As prices and building costs keep rising, the do-it-yourself'(DIY) trend（趋势） in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture（家具）for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn't have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset (焦虑)about it. Now I've finished a car repair course（课程）, I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don't have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
1.We can learn from the text that many newly married people_______.
A. find it hard to pay for what they need
B. have to learn to make their own furniture
C. take DIY courses run by the government
D. seldom go to a department store to buy things
2.John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to______.
A. run a DIY shop B. make or repair things
C. save time and money D. improve the quality of life
3.When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim___.
A. makes shoes in his home B. does extra work at night
C. does his own car and home repairs D. keeps house and looks after his children
4.Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when_______.
A. his car repairs cost too much B. the car repair class was not helpful
C. he could not possibly do two jobs D. he had to raise the children all by himself
5.What would be the best title for the text?
A. The Joy of DIY B. You Can Do It Too!
C. Welcome to Our DIY Course! D. Ross and Hatfield: Believers in DIY
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball(化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a special entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!
1.The text is mainly about ____________.
A. a strange man
B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began
D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
2.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he__________.
A. often gave others surprises B. was a gifted（天才的）musician
C. invented the roller skates D. was full of imagination
3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to________.
A. impress the party guests B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention D. show his skill in walking on wheels
4.What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. The roller skates needed further improvement.
B. The party guests treated Merlin as a fool.
C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
D. Merlin got himself into trouble.
5.It is clear that Merlin was a _______.
A. a dreamer B. a violin
C. a farmer D. a maker of musical instrument
Sneaker is a kind of shoe worn by many people all over the world. Some say that the word “sneaker” is another word for tennis shoe, ______no one really knows where the word came from. ______ say it came from the old English verb “sneak”, which ______ to move silently and quickly. The only thing we are ______ is that when you put on a pair of sneakers, you ______ light-hearted, light-footed and ready to play.
Sneakers of some kind are used by ______ who play tennis, basketball, and other sports. New design has been made ______ for people who run slowly. But perhaps sneakers are______used by children in the United States. In fact American children of ______ ages would much rather play in sneakers than anything else, except perhaps ______ at all.
New York City once held a poetry contest (诗歌比赛) for children. The subject was only “sneaker”. Thousands of children sent in their ______ and praised the sneakers they love. One prize winner called ______ poem “The Sneaker and the World Peace”. “When everyone is wearing sneakers,” she said, “it will be impossible to ______.”
American school children can be seen every day ______ sneakers of all colours. They put them on in the morning and take them off ______. Sneakers are ______ washed. In fact the older and dirtier they are, the ______ loveable they are. When their sneakers wear out (穿破), children hate to throw them off. How do you explain the closeness between ______? Perhaps another young ______ in the New York Poetry Contest said it best. “A shoe is just a shoe,” he said. “But a sneaker is a ______.”
1.A. however B. but C. or D. and
2.A. All B. Some C. People D. The others
3.A. appears B. remains C. means D. wants
4.A. excited about B. sure of C. surprised at D. pleased with
5.A. think B. feel C. consider D. suggest
6.A. men B. women C. those D. these
7.A. lovely B. specially C. lively D. cheaply
8.A. only B. greatly C. hardly D. finally
9.A. all B. some C. little D. old
10.A. some shoes B. no shoes C. no children D. some sneakers
11.A. photos B. compositions C. poems D. drawings
12.A. her B. his C. its D. their
13.A. explain B. guide C. hate D. love
14.A. dressing B. wearing C. putting on D. having
15.A. the next day B. at noon C. at bedtime D. in the evening
16.A. forever B. always C. seldom D. sometimes
17.A. much B. many C. most D. more
18.A. sneakers and other shoes B. boys and girls C. children and sneakers D. winners and sneakers
19.A. girl B. man C. woman D. winner
20.A. sneaker B. friend C. poem D. shoe
go up feel like Absolutely accustomed to possessed take risks result in take it easy on the other hand make sense
1.What annoyed his father was that he did _______________no work.
2.You have no right to _____________with other people’s lives.
3.If you want to make the kite _________,pull the string hard ,then release it slowly.
4.If left untreated ,the condition will eventually ________blindness.
5.Do you ____________sharing your experience with the rest of your group?
6.She was a person _______________having eight hours sleep a night ,so she is full of energy during the daytime.
7.Why did she do a thing like that ?It doesn’t seem to _____________.
8.You have been working hard all afternoon ,Steve,sit down and _________for a few minutes.
9.He decided to give away everything he _______________to help the poor.
10.The parents wanted to go for a ride ,and ______________,the children wanted to stay at home and play with their friends.
_______form the top of the tower, the south foot of the mountain is a sea of trees
A. seen B. seeing
C. having seen D. to seen
Linda is careless sometimes ,but _________,she is a hard -working student.
A. to tell you the truth B. believe it or not
C. that is to say D. on te whole
