Oxford English Second Edition 3B Unit 6: Movers and Shakers

Oxford English Second Edition 3B Unit 6 1 of 4
Thematic reading and comprehension by Laura K. Leung
Name: ( ) Class: Date:
Movers and shakers

You are reading two encyclopaedia entries about amazing people who have done something to
change the world.
Entrepreneur: William Henry ‘Bill’ Gates III

Date of birth: 28 October 1955
Place of birth: United States
1 Even as a teenager, Bill Gates had had a keen interest in

5 software and began programming computers at the age of 13.
He was determined to apply his computer skills in the real world.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University. While at Harvard,
he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for
the first microcomputer — the MITS Altair.
10 2 In 1975, he decided to leave Harvard to form Microsoft with his childhood friend
Paul Allen. Gates imagined making the computer a valuable tool in every office and
home, so they began developing software for personal computers. Gates’ insightful
vision regarding personal computing has been central to the success of Microsoft and
the computer software industry. Gates led his company to become the worldwide leader
15 in business and personal computer software, services and solutions. If Gates had not
pursued his ideas, the computer revolution would not have happened.
3 In addition to his love of programming, philanthropy is close to his heart. In 1994,
he created the William H. Gates Foundation, which aimed to promote education,
health and investment in low-income communities. Three years later, he and his wife
20 Melinda Gates created the Gates Library Foundation (later renamed the Gates Learning
Foundation), which provided libraries in the United States with public access computers
equipped with Internet connections. In 2000, the two groups merged to become the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation.
4 Over the next few years, Gates realized that his involvement with the foundation had
25 begun to occupy more and more of his time and interest. So in 2006, he announced his
decision to retire as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft in order to concentrate
full-time on his charity work. He officially retired on 27 June 2008. If Gates had not
stepped down as CEO of Microsoft, he would not have been able to devote more time
to his philanthropic work.
30 5 With an endowment of nearly US$34 billion, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
works to help people lift themselves out of hunger and poverty in developing countries.
In the US, it provides people with the opportunities to succeed in school and life.
In 2010, Gates made a pledge to donate over half of his wealth during his lifetime and
has already given away over US$29 billion to date. If only more wealthy individuals
35 had chosen to follow Gate’s selfless example, the lives of many more people would
have been improved by now.
© Oxford University Press You may photocopy this page for teaching and learning purposes.
Thematic reading and comprehension

Environmentalist: Wangari Maathai

Date of birth: 1 April 1940
Place of birth: Kenya
40 6 Wangari Maathai was educated in the United States through an

education programme that then US senator John F Kennedy had
established. It allowed promising students in Kenya to study at
American universities. Maathai majored in Biology at Mount
St. Scholastica College in Kansas. Then she received a Master’s
45 degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1971,
she was granted a Doctorate of Veterinary Anatomy from the University of Nairobi in
Kenya. She was the first woman in East or Central Africa to earn a PhD.
7 In 1977, Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, a non-governmental
environmental organization which focuses on reforestation, environmental conservation
50 and promoting women’s rights. She distributed seedlings to rural women and set up an
incentive system that paid the women for each seedling that survived. She encouraged
farmers, 70% of them women, to plant protective green belts to prevent soil erosion,
provide shade and become a source for lumber and firewood. Ever since Maathai had
started the movement, over 40 million trees were planted.
55 8 In 1989, Maathai led a courageous fight against the construction of a skyscraper in
the middle of Uhuru Park, Nairobi’s most important public space. Her vocal opposition
to the construction led Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi to label Maathai and the
Green Belt Movement as a threat to society. Nevertheless, Maathai refused to give up
and her complaints did not fall on deaf ears. Foreign investors eventually agreed to
60 withdraw their support for the Uhuru Park complex and the project had to be cancelled.
9 In recent years, the fearless Maathai has evolved into one of Kenya’s most
visible environmentalists and political dissidents. She has had many run-ins with the
government of Daniel arap Moi for speaking out on critical social matters, which has
led to her arrest and imprisonment on countless occasions. Even when thugs had been
65 hired to beat her up, the resilient Maathai just kept on fighting for her beliefs and the
environment.
10In 2004, she became the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel
Peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
11 Thanks to Maathai, our environment is a better place. If Maathai had not chosen her
70 road of environmentalism and peace, the lives of millions of people would have been
harder. She is one of the most important voices of our time. Imagine how much more
this admirable woman would have achieved if only the Kenyan government had chosen
to support her.

Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple-choice questions, choose the best answer
and blacken one circle only.
1 Bill Gates believed that _____________.

A staying at Harvard could help him reach his goals
B computers were the thing of the future
C Paul Allen would not be a valuable asset to Microsoft A B C D
D the software he developed was too complex
2 Find words in paragraph 2 which are the opposite in meaning to:

(a) worthless ___________________
(b) local ___________________
(c) failure ___________________
(d) abandoned ___________________
3 What does Bill Gates do now?
4 Complete the summary by underlining the correct option. The first one has been done for you
as an example.
Bill Gates was born in 1955. He had always been (interest/interested/interesting) in

computers and software. He is famous for (founding/leaving/setting) Microsoft, a
software company. He is also known for his philanthropic efforts. He formed the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation to (enhance/improvement/provided) health care and reduce
extreme poverty in developing countries. It also helps to expand educational opportunities
and access to information technology in the US. He stepped (up/down/forward) as Chief
Executive Officer of Microsoft so that he could (devote/pledge/concentrate) more time to
the foundation. To (date/time/year), more than $29 billion of his money has been given to
charities.
5 What do the following words refer to in the second encyclopaedia entry?
Paragraph / Line Word What it refers to
para 6 / line 42 ‘it’
para 7 / line 52 ‘them’

6 In line 59, what does ‘fall on deaf ears’ mean?

A to be ignored by the people one is speaking to
B to talk to a deaf person
C to be unable to hear what someone is saying A B C D
D to become deaf
7 Do you think Wangari Maathai was afraid of the consequences she faced as a political
dissident? Give reasons to support your views.
8 Complete the following timeline of events in Wangari Maathai’s life.
Year Event
1940
1971
1977
1989
2004
9 The style of the encyclopedia entries are ____________ .

A formal
B informal
C poetical A B C D
D literary
10 Read the encyclopaedia entries again and decide if the following are true (T), false (F) or
not stated (X). Put appropriate symbols in the boxes below.
(a) Bill Gates built the first microcomputer.
(b) Bill Gates plans to donate most of his money to charity.
(c) Wangari Maathai is a practising doctor in Kenya.
(d) Wangari Maathai went to jail for one year for voicing her opinions.

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Oxford English Second Edition 3B Unit 6 1 of 4

Thematic reading and comprehension by Laura K. Leung

Name: ( ) Class: Date:

Movers and shakers

Entrepreneur: William Henry ‘Bill’ Gates III

1 Even as a teenager, Bill Gates had had a keen interest in

Thematic reading and comprehension

Environmentalist: Wangari Maathai

40 6 Wangari Maathai was educated in the United States through an

Thematic reading and comprehension

1 Bill Gates believed that _____________.

2 Find words in paragraph 2 which are the opposite in meaning to:

3 What does Bill Gates do now?

Bill Gates was born in 1955. He had always been (interest/interested/interesting) in

5 What do the following words refer to in the second encyclopaedia entry?

Paragraph / Line Word What it refers to

para 6 / line 42 ‘it’

para 7 / line 52 ‘them’

Thematic reading and comprehension

6 In line 59, what does ‘fall on deaf ears’ mean?

8 Complete the following timeline of events in Wangari Maathai’s life.

9 The style of the encyclopedia entries are ____________ .

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