TEXT B For one brief moment in April, Larry Ellison came within a few dollars of being the richest man in the world. The computer tycoon was holding a global conference call on a Wednesday morning, when the value of his company surged.　 It was the moment he almost overtook Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, as the wealthiest on the planet. For a few seconds, as share of traders marked Microsoft down and Oracle up, Ellison came within US 200,000 of Gates. The self-proclaimed "bad boy" of Silicon Valley found himself worth more than US 52 billion, up from a mere US 10 billion this time last year. Then Microsofts share price, which had plunged in recent weeks, recovered and the moment passed. Once, Ellison, founder of the software company Oracle, would have danced around his desk cursing like a pirate at failing to bring down Gates, a rival he had constantly made fun of in public. But Silicon Valley insiders said he remained calm, and muttered: "One day, one day very, very soon." He knew his moment was close. Unlike Gates, he is not big on charity, preferring to spend his money his way. He has his own private air force, a military-style crew based at San Jose airport near Redwood City, to help him fly his Gulfstream V jet (with two marbled bathrooms), a Marchetti fighter plane imported from Italy, and a handful of other aircraft, including a trainer for his son. He also plans to import a Russian Mig-29 fighter (capable of 1,500 mph). Why does he want one? So that, he joked, he can blast Gates home near Seattle. Cars are cheap and cheerful by comparison. He has a relatively-modest Porsche Boxster, two specially altered Mercedes and a US 900,000 silver McLaren. In San Francisco he owns a magnificent house in Pacific Heights, one of Western Americas most expensive stretches of real estate. The house is a technical marvel: When he inserts his key, the opaque glass door turns transparent, revealing a Japanese garden in the middle of the house. For reasons he knows best, Ellison is obsessed with Japanese culture. Though he says he once briefly dated the actress Sharon Stone, Ellison is better known for the number than the fame of his wives. It is said he introduced himself with: "Can I buy you a car?" In one year he gave at least four US 50,000 cars to young ladies. While Gates comes from a strong family, Ellison still does not know who his father was. He was born to an unmarried mother and adopted by his Russian uncle and aunt. A brilliant but unpredictable self-promoter, he dropped out of college, drove to California in a battered Thunderbird car and ended up working with computer technicians at a bank. "He always had a champagne lifestyle on beer money," his first wife said. He set up Oracle in 1977 as a super-salesman with 3 programmers, creating software for businesses. It almost collapsed when it promised more than it could deliver, but since then its fortunes have soared. Now it employs 43,000 people and has designed data-processing systems used by Britains M15 spy service as well as big western companies. Oracles software is more Internet-friendly than Gates Windows, one factor behind the companys recent share price rise. Since his company got big, Ellison has promised shareholders that he will spend more time in the office. But can he escape being the thrill-seeker he is at heart? As summer approaches, he may find it hard to resist the lure of his yachts, Sakura, one of the longest in the world, and Sayonara (Japanese for "see you later"), which he races furiously. It is dangerous sport, even for guests. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch once nearly lost a finger when he grabbed a rope during a race onboard the Sayonara. Ellison joked at least he could "still wrote checks". Regardless of distractions, Ellison will not give up in his battle against Gates. He hates to lose. Ellison declares that any such dominance by one man, like Microsoft in computer industry, in unhealthy. He has obviously forgotten his own plan for a global empire, which he wanted to call the Universal Titanic Octopus Corporation.

　　41. In the stock market, _______.

　　A) Ellison is as rich as Bill Gates

　　B) Ellison has US ' 200,000 less than Bill Gates

　　C) Ellison is richer than Bill Gates

　　D) Oracle has more money than Microsoft

　　42. Which of the following is not correct?

　　A) Ellison has had many wives.

　　B) Ellison's wives are famous.

　　C) Ellison is more famous for many wives than for money.

　　D) Ellison is more famous for many wives than for their popularity.

　　43. Which of the following is true?

　　A) Ellison doesn't like one-man dominance in computer industry.

　　B) Ellison doesn't like one-man dominance by Bill Gates, but really like one-man dominance by himself.

　　C) Ellison wants to be as famous as Bill Gates.

　　D) Ellison often forgets his plan.

　　TEXT C The third branch of the federal government, the judiciary, consist of a system of courts spread throughout the country, headed by the Supreme Court of the United States. A system of state courts existed before the Constitutional Convention as to whether a federal court system was needed, and whether it should supplant the state courts. As in other matters under debate, a compromise was reached in which the state courts were continued while the Constitution mandated a federal judiciary with limited power. Article III of the Constitution states the basis for the federal court system: The judiciary of power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. With this guide, the first Congress divided the nation into districts and created federal courts for each district. From that beginning has evolved the present structure: the Supreme Court, 11 courts of appeals, 91 district courts, and three courts of special jurisdiction. Congress today retains the power to create and abolish federal courts, as well as to determine the number of judges in the federal judiciary system, It cannot, however, abolish the Supreme Court. The Judicial power extends to cases arising under the Constitution; laws and treaties of the United States; admiralty and wartime access; cases affecting ambassadors, ministers and consuls of foreign countries in the United States; controversies in which the US government is a party; and controversies between states (or their citizens) and foreign nations (or their citizens or subjects). The 11th Amendment removed from federal jurisdiction cases in which citizens of one state were the plaintiffs and the government of another state was the defendant. It did not disturb federal jurisdiction in cases in which a state government is a plaintiff and a citizen of another state the defendant. The power of the federal courts extends both to civil actions for damages and other redress, and to criminal cases arising under federal law. Article III has resulted in a complex set of relationships between state and federal courts. Ordinarily, federal courts do not hear cases during under the laws of individual states. However, some cases over which federal courts have jurisdiction may also be heard and decided by state courts. Both court systems thus have exclusive jurisdiction in some areas and concurrent jurisdiction in others. The Constitution safeguards judicial independence by providing that federal judges shall hold office "during good behavior" —— in practice, until they die, retire or resign, although a judge who commits an offense while in office may be impeached in the same way as the president or other officials of the federal government. US judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Congress also determines the pay scale of judges.

　　44. By Article III of the Constitution,_______.

　　A) the Congress, as an inferior court, has judicial power

　　B) only the Supreme Court has the judicial power

　　C) lower level courts established by law have judicial power

　　D) the Supreme Court is inferior to the Congress

　　45. US Congress doesn't have the power to _______.

　　A) create federal courts

　　B) abolish federal courts

　　C) determine the number of judges in the federal judiciary system

　　D) abolish the Supreme Court

　　46. Federal jurisdiction has power to deal with cases except _______.

　　A) admiralty and maritime cases

　　B) cases affecting ambassadors, ministers and consuls of foreign countries in the US

　　C) controversies in which the US government is a party

　　D) cases in which citizens of one state were the plaintiffs and the government of another state was the defendant

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