Ⅲ 阅读(共两节，满分50分)

第一节：阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the US continues to grow.

“We need furniture for our living room”, says John Rose, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try to 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 Roses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they make all their furniture and 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 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 do to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a DIY, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who didn’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.

36. It can be inferred that many newly married people _________________.

A. find it hard to pay for what they need B. seldom go to a department store to buy things

C. have to learn how to make their own furniture D. must take some courses to better their life

37. John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to______________.

A. make furniture B. improve the quality of life

C. make or repair things D. save money and time

38. What does the sentence “He has a full time job at home” mean?

A. Jim makes shoes in his home B. Jim needs to do housework and looks after his children

C. Jim does some extra work at home D. Jim runs a shoe-making factory at home

39. Jim decided to become a DIY when ________.

A. he had to raise the children all by himself B. he becomes an unusual person

C. the car repair class wasn’t helpful D. his car repairs cost very much

40. According to the text, many US citizens want to become DIYs mainly in order to ________.

A. improve themselves B. save money

C. attract government’s attention D. show their anger

B

Danielle Steel, America’s sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divide into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.

Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, he worked in the public relations and advertising, industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them. Deal with the real-life problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her l998 book about the death of her was shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into film. She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.

Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention. Her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable style. There is only one Danielle Steel.