READING
Read, translate and do the exercises after the text in the written form
BILL GATES AND MICROSOFT CORPORATION
William (Bill) H. Gates was chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, the
worldwide leader in software services and Internet technologies for personal and business. Gates’
foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the
software industry.
In August 23, 1995, an unprecedented marketing and media frenzy reached its peak throughout the
world. The level of publicity and excitement had rarely been seen before, but it was not for a new movie
or even a new car. It was a piece of software. By midnight, customers had already queued up outside
computer stores to be among the first to purchase Window 95, an upgraded operating system for IBM and
IBM-compatible personal computers. Microsoft Corporation, the company behind Windows 95, spared no
expense in exciting the demand for its new product.
Born on October 28, 1955, William Henry Gates grew up in Seattle, Washington, is a socially
prominent family with his two sisters. Their father was a lawyer, with a well-connected firm in the city.
Their mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, active in charity work. Gates attended public elementary
school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began
programming computers at the age of 13. “He was a computer nerd before the term was invented” , as one
of his teachers described Gates at the time.
In 1973 , Bill Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived doen the hall from
Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft’s chief executive officer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of
the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer – the MITS Altair.
In his junior years, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun
in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable
tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates and Allen were not typical entrepreneurs. They had no business plan, no venture capital, no banker
or Small Business Administration loans. But they had the most important tools needed for software
development: brains and computers, and they had everything necessary for entry into the porous computer
industry of the time: they had product, programming expertise, and most importantly, a vision of greater
possibilities.
The introduction of Windows 95 mirrored the rapid changes in the marketplace and marked a new
crucial point for Bill Gates. His role in the personal computer revolution had given him a net worth
estimated in the summer of 1996 at $18 billion, and had turned him into an icon of information
technology. Few American businessmen have ever occupied such a niche in the popular imagination. Just
as John D. Rockefeller created order from chaos in the most important new industry of the late nineteenth
century, Gates and his company did the same in the most crucial industry of the late twentieth century:
computers. And like Rockefeller, Gates found ways to force the rest of the industry to follow his lead.
Gates was married on January 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates
is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf and bridge.
In 1999, Gates wrote Business & Speed of Thought, a book that shows how computer technology
can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is
available in more than 60 countries. Gates’ previous book, The Road Ahead, published in 1995, held the
No. 1 spot on the New York Times’ bestseller list for seven weeks.
Though an innovative and forward-thinking entrepreneur, Bill Gate didn’t invent crucial
technology. Rather, he shrewdly adapted and improved products first made by others. He recognized the
coming of the personal computer (PC) long before others did, and deduced that operating systems and
applications (software) would be at least as important to the PC business as the nuts-and-bolts equipment
(hardware). Part of the reason for Microsoft’s dominance in the field lies precisely in Gates’ ability to
anticipate developments in computer technology and to judge when the public will be ready for them.
Another part of Microsoft’s success lies in Gates’ unwavering confidence in his own ideas. Through the
force of his personality, as much as through the popularity of his products, Bill Gates has imposed his own
order on the burgeoning computer industry.
Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of
technology in education and professional skills development. Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft’s
mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more
cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers.
Philanthropy was also important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda, have endowed a foundation
with more than $24 billion to support initiatives in the areas of global health and learning, including the
Gates Library Initiative to bring computers, Internet Access and training to public libraries in low-income
communities in the United States and Canada.
Vocabulary
compatible
совместимый
computer nerd
компьютерный фанат
crucial
ключевой, решительный
donate
передавать в дар
endow
пожертвовать капитал, делать дар на
благотворительные цели
expertise
опыт, знания дела; квалификация, компетенция
foresight
предвидение
forward-thinking
прогрессивно мыслящий
frenzy
безумие
hardware
аппаратура, оборудование
net worth
собственный капитал предприятия
proceeds
выручка, доходы
software architect
разработчик структуры системы программного
обеспечения
unwavering
непоколебимый, твердый, стойкий; недрогнувший
upgrade
модернизация, проф. апгрейд; модернизировать, делать
апгрейд
venture capital
венчурный капитал; капитал вложенный или
вкладываемый в новое предприятие, связанное с
риском (в том числе в разработки и организацию
производства нового продукта)
vision
предвидение, представление
I.
