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 As 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 $79.3 billion, 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(福布斯) 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 rackets(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. Pam is still working on this problem," he said.
1.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
2.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 never cares about buying food and clothing
D. he doesn't spend much money on food and clothes
3.What advice did Bill Gates give?
A. Do the dishes yourself at home.
B. Be a good language learner.
C. Avoid staying up too late.
D. Pick up the $100 bills in the streets.
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook.
B. Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high school.
C. Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times.
D. Bill Gates' wife wants Samuel to play a game with Gates.
Singapore's public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city－trains, buses and taxis.
TRAINS
Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link card for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like. If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
BUSES
There are several bus services in Singapore and fares start at 80 cents. Be sure to always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he cannot give change. If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
TAXIS
There are three main taxi companies－City Cab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easy by calling the numbers listed above.
RENTAL CARS
Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you'll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won't let you see.
For car rental, call Avis on +65 6737 1668.
1.By an EZ-Link card, you can take ______.
A. both buses and trains B. only trains
C. both buses and taxis D. only rental cars
2.What does the word "hassle" mean in Chinese?·
A. 麻烦 B. 乐趣
C. 景点 D. 费用
3.What do you know about traveling in Singapore from the passage?
A. A local has no trouble finding his way around.
B. It's much cheaper to go around by bus than by train.
C. You can see a lot more in Singapore only by renting a car.
D. It's very convenient for visitors to travel in Singapore.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
For many years, I had a recurring (重复出现的) dream. I was a little girl again, rushing about, trying to get ready for school.
“Hurry, you’ll be late for school,” my mother called to me.
“I am hurrying, Mom! What did I do with my books?”
Deep inside I knew where the dream came from. It was about some unfinished business in my life. As a kid, I loved everything about school. I loved books, teachers, tests and homework. Most of all I longed to someday march down the aisle (通道) to receive my diploma. That seemed more appealing even than getting married.
But at 15, I had to drop out because my parents couldn’t afford tuition (学费). My hope of getting a diploma was dead, or so I thought. Pretty soon, I married and had three children, and I thought: “There goes my diploma.”
Even so, I wanted my children to be educated. But Linda, our youngest child, had juvenile arthritis (幼年型关节炎) in her hands and knees, which made it impossible for her to function in a normal classroom. I felt really sorry for her and I didn’t want her to live her life with regret. I didn’t give up hope of her being back to school in some way.
One day, I saw an ad in the newspaper for evening courses. “That’s the answer,” I said to myself. Linda always feels better in the evening, so I’ll just sign her up for night school.
Linda was busy filling out enrollment (入学) forms when the secretary said: “Mrs. Schantz, why don’t you come back to school?”
I laughed: “There’s no way! I’m 55!” But he persisted, and before I knew what I had done, I was enrolled for classes in English and crafts. “This is only an experiment,” I warned him, but he just smiled. So, I told myself to try for just a semester and to see if it would work. Anyway, my dream was still there in my heart.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词;
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
It was exciting to go to school again but...
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Linda and I saw each other through the time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
你的英语老师Ms Li下个月就要退休，你得知她喜欢植物，想送给她一些特别的植物种子作为她的退休礼物。请用英语给她写一张明信片，和礼物一起送给她。
注意:
(1)词数80左右，明信片的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总数。
(2)请适当加入细节，使行文连贯。
Dear Ms Li,
I’ve heard that you are going to retire soon.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Wish you a happy retirement and we’ll miss you.
Love,
Li Hua
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of 1. (recover) appeared to be a blood transfusion (输血) from 2. 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and 3. (develop) the antibodies (抗体) needed to fight against the illness. The doctor explained the situation 4. her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be 5. (will) to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment 6. taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.” 7. the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister, with smile on his pale face. As we all did, he watched the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew 8. (pale) and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a 9. (tremble) voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his 10. in order to save her.
Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future and wanted to make a ______ in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s ______ I learned about the Lighthouse Project.
I started my ______ as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous ______. I knew it would be a lot of ______, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. ______, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project ______.
I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to ______ among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the ______. I would be going to a small ______ near Abuja, Nigeria.
After completing my ______, I was sent to the village that was small and ______ in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food ______ I were their own family. I was asked to ______ a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I ______ in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my ______ than they did from me.
Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or ______ to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local ______, and returned to the United States a ______ man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my ______ forever.
1.A. contribution B. difference C. change D. attempt
2.A. why B. how C. when D. where
3.A. journey B. career C. occupation D. business
4.A. volunteers B. fellows C. graduates D. applicants
5.A. adventure B. exploration C. fun D. hard work
6.A. In turn B. In reward C. In honor D. In short
7.A. seriously B. lightly C. hurriedly D. cautiously
8.A. stick out B. turn out C. stand out D. pick out
9.A. duty B. call C. application D. responsibility
10.A. city B. company C. village D. school
11.A. consideration B. college C. interview D. training
12.A. instantly B. desperately C. severely D. timely
13.A. as if B. even if C. just as D. what if
14.A. convince B. lead C. gather D. undertake
15.A. studied B. survive C. support D. taught
16.A. villagers B. colleagues C. students D. competitors
17.A. familiar B. similar C. cruel D. unusual
18.A. language B. people C. attractions D. accommodation
19.A. smarter B. different C. helpful D. professional
20.A. character B. experience C. interest D. life
