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 newspaper 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.
小题1: 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小题2: 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.小题3: 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.小题4: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.小题5: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.
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