For one brief moment in April, Larry Ellison came within a few dollars of being the richest man in the world. The computer tycoon was holding a global conference call on a Wednesday morning, when the value of his company surged.
It was the moment he almost overtook Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, as the wealthiest on the planet. For a few seconds, as share of traders marked Microsoft down and Oracle up, Ellison came within US $ 200,000 of Gates. The self-proclaimed "bad boy" of Silicon Valley found himself worth more than US $ 52 billion, up from a mere US $10 billion this time last year. Then Microsoft's share price, which had plunged in recent weeks, recovered and the moment passed.
Once, Ellison, founder of the software company Oracle, would have danced around his desk cursing like a pirate at failing to bring down Gates, a rival he had constantly made fun of in public. But Silicon Valley insiders said he remained calm, and muttered: "One day, one day very, very soon." He knew his moment was close.
Unlike Gates, he is not big on charity, preferring to spend his money his way. He has his own private air force, a military-style. crew based at San Jose airport near Redwood City, to help him fly his Gulfstream V jet (with two marbled bathrooms), a Marchetti fighter plane imported from Italy, and a handful of other aircraft, including a trainer for his son. He also plans to import a Russian Mig-29 fighter (capable of 1,500 mph). Why does he want one? So that, he joked, he can blast Gates' home near Seattle. Cars are cheap and cheerful by comparison. He has a relatively modest Porsche Boxster, two specially altered Mercedes and a US $ 900,000 silver McLaren.
In San Francisco he owns a magnificent house in Pacific Heights, one of Western America's most expensive stretches of real estate. The house is a technical marvel. When he inserts his key, the opaque glass door turns transparent, revealing a Japanese garden in the middle of the house. For reasons he knows best, Ellison is obsessed with Japanese culture. Though he says he once briefly dated the actress Sharon Stone, Ellison is better known for the number than the fame of his wives. It is said he introduced himself with: "Can I buy you a car?" In one year he gave at least four US $ 50,000 cars to young ladies.
While Gates comes from a strong family, Ellison still does not know who his father was. He was born to an unmarried mother and adopted by his Russian uncle and aunt. A brilliant but unpredictable self-promoter, he dropped out of college, drove to California in a battered Thunderbird car and ended up working with computer technicians at a bank. "He always had a champagne lifestyle. on beer money," his first wife said.
He set up Oracle in 1977 as a super-salesman with 3 programmers, creating software for businesses. It almost collapsed when it promised more than it could deliver, but since then its fortunes have soared. Now it employs 43,000 people and has designed data-processing systems used by Britain's M15 spy service as well as big western companies. Oracle's software is more Internet- friendly than Gates' Windows, one factor behind the company's recent share price rise.
Since his company got big, Ellison has promised shareholders that he will spend more time in the office. But can he escape being the thrill-seeker he is at heart? As summer approaches, he may find it hard to resist the lure of his yachts, Sakura, one of the longest in the world, and Sayonara (Japanese for "see you later"), which he races furiously. It is dangerous sport, even for guests. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch once nearly lost a finger when he grabbed a rope during a race onboard the Sayonara. Ellison joked at least he could "still wrote checks".
Regardless of distractions, Ellison will not give up in his battle against Gates. He hates to lose. Ellison declares that any
A.Ellison is as rich as Bill Gates
B.Ellison has US $ 200,000 less than Bill Gates
C.Ellison is richer than Bill Gates
D.Oracle has more money than Microsoft
时间:2023-01-22 10:30:27
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The lubricating system for the cylinder walls is different from the bearings in that the oil for former one is supplied in () while that for latter one is ().
A . sufficient quantity; measured
B . measured quantity;sufficient
C . excessive quantity;sufficient
D . the less quantity the better;the more the better
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Which of the following IBM storage products allows for 960 TB (raw) in one standard IBM rack?()
A . XIV system
B . DS5300
C . DS8700
D . Storwize V7000
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One of the purposes for water cooling the exhaust manifold in marine diesel engine is to ()
A . reduce lube oil temperature
B . raise exhaust temperature reduce
C . excessive heating of engine room
D . reduce load on cooling water pum
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Having()the bear in the woods for one week, the man was almost out of food.
