Despite being tall, Michelle Obama is much smaller than she appears on television． And she seemed a little short by her surroundings in the great hall of Christchurch College as she spoke quietly without a microphone because of a technical mistake． Her audience were 40 young girls from a London state school where 50 languages are spoken．
“I remember how well-meaning but misguided people questioned whether someone with my background could succeed at an elite （精英） university,” she said． “When I was accepted, I had all kinds of worries and doubts． I wouldn’t be as well prepared as students from privileged families and I wouldn’t fit in． But you are just as capable and have just as much to offer as anyone else．”
This was Mrs． Obama’s only solo outing during the state visit and part two of an unusual relationship which she has struck up with Anderson College in Islington． Two years ago on her first visit to the UK she visited the school．
Yesterday she returned to meet the pupils but this time at Christchurch College where they were taking part in an open day run to improve Oxford’s still poor record on diversifying student intake．
Mrs． Obama was asked why she married her husband, what it was like being First Lady and when there would be a female President in the White House． Her message—which she repeated time and again—was work hard, have self-belief, and don’t be afraid to fail． It was very un-British, but rather effective． Afterwards there were hugs for everyone and a photo with her．
And watching the group of multicultural young Britons surround her among the splendor of the college building one thought stood out． Had Mrs． Obama been born in Britain, she would almost certainly not have made it to Oxford as she did to Harvard． But now—thanks in part to her—some of these children just might．
【小题1】According to the passage, Michelle Obama ____________．

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook from scratch? Have you been doing internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can't you be bothered to do?

A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of adults are so lazy they'd catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs.

Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health charity. The results were astonishing.

About one in six people surveyed said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up.

More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus. Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them.

This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese (very fat) before they start school.

Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said: "People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too. Ks5u

"If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks."

And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most inactive city in the UK, with 75% surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%.

The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year.   

What causes children in the UK to be obese?  

A. Eating ready meal    B. Watching TV

C. Doing Internet shopping  D. Being lazy

What can be inferred from the passage?  

A. British people are too lazy to do anything.

B. Internet shopping will do harm to your health.

C. Many people would not run to catch a bus in Britain.

D. People should be more active and take regular exercise to keep fit.

Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?  

A. One sixth of British people use remote control when watching TV.

B. People will benefit not only themselves but their families by getting fit.

C. Fatness can cause diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

D. More people get obesity-related illnesses now than 40 years ago.

What does the underlined word rudimentary most probably mean?

A. basic    B. serious  C. vital    D. hard

All the following are among the most lazy cities in the UK except         . 

A. Glasgow  B. Birmingham   C. Nuffield D. Southampton

E

Many cities in the world are benefiting from the nocturnal (夜间活动的) activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队的) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.

In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the exploits (开发) of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.

Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look dismal (凄凉的) in the winter months.

The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.

He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to revitalize (恢复活力) neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.

76. According to the text, guerrilla gardeners got their names ______.

   A. because of the residents’ advice                     B. from the local governments

   C. for the nature of their work                          D. based on the local cultures

77. These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.

   A. at the request of the government                   B. nearby their house

  C. often in return for others’ help                       D. of their own free will

78. Why do the guerrilla gardeners often return to their former working places?

   A. To look after these plants.                             B. To enjoy these beautiful flowers.

   C. To help plants live through winter months.     D. To change the types of these plants.

79. Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants with the purpose of ______.

   A. making the neighborhood more beautiful       B. agreeing with his own job

   C. advertising some products in his agency       D. killing his spare time

80. It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.

   A. are mainly from the United Kingdom

   B. will later get well paid

   C. are still not accepted by the local people

   D. become more and more organized

Nine out of 10 people have run up unsecured debt and many fear they will never be able to pay back what they owe, a survey has claimed.
Around 89% of people aged between l|8 and 35 said they owed money on a credit card, loan or overdraft, the research showed．
A third of people admitted they did not think- they would ever be debt-free, 54% of whom said they would always need to borrow money in order to fund the lifestyle they wanted．
One in five of these people also claimed they were not worried about the possibility of their debts being passed on to their next of kin if they died before they were repaid．
Just over half who owed money said they did not feel in control of their debt, with 8% admitting they had needed to ask for help with repayments from a friend or family member．Eight out of 10 people also told the research for discount website MyVoucherCodes．co．uk that they thought it was too easy to borrow money through their bank or on credit cards．
Farhad Farhadi, MyVoucherCodes．co．uk’s personal finance expert, said: "The majority of British adults owe money m some way, shape or form, but to see that almost a third think they’ll never be free c ^ from debt is quite alarming．
"When borrowing money from any source, how you are going to repay it should always be in the back of your mind．
"A lot of people don’t-really think about ’die consequences of borrowing money and it can be easy to get complacent, but keeping it all under control should be a priority from the off．Only borrow what you really think you can afford to pay back．"
【小题1】The best title for this passage is_________．

D
Some people may be born happy, while others are genetically negative, scientists have suggested in a study published late February in a British journal.
Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in determining how the neurotransmitter (神经传递素) serotonin works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙), passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant (抗抑郁) drugs regulate serotonin levels.
Scientists had also identified three variants (变体) of the gene. Two so-called “short” variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide (自杀) attempts. Unlike the two “short” variants, the “long” variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.
Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain showed participants a series of images, which were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a snake or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral (中性的) ones.
The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene “showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material,” the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.
In January, the Australian government organized “happiness workshops”, teaching government staff how to be happy. The department that held the “happiness workshops” said unhappy staff weren’t productive staff.
Australian political opposition parties have argued that the “happiness workshops” are probably a waste of money and couldn’t increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see.
71. Various kinds of images were shown to the participants to        .
A. draw their attention
B. cater to their different tastes
C. find out about their reactions
D. teach them to improve their artistic appreciation
72. The “short” variants of 5-HTTLPR differ from the “long” variants of 5-HTTLPR in that_____.
A. the former is connected with positive mood while the latter negative
B. the former is connected with negative mood while the latter positive
C. the former has a greater effect on one’s mood than the latter
D. the latter has a greater effect on one’s mood than the former
73. Which of the following statements is true about “happiness workshops”?
A. Most people believe that they are a waste of money.
B. They will be beneficial in the long run.
C. The purpose of “happiness workshops” is to teach all Australians to be happy.
D. They are organized in the belief that happy staff can work more efficiently.
74. It can be learned from the article that        .
A. drugs can be used to control people’s serotonin levels
B. happiness is more important than sadness
C. nothing can affect our mood
D. people with the short variant of 5-HTTLPR prefer a flower to a snake
75. The article is mainly about        .
A. the reason for the foundation of “happiness workshops”
B. the link between people’s mood and their gene
C. the study on people’s likes and dislikes
D. the differences in people’s attitude towards life