joint (运动服合资企业).

The radio host said that Gates was not amused by the fake interview.

“He did not seem angry but he did not find it so funny,” the comic said.

1.Bill Gates was fooled mainly because ______.

2.We can conclude from the passage that the two comics ______.

3.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

An ordinary cotton T- shirt can be changed into body armour(盔甲), thanks to scientists from South Carolina, Switzerland and China. They combined the carbon in the cotton with boron to create a tough, lightweight fabric of boron carbide(碳化硼), the same material used to protect tanks.

Available at Wal-Mart, the new T- shirt would be not only bulletproof, but also resistant to ultraviolet light from the sun and life -threatening radioactive rays.

“The present armour is strong, but it’s not flexible and it’s very heavy. We tried to solve this problem with a different approach. In our approach, we used cotton T- shirts,” said Xiaodong Li, a scientist at the University of South Carolina. The trick for the scientists was combining melting boron with the carbon fibers inside the cotton fibers to form boron carbide. The great research began with a package of plain, white T-shirts purchased at Wal-Mart, which the scientists cut into pieces. They put those white cotton pieces into a black liquid of boron. After an hour, the cotton pieces were taken out from it and baked in an oven at a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius for an hour. As a result, only carbon and boron was left and then boron carbide came into being.

The resulting material is very different from the original ones at the start of the process—it’s lighter, stronger, tougher and stiffer than the original cotton, but it can still be bent, unlike normal boron carbide armour.

Li said that the physical features of the new material are still being tested, but “from our initial results we can say the test has been very, very promising.” “We expect that the material can stop a bullet,” Discovery News quoted Li as saying.

Covering cars or aircraft with cotton-based boron carbide, instead of the metal used today, would make these vehicles much lighter and more fuel- saving.

1.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A.The features of new boron carbide. B.The advantages of new boron carbide.

C.The disadvantages of former boron carbide. D.The process of making new boron carbide.

2.What can we know from the text?

A.Many T- shirts are used to produce new materials.

B.The new T- shirts must be popular with children.

C.The new boron carbide contains many chemicals.

D.The new material has more advantages.

3.What’s Li Xiaodong’s attitude towards the new material?

A.Confident. B.Negative. C.Neutral. D.Ambiguous.

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A.Traditional T-shirts are out of date. B.An ordinary T- shirt can become body armour.

C.New boron carbide has been widely used. D.Cotton- based boron carbide will easily change our life.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析