Question

Thirty years ago not many people would have dreamed of doing the repairs and decorations in their own homes. In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves. Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all sorts of jobs round the house including painting, papering, putting up shelves and wall units, and tiling walls and floors. Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by the introduction of prepared materials, which require the minimum amount of skill to use. In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “Do-it-Yourself” shop containing a vast range of timber, tiles, paints, wallpapers and floor coverings besides tools of every description including power drills and many accessories. “Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business; all these shops do a roaring trade and look like continuing to do so. Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.
【小题1】 Why did people employ professional workers to decorate homes thirty years ago?

A．Because they could not do it themselves.

B．Because professional workers were very cheap.

C．Because they had no time.

D．Because professional workers could do much better.

【小题2】 Thirty years later what changes took place?

A．People could do everything themselves.

B．Few people chose to be a professional worker

C．People with no professional training successfully built their own houses.

D．New expensive materials required no skills at all.

【小题3】 What caused the DIY craze?

A．Young people liked to follow the fashion.

B．“Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business.

C．There were fewer building companies.

D．High cost of professional workers.

【小题4】What is the speaker telling us?

A．How DIY comes into being.

B．Changes in building.

C．Changes in housing.

D．Great changes in these thirty years.

Answer 1

【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】D
【小题4】A

解析试题分析：这篇文章主要讲了自己动手做是怎样形成的。
【小题1】 根据In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves，故选B。
【小题2】根据Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses.故选C。
【小题3】 根据Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.故选D。
【小题4】这篇文章主要讲了自己动手做是怎样形成的，故选A。
考点：社会现象类短文阅读理解
点评：这篇文章非常简单，先看问题，再带着问题仔细阅读短文，理解了全文内容，很容易选出正确答案。阅读注意事项：1、关注连词，分析文章逻辑结构。2、聚焦代词，明辨指代关系。3、抓住关键词语，利用平行结构、上下文（包括定义、释义、举例、对比、标点）进行判断与推理。4、了解一些构词法，从词根的特殊含义入手。