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 for our living room,” says John Ross, “And we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decide 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 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 about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course, 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.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

3.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

4.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 Hat field; Believe in DIY

 

Once upon a time，there were two good friends．One was called Jack and the other was called James．One day，the two friends were walking through the desert．During the journey they had a quarrel，and Jack couldn’t control himself and hit James in the face．James felt hurt，but he didn’t say anything．Instead，he wrote in the sand，“Today my best friend Jack hit me in the face．”

    They kept on walking until they found an oasis(绿洲)．They decided to get some water there．Suddenly James had trouble in the water，he fell into the mire(泥潭)and was in danger．Jack saved him at once．When he felt all right，he wrote on a stone，“Today my best friend Jack saved my life．”Jack was very surprised and asked James，“After I hurt you，you wrote in the sand and now you write on the stone．Why?”James replied，“When someone hurts us，we should write it down in the sand so that the wind of forgiveness can blow it away．But when someone does anything good for us，we must write it on the stone，so no wind can blow it away．”

    Since then，the two good friends have never quarreled with each other again and they got on better with each other．

    Hatred(仇恨)can bring you nothing but unhappiness．If you don’t forgive others，you are making trouble for yourself Keep a peaceful heart all the time and remember to be always thankful to others!

1.What happened when Jack hit his friend James in the face?

    A．After he was beaten in the face James was hurt and ran away．

    B．James hated his friend，in return very much from then on．

    C．James hit his friend in return at once．   

    D．James wrote“Today my best friend Jack hit me in the face”in the sand．

2.What’s the matter with James in the oasis?

    A．He was very careless and fell into the mire．

    B．He wanted to get some water and fell into the mire．

    C．He wanted to know if his friends would help him when he had trouble．

    D．He wanted to make his friend have trouble，too．

3.What did James do after he was saved by his friend?

    A．He wrote some words on a stone．

    B．He thanked his friends at once．

    C．He wrote some words in the sand．   

    D．He drank some water and had a rest．

4.Which of the statements is NOT true according to the passage?

    A．Jack was very angry when he had a quarrel with James．

 B．They decided to get some water after they found an oasis．

    C．The two good friends went on walking after the quarrel and found an oasis a few days later．

    D．Hatred can only bring you unhappiness．

5.Why did James write words in different places?

    A．The wind of forgiveness can blow hatred away．

    B．No wind can blow thanks away．

    C．James only wanted to write words in different places．

    D．A and B．

 

You must have seen ads on TV about hair care products （护发用品）. The models have shining hair like jewels （珠宝）. But now to make hair shine is no longer the task of hair care products, because hair can be made into real jewels. Believe it or not, a company called LifeGem in the US turns hair into jewels.

The company is in the business of taking hair from dead people and making it into diamonds （钻石）. The diamonds are for the families to remember the dead people.

Now the company plans to make three diamonds using Beethoven's hair to show their latest technology （技术）. The work will take about 7 months and in the end, Beethoven's long hair will become 3 shining diamonds between 0.5 to 1 carat （克拉）in size.

Since the great musician died in 1827, you may wonder how they got Beethoven's hair. Actually, the hair was given by John Rezniloff, who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest and most valuable collection of celebrities' （名人） hair. His collection also includes hair of Napoleon, Albert Einstein,  Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. In total,  the collection is worth over 5 million dollars.

Though it sounds unbelievable （难以置信）, to have such diamonds made with hair may be a good way to show respect （尊敬） and love to those who died.

1.What does the company of LifeGem do?

A．It buys shining hair.

B．It produces hair care products.

C．It uses hair to make jewels.

D．It sells expensive diamonds to famous people.

2.Why does the company decide to make diamonds out of Beethoven's hair?

A．To show the latest technology.

B．To make the biggest diamond.

C．To make the most shining diamond.

D．To help the dead people become famous.

3.How long will the work take?

A．Half a month.

B．One month.

C．Three months.

D．Seven months.

4.What does the underlined word "it" refer to?

A．The collection of celebrities' hair.

B．The making of hair care products.

C．To make diamonds with hair.

D．The Guinness World Record.

 

Once upon a time，there were two good friends．One was called Jack and the other was called James．One day，the two friends were walking through the desert．During the journey they had a quarrel，and Jack couldn’t control himself and hit James in the face．James felt hurt，but he didn’t say anything．Instead，he wrote in the sand，“Today my best friend Jack hit me in the face．”
They kept on walking until they found an oasis(绿洲)．They decided to get some water there．Suddenly James had trouble in the water，he fell into the mire(泥潭)and was in danger．Jack saved him at once．When he felt all right，he wrote on a stone，“Today my best friend Jack saved my life．”Jack was very surprised and asked James，“After I hurt you，you wrote in the sand and now you write on the stone．Why?”James replied，“When someone hurts us，we should write it down in the sand so that the wind of forgiveness can blow it away．But when someone does anything good for us，we must write it on the stone，so no wind can blow it away．”
Since then，the two good friends have never quarreled with each other again and they got on better with each other．
Hatred(仇恨)can bring you nothing but unhappiness．If you don’t forgive others，you are making trouble for yourself Keep a peaceful heart all the time and remember to be always thankful to others!
【小题1】What happened when Jack hit his friend James in the face?

A．After he was beaten in the face James was hurt and ran away．

B．James hated his friend，in return very much from then on．

C．James hit his friend in return at once．

D．James wrote“Today my best friend Jack hit me in the face”in the sand．

【小题2】What’s the matter with James in the oasis?

A．He was very careless and fell into the mire．

B．He wanted to get some water and fell into the mire．

C．He wanted to know if his friends would help him when he had trouble．

D．He wanted to make his friend have trouble，too．

【小题3】What did James do after he was saved by his friend?

A．He wrote some words on a stone．

B．He thanked his friends at once．

C．He wrote some words in the sand．

D．He drank some water and had a rest．

【小题4】Which of the statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Jack was very angry when he had a quarrel with James．

B．They decided to get some water after they found an oasis．

C．The two good friends went on walking after the quarrel and found an oasis a few days later．

D．Hatred can only bring you unhappiness．

【小题5】Why did James write words in different places?
A．The wind of forgiveness can blow hatred away．
B．No wind can blow thanks away．
C．James only wanted to write words in different places．
D．A and B．