单选题
I've always been an optimist and I suppose that is rooted in my belief that the power of creativity and intelligence can make the world a better place. For as long as I can remember, I've loved learning new things and solving problems. So when I sat down at a computer for the first time in seventh grade, I was hooked. It was an old teletype machine and it could barely do anything compared to the computers we have today. But it changed my life. Computers have transformed how we learn, giving kids everywhere a window into all of the world's knowledge. They're helping us build communities around the things we care about and to stay close to the people who are important to us, no matter where they are. Like my friend Warren Buffett, I feel particularly lucky to do something every day that I love to do. He calls it 'tap-dancing to work.' My job at Microsoft is as challenging as ever, but what makes me 'tap-dance to work' is when we show people something new, like a computer that can recognize your hand-writing or your speech, or one that can store a lifetime's worth of photos, and they say, 'I didn't know you could do that with a PC!' But for all the cool things that a person can do with a PC, there are lots of other ways we can put our creativity and intelligence to work to improve our world. There are still far too many people in the world whose most basic needs go unmet. Every year, for example, millions of people die from diseases that are easy to prevent or treat in the developed world. I believe that my own good fortune brings with it a responsibility to give back to the world. As a father, I believe that the death of a child in Africa is no less poignant or tragic than the death of a child anywhere else. And that it doesn't take much to make an immense difference in these children's lives. I'm still very much an optimist, and I believe that progress on even the world's toughest problems is possible—and it's happening every day. We're seeing new drugs for deadly diseases, new diagnostic tools, and new attention paid to the health problems in the developing world. I'm excited by the possibilities I see for medicine, for education and, of course, for technology. And I believe that through our natural inventiveness, creativity and willingness to solve tough problems, we're going to make some amazing achievements in all these areas in my lifetime.
单选题
What does the author think about his first computer? ______
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】根据题目中的first computer定位到第2段。 该段首句和第3句表明那台老式的电脑激起了作者学习新东西的兴趣，并因此改变了其一生，由此可见，用inspirational形容这台电脑对作者的影响是很恰当的，因此A为本题答案。 B的curious和beautiful均无原文依据；it could barely do anything证明C中的most practical与原文不符；至于D，原文第3段虽有提及computers和knowledge之间的关系，但谈论的是更像是现在的电脑，而不是老电脑，况且在第2段中，作者只是说电脑激起了他学习的兴趣，这并不意味着这台电脑就蕴含着作者所需的所有知识，因此D将原文内容夸大了。 [参考译文] 我一直是个乐观主义者，我想我的信念中有个根深蒂固的观点，就是：创造力和智慧的力量可以让世界变得更美好。 从记事起，我就喜欢学习新东西、解决问题。所以七年级时当我第一次坐在电脑前，我就被深深地吸引住了。那是一台老式的电传打字机。与现在的电脑相比，它简直什么都不会做。但它却改变了我的一生。 电脑改变了我们学习的方式，为世界各地的孩子打开通向知识天地的窗户。电脑帮助我们将我们关注的事物连接起来，让我们与生命中重要的人保持亲密联系，不论他们身处何方。 像我的朋友华伦·巴菲特一样，我觉得，每天能做自己喜欢的事真是特别幸运。他称其为“跳着踢踏舞工作”。我在微软的工作依然充满挑战。但是当我们向人们展示新产品时，比如说一台能识别你的笔迹或语音的电脑，或是一台能存储你一辈子那么多照片的电脑，人们说：“我没想到可以用个人电脑做这个!”这就是可以让我感觉在“跳着踢踏舞工作”的事。 除了用个人电脑做这些了不起的事外，我们还可以通过其他很多方式发挥创造力和智慧，来改善我们的世界。世界上还有许多人连最基本的需求都得不到满足。例如，每年有许多人死于疾病，而在发达国家，这些疾病很容易预防或治疗。 我相信，与我自己的好运相伴而来的是一份回馈社会的责任。作为一名父亲，我相信，一名非洲孩子的死亡与其他任何地方孩子的死亡一样，让人痛彻心扉、悲伤不已。而要让这些孩子的生活得到巨大改观并不是很难做到的事。 我仍然是个非常乐观的人。我相信，即使是最棘手的问题也可能取得进展——而且这样的事每天都在发生。我们常常看到：治疗不治之症的新药研究出来了，新的诊断工具制造出来了，人们开始关注发展中国家的健康问题了。 我为医疗、教育，当然还有科技领域可能取得的成就激动不已。我相信，凭我们天生的独创力、创造力，以及解决难题的意愿，在我一生中，我们定会在所有这些领域取得令人瞩目的成就。
单选题
By calling it 'tap-dancing to work', the author thinks his job is ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据题目中的“tap-dancing to work”和人名Warren Buffett定位到第4段开头两句。 从第4段开头两句可知巴菲特认为做自己喜欢的工作就是tap-dancing to work，可见作者的工作应该是自己喜欢的，也就是enjoyable的，才能算是tap dancing to work，因此本题应选C。 本题最具干扰性的是A，文中只是说到作者在微软的工作充满挑战，而并没有具体提到是脑力方面的挑战，故可排除。其他两个选项的内容与tap dancing to work的理论无关，在第4段均未提及。