1.Their friends have already attended this lecture. 2.I am watching a feature film the moment. 3. She had traveled to Odessa by end of the month

Man in the World.

Everyone has heard of Bill Gates, the icon of American business and the richest man in the world.

Microsoft, the business he started with a friend in 1975, has become the world's largest computer software company. Although the company is in big trouble today — the US government has broken it up — experts say it will remain successful.

Bill Gates was born the 28th at October, 1955, in Seattle. USA. Seattle was once famous for producing Boeing aircraft, but is now better known as the home of Microsoft. From his parents Bill got a good business sense and a quick mind. His father is a lawyer and his late mother was a teacher and then a company director.

At school Bill soon showed that he was very intelligent. His favourite subjects were Maths and Science. At 13 he got interested in computers. Bill Gates and his friend Paul Alien were soon spending all their time writing programmes and learning about computers instead of doing their homework.

After finishing school in 1973, Bill went to Harvard, America's most famous university. Most of the lime he worked on the computers in the university laboratory. The next year, he and Paul Alien wrote an operating programme lor the Altair. one of the world's first microcomputers. Bill knew, even then, that lie would revolutionize the world of computing and he left Harvard before finishing his studies.

The two friends started Microsoft in 1975. and very soon it became a business success.

In 1980, Gates bought a small company which produced an operating system called DOS. He made some changes to it and renamed it MS-DOS. He sold the rights to use this system to IBM. Since 1980 MS-DOS has been the standard operating system for all PCs. Microsoft has also developed such well-known programmes as Windows, Excel and Internet Explorer.

Bill's dream is to computerize everything — TVs, telephones, lights, even the way you cook dinner...

One reason for his success is that Bill has always been very ambitious and hard-working.

This hasn't left him much time for a normal personal life. but in 1994 he married Melinda French, a Microsoft employee. The couple has two children: a daughter, born in 1996, and a son, born in 1999. Bill Gates has written two books. The Road Ahead (1995) and Business and the Speed of Thought (1999). Both books are best-sellers.

Bill hasn't got much tree time, but when he has a chance he likes playing golf and bridge. He is also fond of reading about science."

For such a rich person, his life is simple, and he spends very little on himself. When it comes to helping others, though. Gates is very generous. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already given $300 million to charity, and he says he plans to give away almost all of his wealth when he retires.

has met his before.

4. My sister has been to the theatre twice this month.

5. Ann and Mary have already been told the news.