Question

When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said,“I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspapers and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from high school.

   And this month the 78-year-old man, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.

   Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.

   As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions, he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing, patience.

   After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.

   “Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over-achieved his aptitude (能力).” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner. 

16. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man

B. what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences had on his success

C. how Buffett earned his fortune and achieved his aptitude

D. what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child

17. Which of the following is true about Buffett?

A. His worth is more than $ 55.5 billion now.

B. He is next to Bill Gates in wealth at the present time.

C He achieved great success on stepping into the stock market.

D He bought 162,000 square meters of farmland by selling soda pop.

18. How did Buffett behave at the stock market?

A. He often prefers some inexpensive stocks.

B. He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value.

C. He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks.

D. He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up.

19. Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?

A.  His education.                   B. His family background.

C.  His desire to learn.                D. His cooperation with his partner.

20. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market.

B. Buffett and Gates are business partners.

C. His father helped him a lot in his business.

D. Buffett has a good sense of business.

Answer 1

【答案】C

【解析】主旨大意題。根據本文的幾個段落分別介紹了巴菲特一生中幾個階段掙錢、創業的例子。因此可判斷C為正確答案。而其他三項的內容只是文中所提到的一個方面。故選C。

【答案】A

【解析】細節理解題。根據文章第二段“Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.”可以確定答案。他的價值是555億美元，故選A。

【答案】B

【解析】細節理解題。根據第五段中的“He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time.”可以確定答案，他將買股票的價格低于它的價值，故選B。

【答案】C

【解析】細節理解題。根據“Learning is important to Buffett’s success.學習是他成功的主要因素，故選C。

【答案】D

【解析】推理判斷題。根據文章最后一段他的生意合伙人對他的評價以及上文對他的介紹，他有一個很好的經商意識，故選D。