Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, dies aged 65

微软联合创始人保罗·艾伦逝世，享年 65 岁

Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates, has died. He was 65.

曾与童年好友比尔·盖茨共同创办微软公司的保罗·艾伦逝世了，时年 65 岁。

Earlier this month Allen said the cancer he was treated for in 2009, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had returned.

lymphoma n. 淋巴瘤，淋巴癌

本月初，艾伦表示他的癌症——非霍奇金氏淋巴瘤——已经复发。2009 年他曾因为这种病接受过治疗。

Allen and his high school friend Gates founded Microsoft in 1975. He served as the company's executive vice-president of research and new product development until 1983, when he left for health reasons. He stayed as a major shareholder and member of the board.

shareholder n. 股票持有人，股东
member of the board 董事会成员

艾伦和他的高中好友盖茨于 1975 年创办了微软公司。他曾担任微软的研究和新品开发部门的执行副总裁，直到在 1983 年因为健康问题而离开，但保留了公司大股东和董事会成员的身份。

“I am heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Paul Allen,” said Bill Gates in a statement on Monday. Despite being less well-known than Bill Gates, Allen played a critical role in developing the personal computer at a time when the typical computer was the size of a room and far too expensive for most people or businesses to own.

passing n. 时间的流逝；逝世，去世（委婉语）

比尔·盖茨在周一的一份声明中说：“我伤心至极，因为我最敬爱、也是最老的朋友之一保罗·艾伦去世了。”虽然艾伦的名气不及比尔·盖茨，但是他对个人计算机的发展所做出的贡献却至关重要——在那个时代，一台普通的电脑能占满一个房间，而它的价位也远在大部分人和公司的承受范围之外。

It was Allen who came up with the name Microsoft and, according to his memoir Idea Man, it was he who came up with the idea to write a software program for the world's first micro-computer.

memoir n.回忆录；自传

“微软”这个名字就出自艾伦之手。而根据他的回忆录《我用微软改变世界》，最初提议为世界上第一台微型计算机编写软件程序的，也是他。

Microsoft's big break came in 1980, when IBM decided to move into personal computers. IBM asked Microsoft to provide the operating system.

break n. 机会；机缘
operating system 操作系统

1980 年，IBM 公司决定进入个人电脑市场，这对于微软来说意味着一个巨大的契机。IBM 请微软来供应其电脑的操作系统。

The decision thrust Microsoft onto the throne of technology and the two Seattle natives became billionaires. Both later dedicated themselves to philanthropy.

thrust v. 猛地一推；一举推向
throne n. 王座；王权
philanthropy n.慈善

IBM 的这一决定最终将微软一举推上了科技行业的巅峰，也让两位来自西雅图的创始人变成了亿万富翁。后来，两人双双决定投身慈善。

Over the course of several decades, Allen gave more than $2bn to a wide range of interests, including ocean health, homelessness and advancing scientific research.

course n. （时间的）进程

在几十年的时间里，艾伦对众多慈善事业的投入累计超过了 20 亿美元，其中包括海洋保护、流浪者关怀和科研推进等方面。

文章来源/卫报/流利阅读