Question

Some people would say that the Englishman’s home is no longer his castle; that it has become his workshop. This is partly because the average Englishman is keen on working with his own hands and partly because he feels, for one reason or another, that he must do for himself many households for which, some years ago, he would have hired professional help. The main reason for this is a financial one. The high cost of labor has meant that builders’ and decorators’ cost have reached a level which makes them prohibitive for house-proud English-people of modest means. So, if they wish to keep their houses looking bright and smart, they have to tackle（处理）some of the repairs and decorating themselves. As a result, there has grown up in the post-war years what is sometimes referred to as the “do-it-yourself movement”.

The “do-it-yourself movement” began with home decorating but has spread into a much wider field. Nowadays there seem to be very few things that can’t be made by the “do-it-yourself movement” method. A number of magazines and handbooks exist to show hopeful handymen（手巧的人）of all ages just how easy it is to build anything from a coffee table to a fifteen-foot sailing boat. All you need, it seems, is a hammer and a few nails. You follow the simple instructions step by step and, before you know where you are, the finished article stands before you, completely in every detail.

Unfortunately, alas, it is not always quite as simple as it sounds! Many a budding（崭露头角的）“do-it-yourself” has found to his cost that one can not learn a skilled craftsman’s job overnight. How quickly one realizes, when doing it oneself, that a job which takes a skilled man an hour or so to complete takes an amateur（外行）handyman five or six at least. And then there is the question of tools. The first thing the amateur learns is that he must have the right tools for the job. But tools cost money. There is also the wear and tear on the nerves. It is not surprising then that many people have come to the conclusion that the expense of the paying professional to do the work is, in the long run, more economical than “do-it-yourself”.

 

60. Many Englishmen join in the movement of “do-it-yourself”, because______.

A. they are skilled handymen                             B. they are proud of their houses

C. they can’t afford professional help               D. they are mean enough

61. Which of the following people can repair and decorate their own houses?

A. Skilled craftsmen.  B. Handymen of all ages. C. Hopeful gentlemen. D. Family supporters.

62. The “do-it-yourself” movement originated in______.

A. house repairing         B. house building   C. house decorating            D. furniture building

63. According to the passage we know that some Englishmen prefer hiring professional decorators NOT because______.

A. they are very wealthy                                   B. the craftsman’s job is quite complicated

C. the tools are expensive                                 D. “do-it-yourself” brings a lot of troubles

64. Which of the following might best explain the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. There is something that needs more decoration than you have thought.

B. There is something that will last a longer time than you expect.

C. There is something else that might be harmful to your nerves.

D. There is something else that might make you less patient and annoyed.

Answer 1

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