Jack Ma, whose Chinese name is Ma Yun, became the richest man in China, when the company he founded floated on the stock market last year with a value of around £140 billion. Here are some interesting stories about him.
1. "Beer" was the first word that Jack Ma searched for on the Internet
In 1995 Ma made his first trip to the US and used the Internet for the first time. After searching for "beer" and then "China", he saw that no results came up relating to China. He decided to set up a Chinese website一the seed for Alibaba had been sown.
2. Jack Ma applied to study at Harvard 10 times and was rejected (拒绝) each time
Ma failed the entry exams for colleges in China three times and was also rejected for many jobs in China, including one at KFC. He was turned down by the Harvard 10 times after applying.
3. Jack Ma learnt English by giving tourists free guides一every day for nine years.
Limited resources meant it was difficult to learn English when Ma was young. However, he found that he could learn the language by giving tourists free tours around his hometown of Hangzhou一something that he did during his teenage years every morning for nine years. He found everything they said and did was so different from what he had been taught at school and by his parents, which opened his mind.
4. Jack Ma named his company Alibaba because it's a globally known story
Ma simply wanted his company to have a global and interesting name, and realised that Alibaba is a story known across the world and it begins with A, appearing top of lists.
The company was founded in 1999 and since then has grown from 15 employees to more than 30,000. Ma hopes to keep expanding Alibaba outside of China.
8. Ma Yun decided to set up a Chinese website when _______.
A.he applied to Harvard | B.he visited America for the first time |
C.he began to learn English | D.he wanted to make a fortune |
9. Which of the following is not mentioned about Ma Yun in the passage?
A.He took the entry exams for colleges three times. |
B.Some employers didn’t offer him a job. |
C.Harvard turned down his application for his poor English. |
D.He once wanted to work at KFC. |
10. Ma Yun’s experience of learning English tells us that ______.
A.he is a man with strong will | B.he made a lot of money as a guide |
C.he accepted the values of foreigners | D.what he had been taught at school was wrong. |
11. From the passage we can conclude that Ma Yun will______.
A.make more profit (利润) abroad. | B.settle in America |
C.merge (合并) with other companies | D.expand his business in China |