4.ChracterHobbies -T卢青青制，周媛审.docx

PAGE PAGE 21 Character Hobbies·Bill Gates Character Hobbies·Bill Gates Questions Read the passage and then try to answer the questions What are the seven keys to success? What do you think of Bill Gates? How much do you know about him? Bill Gates, the habit of the seven keys to success It was 15 years ago today that Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft. While he stayed involved as chairman and chief software architect, it was the start of his major life transition. Here are seven keys to his success--taken from the history of his life and applied to one endeavor after another. 1. Get in early--and learn. I dont know if there are shortcuts in life, but there are certainly head starts. Gates had a big one. In 1969, when he was in eighth grade--when very few schools had any kind of computer system--his school bought an early machine along with blocks of processing time. Gates was excused from regular math classes to learn to program, and became enthralled with it. His first computer program: a tic-tac-toe program. 2. Seek forgiveness, not permission. Too many people fail to succeed because they hold themselves back. Whether it was youthful folly or instinct, Gates didnt fall into this category. As an early example--that computer in eighth grade? When the schools funds eventually ran out, Gates (with his friend Paul Allen and other students) exploited bugs to obtain free computer time. When they were caught, he and the others traded their bug-finding ability for more free computer time. 3. Value your work. Another big problem many people have--they are afraid to ask for money. Here again, Gates never had that problem. At age 14, he was writing code for a local companys payroll program; by age 17, he and Allen launched a company that used an early computer program to help count road traffic. Gates also pushed to get paid during the 1970s, when business was seen as square to put it lightly. After he realized that computer amateurs were using pirated v