Question: What has been your key to success?

Bill Gates: Well, coming up with a simple explanation for the kind of success, that ah, I’ve, I’ve been 1)privileged to be part of working at Microsoft, It is very difficult. Certailnly there’s many elements to it. the vision of the company coming right, when the 2)micro-processor was coming into it’s own, the focus on software, and working with partners who could bring in the other elements, the focus on the long term, hiring great people, really working with customers, knowing that we’d be there working with them ten years later and twenty years later. All of those have come together to build a great success story, that’s been 3)incredibly fun to be part of it. I think, the people is probably the thing I’d put at the top. Vision has got to be a big part of it, but so many of these things, you know, really come down to day-to-day 4)execution. If we’d 5)slacked off at any point, then you know there would have been plenty of people to come in and take our place, and there’s certainly the case as we look forward, that we have to continue to obsolete the products, continue to stay in close touch with the customers, continue to hire in great people and stand on top of the technology, or else, the 6)phenomenon will continue, but we won’t have the role in it that we, that we have today.

问：你成功的秘诀是什么？

比尔·盖茨：哦，我荣幸能在微软公司工作， 然而要简单地解释成功的原因却是不容易的，其中包括了许多因素。比如，当微处理器渐成气候的时候，公司的方向应该明确，应把重点放在软件设计上，和其他人合作，带进新东西，还有，要有长远计划，聘用贤才，注意与顾客的合作，要知道十年或二十年后我们还是要和他们合作。所有这一切构成一个成功的故事，能成为这故事的一部分真是十分快乐。我觉得，我把人看作最重要的因素，洞察力当然也很重要。但所有这些都需要日复一日地把持，哪怕在任何一点上稍有疏忽，那就意味着将会有许多人取代我们的位置。这当然是我们所期待的，所以我们必须完善我们的产品，与顾客保持密切的联系，继续招贤纳才，并保持技术的领先地位，否则周围世界在变化，我们便不再有今天这样的领先地位。

1、privilege [5privilidV] n. 特权，优惠

2、micro-processor [maikrEu5prEusesE] 微处理器

3、incredibly [in5kredibli] ad. 不可思议地   

4、execution [eksi5kju:FEn] n. 实行，执行

5、slack [slAk] v. 怠情，偷懒，松懈

6、phenomenon [fi5nCminCn] n. 现象