Translate the following sentences into Russian.
1. Gates’ foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success
of Microsoft.
2. The unprecedented marketing and media frenzy was for a piece of software Windows
95.
3. Through the force of his personality Bill Gates has imposed his own order of the
burgeoning computer industry.
4. Microsoft’s mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology.
5. Bill Gates devoted his energy to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable
for people to use computer.
II.
Fill in gaps in the sentences below with the words and expressions from the box. There
are two expressions, which you don’t need to use
Software, computer technology, an upgraded operating system, information
technology, net worth, innovative, foresight, marketplace, business problems,
computer nerd, software architect, forward-thinking, executive officer,
demand, Internet technologies
1. Bill Gates is chairman and chief….. of Microsoft Corporation.
2. Bill Gates is the worldwide leader in software services and ….. for personal and business
computing.
3. Customers queued up outside computer store to purchase Window 95, ….. for IBM and IBMcompatible personal computers.
4. Microsoft Corporation spared no expense in exciting the ….. for its new product ,namely
Window 95.
5. Bill Gates was a ….. before the term was invented: he devoted all his energies to developing
….. for personal computers.
6. The introduction of Windows 95 mirrored the rapid changes in the ….. and marked a new
crucial point for Bill Gates.
7. Gates’ ability to anticipate developments in …. Had given him in 1996 a ….. of $18 billion.
8. Bill Gates’ role in the personal computer revolution had turned him into an icon of …… .
9. In 199, Gates wrote a book that shows how computer technology can solve ….. in
fundamentally new ways.
10. 10. Being an ….. and ….. entrepreneur Bill Gates found ways to force the rest of the industry
to follow his lead.
III.
Find English equivalents for the following Russian expressions and words:
1. лидер на мировом рынке
2. программное обеспечение
3. операционная система
4. стимулировать спрос
5. компьютерный фанат
6. язык программирования
7. разработка программного обеспечения
8. ключевой момент
9. непоколебимая уверенность
IV.
Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Успех «Майкрософт» состоит в непоколебимой убежденности Гейтса в своих
собственных идеях.
Гейтс разработал версию языка программирования BASIC для первого
микрокомпьютера.
У Гейтса были самые важные инструменты, необходимые для разработки
программного обеспечения: мозги и компьютеры.
У Гейтса было все необходимое для компьютерной промышленности:
продукт, опыт программирования и предвидение еще больших возможностей.
Гейтс пожертвовал гонорар, полученный за обе книги, общественным
организациям.
buy in bulk buy goods in large
quantities __________________
put pressure on use your power
to encourage ________________
get a better deal get more value
for your money
Surveys Food
Make it cheaper and cheaper
How technology pushes down price
P
rices have fallen
in the
food business because of advances
in food production and distribution
technology.
Consumers
have
benefited
greatly
from
those
advances. People who predicted that
the world would run out of food were
wrong. We are producing more and
more food with less and less capital.
Food is therefore more plentiful and
cheaper than it has ever been.
Spending on food compared with
other goods has fallen for many
years, and continues to drop.
b)Supermarkets have helped
push down prices mainly because
of their scale. Like any big business,
they can invest in IT systems that
make them efficient. And their size
allows them to buy in bulk. As
supermarkets get bigger, the prices
get lower.
I.
II.
c)Huge retail companies such as
Wal-Mart have tremendous power
and they can put pressure on
producers to cut their margins. As a
result, some producers have had to
make cuts. In recent years, Unilever
has cut its workforce by 33,000 to
245,000 and dropped lots of its
minor brands as part of its "path to
growth" strategy. Cadbury has shut
nearly 20 per cent of its 133 factories
and cut 10 per cent of its 55,000
global workforce. These cuts help
keep costs down, and the price of
food stays low.
an easy way of making them feel
they have got a better deal. That is
why portions have got larger and
larger. In America, soft drinks came in
8oz (225g) cans in the past, then
12oz (350g), and now come in 20oz
(550g) cans. If a company can sell
you an 8oz portion for $7, they can
sell you a 12oz portion for $8. The
only extra cost to the company is
the food, which probably costs 25
cents.
