B. Microsoft faces financial problems which may inevitably hold back its growth
C. Microsoft will cut back its workforce in the next year
D. Microsoft will cut both its spending and sales in the next year
4. Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph？
A. Microsoft？？s dominant position will never be replaced.
B. Microsoft？？s financial position will be more secure than ever before.
C. Microsoft is taking measures to maintain its financial position.
D. Microsoft is cutting spending and promoting sales in order to make as muchmoney as it did in the past year.
( 2)
In December of 1974，Allen was on his way to visit Gates when along the way hestopped to browse the current magazines. What he saw changed his and Bill Gates？？lives forever. On the cover of Popular Electronics was a picture of the Altair 8080 andthe headline“World？？s First Microcomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models. ”Hebought the issue and rushed over to Gates？？dorm room. They both recognized this astheir big opportunity. The two knew that the home computer market was about toexplode and that someone would need to make software for the new machines.
Within a few days，Gates had called MITS ( Micro Instrumentation and TelemetrySystems) ( 遥感勘测系统，自动测量记录传导系统) ，the makers of the Altair. Hetold the company that he and Allen had developed a BASIC ( 语言初学者通用指令码) that could be used on the Altair . This was a lie. They had not even written a lineof code. They had neither an Altair nor the chip ( 芯片) that ran the computer . TheMITS Company did not know this and was very interested in seeing their BASIC. So，Gates and Allen began working feverishly ( 兴奋地) on the BASIC they hadpromised. The code for the program was left mostly up to Bill Gates while Paul Allenbegan working on a way to simulate the Altair with the schools PDP 10 ( 配电动力分配计划) .
Eight weeks later，the two felt their program was ready. Allen was to fly toMITS and show off their creation. The day after Allen arrived at MITS，it was time totest their BASIC. Entering the program into the company？？s Altair was the first timeAllen had ever touched one. If the Altair simulation he designed or any of Gates？？codewas faulty，the demonstration would most likely have ended in failure. This was notthe case，and the program worked perfectly the first time. MITS arranged a deal withGates and Allen to buy the rights to their BASIC. Gates was convinced that thesoftware market had been born. Within a year，Bill Gates had dropped out of Harvardand Microsoft was formed.
1. In the first paragraph，the word“browse”most probably means .
A. look over B. look through C. look about D. look for
2. Which of the following was /were the possible reason( s) for Gates？？telling a lie toMITS？
A. Gates wanted to become a member of MITS.
B. Gates wanted to arouse their interest.
C. Gates and Allen were interested in developing the BASIC.
D. Both B and C.
3. What was the main reason for Gates to drop out of Harvard？
A. He did not work well.
B. He was not interested in his studies at all.
C. He couldn？？t pursue his studies and run his business at the same time.
D. He felt it was the right time for him to start a business on software.
4. Which of the following might serve as the title of the passage？
A. The Birth of Microsoft.
B. Roots of Business Career .
C. Partnership.
D. How Bill Gates Got Rich.
( 3)
