59. 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

58. When the writer says that Jim has a full – time 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

57. John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to 　　　　　.

　　　 A. manage a DIY shop　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. make it repair things

　　　 C. save time and money　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. improve the quality (质量) of life

56. 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 managed by the government

　　　 D. don’t often go to shops to buy things

55. The person who told the story is probably a 　　　　　.

　　　 A. farmer　　　　　　　　　 B. policeman　　　　　　 C. country doctor　　　 D. newspaper reporter

D

As prices and building costs keep rising, the do – it – yourself (DIY) trend in 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 home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420, “I was unhappy about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course, I should be able to mend 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.

54. The farmer wished that the writer might 　　　　　.

　　　 A. look into the matter　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. bring Milly back to life

　　　 C. free him from a scandal　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. keep the whole thing a secret

53. What do we know about Milly for the story?

　　　 A. She had met with an accident.　　　　　　　　 B. She had caused a scandal.

　　　 C. She was seriously ill.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. She was hidden somewhere.

52. Before he arrived at the farmer’s house, the writer expected to see Milly lying 　　　　　.

　　　 A. on the ground of a barn.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. on the floor of a room

　　　 C. in bed in a room　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. in bed in a barn

51. The underlined phrase make out in the first paragraph means 　　　　　.

　　　 A. expect　　　　　　　　　 B. understand　　　　　　 C. see clearly　　　　　　 D. hear clearly

50. Which of the following words best describes Mum?

　　　 A. strange B. warm – hearted C. clever D. hard – working

C

I had just gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang. It was a strange farmer. I had never met him before although I had often heard people talk about him. He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understood anything. Even then all I could make out was that someone called Milly had had a very bad accident. I really didn’t know who she was but I had to go.

It had been snowing heavily that day and I didn’t know the way. I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place. He was standing there, waiting for me. It seemed that Milly had died. “She meant more to me than anyone – even my own wife! He said. I could see that he had been crying. I thought something terrible had taken place, a possible scandal (丑闻). I was even more surprised when he told me he had put her in the barn (厩). “I wouldn’t leave her out in the cold!” he said. Milly had clearly been a secret lover of his. I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door. He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground.”

“She was such a good cow! I wouldn’t let anyone except a doctor touch her!” he said and cried again.