Now companies are under
pressure to stop selling bigger
portions for less money. But it is
hard to change the trend.
d)Does cheap food make people
unhealthy?
Cheap
food
may
encourage people to eat more. Food
companies certainly think that giving
people more food for their money
makes them buy more. Giving
people bigger portions is
Read the article and match the headings 1-4 with the paragraph a-d.
1. Big supermarkets are more efficient.
2. Drinks come cheaper in large cans.
3. Technology improves food production
4. Supermarkets force producers to cut costs.
Read the article again. Are the statements true or false?
1. It costs less to produce large quantities of food than ever before.
2. Big supermarkets can offer food at lower prices because they can buy in large quantities.
3. Some food producers have reduced their range of products.
4. To meet supermarket demands, Cadbury employs more workers than before.
5. Shoppers will buy larger quantities when there is a special price.
6. For food companies, larger portions are not much more expensive to produce.
7. The writer thinks companies will be happy to reduce the sizes of portions.
Writing What are the advantages and disadvantages of large chain stores and small
shops? Which do you prefer to shop in?
I.
II.
III.
Read the article and find four reasons why some companies are trying to attract young workers.
Read the article again and answer the following questions
1. What does CapitalOne ofer its employees?
2. What five things are most important to young people in their work?
Which of the following things were generally true in the Past (P) and which are true today (T),
according to the article?
1. Office culture is formal.
2. People only become top managers after years of loyal service..
3. Companies can grow rapidly and also fail suddenly.
4. Workers have to show respect for their superiors
5. Companies prefer workers who understand e-business.
6. People work for the same company all their lives
7. Young people have many opportunities to show creativity
Survey: The young
The kids are all right
Young people at work can now expect opportunity, responsibility, respect - and fun
Youth is a time for fun. In one
American playground in Florida,
there are basketball courts and
volleyball nets. Inside, there are
bright colours, Nerf guns and a
games room with pingpong. This is
not a school, but the offices of
CapitalOne, one of America's largest
credit-card firms. The firm gives each
department a monthly "fun budget".
The same sort of thing can be found
across corporate America these days.
The kids have taken over. It is
technology that drives business
today, and dot.com culture is
everywhere. The young are now the
rising power in the workplace.
2 Take Microsoft, a business with
40,000 mostly young employees:
the dress code is "anything goes as
long as you're clean". People wear
shorts and have blue hair sometimes even in management.
The typical workplace scene
features mid-afternoon hockey,
video games and techno music on
headphones.
3 Companies
want to attract and keep
a younger workforce because of its
technical skills and enthusiasm for
change. So youth culture is
becoming part of office culture. This
may be no bad thing. Along with the
company fun budget come things
that matter more deeply to young
people:
opportunity,responsibility,
respect.
4 In the past, it was the middle-aged
who ruled. At work, grey hair, years
of
loyal service and seniority counted
most..Now things are changing. Older
workers will not disappear, but they
will have to share power with the
young. In the old days companies
grew slowly; with success came
conservative corporate values. Now
the world's largest firms can crash at
any moment. The pace of change is
increasing. And change favours the
young: they learn and relearn faster
and will risk more to try new things.
5 Many companies no longer have
seniority-based hierarchies. People
can
get to the top faster. They don't have
to spend years showing respect for
their superiors. It is more important
that they are able to understand ebusiness and have the courage to ask
"why?". Loyalty to the company is
less important than talent. Employees
stay only when there are challenges
and
rewards.
Changing
jobs
frequently is now a sign of ambition
and initiative. ' All this is a good
thing. Young people are at their most
creative stage in life. Now they have
more opportunity to put their ideas
and energy into practice.
Nerf guns realistic toy guns that
shoot but don't cause injuries
Writing 1.Would you like to work for CapitalOne or Microsoft? Why? / Why not?
2.In what ways is the office culture in companies in your country similar to or different from
the culture of CapitalOne or Microsoft?