According to Andy Williams, who helps to organize the college, the most popular courses have proved to be about raising self-confidence and developing self-pride.

Steve, now in his 50s, told a reporter how much of a difference it makes to "have a bit of confidence". He had difficulty learning to read and had to leave school when he was 12. Because Steve's problem was not recognized at the time, he was "seen to be unable to read or write", and suffered with depression and alcohol addiction. He says the status of "student" is itselfimportant for people who are used to being treated as outcasts(被遗弃者)

Some charities aim not only to help the homeless become independent but also to make them popular. The Homeless World Cup started ten years ago. Today the tournament draws teams from 48 countries made up of players-men and women-who are, or have been, living in the streets.  It gives them a chance to become football heroes.

31. The underlined part "take people off the beaten track" means "take people to______.”

A. famous galleries                        B. traditional sights

C.unusualplaces                          D. public benches

32. How does the Recovery College help the homeless people?

A. By training them to be guides,             B. By offering them different courses.

C. By keeping in contact with them.           D. By asking more students to help them.

33. At the age of 12, Steve _______ .

A. wasn't treated as a normal student           B. had much confidence in himself

C. didn't want to study at school               D. left school because of depression

34. The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to help the homeless people _______.

A. become football stars                     B. improve life skills

C. gain self-confidence                      D. find properjobs

35. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Confidence Back Now.                    B. London Tour.

C. The Popular Homeless.                    D. Football Heroes.

C

For years we have been dieting strictly after the year-end overeating, afraid that when summer. comes, the bigger size we have accumulated will betray how we ate. Now scientists say, it's a little bug that causes obesity(肥胖).

As the holiday season with its abundant feasting arrives, millions of food lovers are keeping an eye on their figures. But scientists have found that weight gain is not about too much Christmas

turkey or hot chocolates, but some bacteria in your guts(肠).

Chinese scientists recently discovered a type ofbacteria in guts that may be to blame for obesity.

A research team led by Zhao Liping, a professor in Shanghai, has identified a precise link

between a particular kind ofbacteria and unusual weight gain.

"The endotoxin(内毒素) released by the bacterium can activate(激活) a gene that helps produce fat. And it also deactivates a gene that consumes fat," Zhao says.

Scientists have long believed that microscopic organisms in the gut, microbiota, may play a very important role in weight gain, but they had never been able to prove it.

In 2004, American microbiologist Jeffrey Gordon and his colleagues discovered a general link between obesity and gut microbiota in mice.

While a link was believed to exist, proving it was another matter.

"The list of diseases that they may play a role in is just growing and growing," says Lita Proctor, director of the US National Institutes of Health. "But the problem is that we're only able to look at associations and aren't yet able to conduct cause-and-effect studies."

In the clinical study, researchers found a growth of too much endotoxin-producing bacteria,

leading t0 35 percent ofthe gut bacteria, in an obese patient whose initial weight was 175 kg.

Based on this information, researchers tried to cure the patient by feeding him a specialized

nutritional liquid food to decrease the bacteria in his guts to ignorable amounts.

After 23 weeks, the patient lost 51.4 kg, with his fatty liver disease having almost disappeared.

36. We diet strictly after the year-end overeating because________.

A. we won't betray ourselves

B. we eat too much turkey

C. there are bacteria in our guts

D. we don't want to look fat

37. What can be learned from Zhao's research?

A. Obesity is related to a kind of bacteria.

B. Healthy diet helps reduce your fat.

C. Chocolate doesn't cause weight gain.

D. Too much food leads to overweight.

38. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Scientists didn't try to find out the cause of overweight.

B. There is a link between mice's overweight and human's.

C. Lita proved the link between bacteria and weight gain.

D. Scientists found bacteria may be related to many diseases.

39. The patient finally lost 51.4 kg of his weight after ______.

A. 35 percent of his gut bacteria were killed

B. the amount of gut bacteria was decreased

C. he had a special kind ofoperation

D. his fatty liver had disappeared

40. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. People's eating habits.

B. Healthy lifestyles.

C. A medical discovery.

D. The consequence of obesity.

D

Several years ago, I had to replace a receptionist for my unit. Before I advertised for the position, I was approached by another manager, and asked ifl would consider a transfer from his staffinstead of opening a new competition. My natural question was to ask who he wanted me to consider and why.

It appeared from his description of this employee, Maria, that she was having a lot of problems performing her duties, and had difficulties with her boss, and did not appear to respond to any attempts he, the manager, had made to settle the issues. Now, after listening to his explanation, I really had severe doubts. What crossed my mind, after this discussion, was that he wanted me to take a problem off his hands.

I told him I would think about it and would let him know the next day. As promised, after   thinking more about this potential performance issue, I decided that I would agree to speak with      Maria privately before I made any decision.

And, what I found out during this interview, left me deep in thought. As it tumed out, the    performance issue appeared to result from working for a boss who never extended a good morning.   greeting, never gave a word of encouragement, and was constantly changing the work load and    routines. The end result was a totally ruined employee who was unconfident, hated to see a new work day start.