A、caught
B、shot
C、trailed 追踪
D、seeking
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Which IBM storage products allows for 960 TB (raw) in one standard IBM rack of the following?()
A . XIV system
B . DS5300
C . DS8800
D . Storwize V7000
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All-in-one UTM security gateways are starting to displace routers in many small business networks. What does UTM stand for?()
A . United Threat Monitor
B . Universal Threat Manager
C . Unified Threat Management
D . Ultimate Threat Monitoring
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One remedy for a high firing pressure, in addition to a high exhaust temperature in one cylinder of a diesel engine, is to ()
A . increase scavenge air pressure
B . reduce fuel booster pump pressure
C . adjust the fuel rack
D . retard fuel injector timing
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In MPLS traffic engineering, which one of the following protocols is used for Path Setup?()
A . BGP
B . OSPF
C . ISIS
D . RSVP
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In a detailed outline, one usually adds ___________ for each paragraph.
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In this sentence, “ Mr. Mason. Hold one moment while I grab your chart, please.” “grab” means _________.
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For a short theme, one paragraph for the introduction will be enough, and it is usually short and brief.
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Your textbook discusses four methods of brainstorming for a speech topic. In a brief essay, identify and explain three of those methods.
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A person with sight in only one eye lacks which of the following visual cues for seeing in depth?
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in spite of his hard work no one can________for him as his fault in work has resulted in a heavy loss of one million dollars.
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The world of taxi drivers is dominated by men. But there is one small taxi company in Delhi,where all the drivers and passengers are female. Women’s safety is a hot topic in India at the moment, so it's proving a very popular service.
“When I’m on the road driving our taxi I feel very proud,because this is the first taxi service only for women,” says 31yearold Shanti Sharma, who is one of eight female drivers with a taxi service called Cabs for Women by Women.
The last couple of months, since the rape and murder in the city of a college student travelling on a bus, have been particularly busy for her and her colleagues.
“After this case,our workload has increased so much,” says Sharma.“Women who used other cab services are also turning to us now.”
Most women in Delhi say they routinely face harassment(骚扰), and worse, especially on public transport.
Sharma, a single parent with three daughters, has been working as a taxi driver since 2011, when the service was first set up, and it has changed her life. This is the first time that she has earned enough—about 250 a month—to support her family.
Of course, she and the other female taxi drivers are completely outnumbered by male cabbies.“When I park somewhere there are always men there and inevitably five or six of them get together and hang out, ” she says.“I’m usually the only woman in the parking lot, so I just stay inside the car.”
It’s not much better when she is out on the road. Sharma says the male drivers give her a hard time.“As soon as they see a woman at the wheel they start honking(按喇叭) for no reason. They’ll try to overtake you. I’m always worrying about how to avoid getting hit by someone.”
The company behind Cabs for Women by Women, Sakha Consulting Wings, had a number of goals when it set up the service .It wanted to give women from poor backgrounds an opportunity to earn money. By putting women in charge of technologies, it also wanted to change people’s attitudes, and open up boundaries for women.
21、The taxi service Cabs for Women by Women _____.
A、is greatly needed at present in India
B、causes a hot debate in India
C、was set up in 2012
D、is free of charge for women
22、Why are women who used other cab services turning to Cabs for Women by Women?
A、Because it is cheap.
B、Because it is safe.
C、Because it is famous.
D、Because it is convenient.
23、What do we know about Sharma?
A、She is the first female taxi driver in Delhi.
B、She lives in harmony with her husband.
C、She has regretted becoming a taxi driver.
D、She has a better salary after becoming a taxi driver.
24、What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A、The opportunities Cabs for Women by Women provides for women.
B、The main purposes of Cabs for Women by Women.
C、People’s attitudes towards Cabs for Women by Women.
D、The background information of Cabs for Women by Women.
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Which one is not included in the conditions for the US's changing attitude towards Iran?
A.To abandon their nuclear weapons program.
B.Iran's leader must accept the suggestion of peace-lovers.
C.To turn over A1-Qaida terrorists in their custody.
D.The Iran leaders shall acknowledge the faults.
