,Unit 5,Contents,l Detailed study of Text I Letter writingasking after a friends health,Text I l Pre-reading activities,1) Group Discussion: The Internet Is a Blessing to Human Society.,Words and expression for reference: Surf the internet, log on(out) to the Internet, launch a search engine, type in, get on-line, point and click, click, zip off to , cyberspace, cybercafe, chatroom, have access to the Internet, scroll down the list, entries, a mouse, a modem, broadband, hacker and cracker, an avalanche of information, database, e-mail, download, sign in (out), document, software, hardware, browser, networm, isolate from, global village, on-line shopping (learning, falling in love, news broadcasting, job-hunting, examination, physical check-up, ), violence, pornographic, commit crimes, ,2) About Bill Gates,Biography William H. Gates Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Microsoft Corporation William (Bill) H. Gates III is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, the worlds leading provider of software for personal computers.,Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent and chairwoman of United Way International.,Gates attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer software, programming computers at age 13.,In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, who is now Microsofts president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair. BASIC was first developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth College in the mid-1960s. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.,Gates foresight and vision regarding personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. Gates is actively involved in key management and strategic decisions at Microsoft, and plays an important role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in contact with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.,Under Gates leadership, Microsofts mission is continuously to advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, which is reflected in its investment of some $2.6 billion for research and development during the current fiscal year.,In 1995 Gates wrote The Road Ahead, his vision of where information technology will take society. Co-authored by Nathan Myhrvold, Microsofts chief technology officer, and Peter Rinearson, The Road Ahead held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list for seven weeks, and remained on the list for a total of 18 weeks. Published in more than 20 countries, the book sold more than 400,000 copies in China alone.,In 1996, while strategically redeploying Microsoft to take advantage of the emerging opportunities created by the Internet, Gates thoroughly revised The Road Ahead to reflect his view that interactive networks are a major milestone in human communication. The paperback second edition also has become a bestseller. Gates is donating his proceeds from the book to a non-profit fund that supports teachers worldwide who are incorporating computers into their classrooms.,In addition to his passion for computers, Gates is interested in biotechnology. He sits on the board of the ICOS Corporation and is a shareholder in Chiroscience Group of the United Kingdom and its wholly owned subsidiary, Chiroscience R world public health and population; non-profit, civic and arts organizations; and Puget Sound-area capital campaigns.,Bill and Melinda French Gates were married on January 1, 1994. They have now three children, one is Jennifer Katharine Gates, who was born in 1996; and a son Rory John Gates, born in 1999 and a daughter, Phoebe Adelle Gates, born in 2002.,Chronology In 2000 Gates resigned as CEO of Microsoft to spend more on software architecture and less with running the company,Honors and awards 2-03-2005 Bill Gates knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the British economy. His title will be Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Though he is not allowed to call himself Sir because of his USA citizenship but may suffix his name with KBE.,3)Some info about Tim