Speed Reading — Level 2 — 100 wpm 

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Bill Gates said that by 2035, there will be almost no poor countries. The World Bank says there are 35 poor countries. The people who live in them have very little money. Gates said nearly all these countries will be richer in 20 years. All of South America, Asia, and Central America (but maybe not Haiti), and most in Africa will become richer. When he was born, most countries were poor. He thinks that in the next 20 years, most of these countries will be richer.

Mr Gates said North Korea, Haiti and some African nations will still be poor. The good news is that nearly 90% of countries will be richer than India today. Gates thinks poor countries will copy their richer neighbours. They will have new medicines, better seeds and a faster Internet. Gates said China, India, Brazil and Botswana were poor thirty years ago but are now strong. He said more than one billion people are very, very poor, so "it's not time to celebrate".

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