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in the past, at the moment it is a favourite choice for the wedding gown()
A.Unpopular has as white been
B.White has been as unpopular
C.Unpopular has been as white
D.Unpopular as white has been
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I watched people in the final moments before their___ ones arrive or depart.
A.loving
B.love
C.loved
D.being loved
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Will chips one day be planted in our bodies for identification?
A US doctor has planted under his skin a computer chip (芯片) that can send personal information to a scanner(扫描仪) ,a technology that may someday be widely used as a way to identify (识别) people. The chip gives off information which will be scanned by a hand-held reader.
The chip is similar to that planted in more than 1 million dogs, cats and other pets in recent years to track and identify them.
The doctor decided to test the chip himself after the World Trade Center disaster(灾难). The dead could have been identified if their names and other important information had been chipped.
Officials of the company said they hope to sell the chips to patients with man-made arms or legs or other body parts. The idea is that the chip will provide immediate and correct medical information when it is needed.
The information can contain name, telephone number and other information. So it can send out a message that, when connected to a computer, can call up records. The scanner can read it through clothes from over a meter away. The new product also could be used to control prisoners. Workplaces of great importance may want to use the chips for employees, too. Some parents may consider planting chips in young children or elderly relatives who may be unable to say their names, addresses or telephone numbers.Some medical and technology specialists said the product raises new questions about the relationship between humans and computer technology and could cause problems if it is used against someone's wishes, or if your personal information is read by those who should not see it.
According to the text, computer chips have already been used to______.
A.catch escaped prisoners
B.find missing children
C.follow lost animals
D.treat sick people
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The train clattered over points and passed through a station. Then it began suddenly to slow down, presumably in obedience to a signal. For some minutes it crawled along, then stopped, presently it began to move forward again. At that moment another train, also on a down line, swerved inwards towards them, for a moment with almost alarming effect. For a time the two trains ran parallel, now one gaining a little, now the other. Mrs. McGillicuddy looked from her window through the windows of the parallel carriages. Most of the blinds were down, but occasionally the occupants of the carriages were visible. The other train was not very full and there were many empty carriages. At the moment when the two trains gave the illusion of being stationary, a blind in one of the carriages flew up with a snap. Mrs. McGillicuddy looked into the lighted first-class carriage that was only a few feet away.
Then she drew her breath in with a gasp and half-rose to her feet.
Standing with his back to the window and to her was a man. His hands were round the throat of a woman who faced him, and he was slowly, remorselessly, strangling her. Her eyes were staring from their sockets, her face was purple. As Mrs. McGillicuddy watched, fascinated, the end came; the body went limp and crumpled in the man's hands.
At the same moment, Mrs. McGillicuddy's train slowed down again and the other began to gain speed. It passed forward and a moment or two later it had vanished from sight.
Almost automatically Mrs. McGillicuddy's hand went up to the communication cord then paused, irresolute. After all, what use would it be ringing the cord of the train in which she was traveling? The horror of what she had seen at such close quarters, and the unusual circumstances, made her feel paralysed. Some immediate action was necessary--but what?
The door of her compartment was drawn back and a ticket collector said, "Ticket, please."
When Mrs. McGillicuddy's train passed through a station, it ______.
A.gained speed suddenly
B.kept its usual speed
C.changed its speed
D.stopped immediately
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Staying in a hotel one day costs renting a room in an apartment for a week()
A.twice many than
B.twice as much as
C.twice the same as
D.twice as many as
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Looking out of her window one day, she sees a family making its way down the road and comes to the realization that she needs to begin to live in the moment.
A.有一天,她从窗户望出去,看到一家人正沿着路向前走,她意识到她需要开始活在当下。
B.有一天,她从窗户望出去,看到一家庭艰难地在走,她意识到她需要开始活在当下。
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David Bravoria, CFA, is an independent financial advisor for a high net worth client with whom he had not had contact in over two years. During a recent brief telephone conversation, the client states
A、No.
B、Yes,with regard to investment statements.
C、Yes,with regard to purchasing venture capital funds.
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Among the following questions, for which one you cannot find answers in the text?
A. How many people were tracked in the research?
B. How long did the research last?
C. How many years did the purposeful people live more than others?
D. How was the research conducted?