第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，满分30分）

      阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

A

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(家具) for our living room.” C, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided 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 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-yourself”, 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.

36. 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

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

       A. run a DIY shop                        B. make or repair things

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

38. When the writer says 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

39. Jim Hatfield decided to become a “do-it-yourself” when ____

       A. his car repairs cost too much                 B. the car repair class was not helpful

       C. he could no possible do two job                  D. he had to raise the children by himself

--- Have you drawn up that list of names yet?

   --- No, but I’m going to       it.

  A. work out              B. work on                   C. work off                  D. work up

--- Did you say that Miss Green is coming to see me?

   --- It’s strange. I’ve never       her before.

  A. heard for         B. heard of                C. heard                       D. heard from

John       the examination, which made his parents happy.

  A. got through           B. carried on                 C. stuck to                    D. kept on

If you       any problems when you arrive at the airport, give me a ring.

  A. come up with B. set about           C. run into             D. put aside

 Without proper lessons, you could ___ a lot of bad habits when playing the piano.

      A. keep up                    B. pick up                    C. draw up                   D. catch up

The discovery of how bronze is made was probably accidental, but it     

 to be an important event.

  A. turned over           B. turned about             C. turned out                D. turned off

After they had finished taking photos, they could       the roll-film to their studios and develop it later.

  A. bring out              B. bring back         C. bring down        D. bring in

When the old man died, it       that she was actually rich.

  A. found out             B. came to light            C. knew                D. see the light

The bicycle is the common sight in our daily life, as a great many Chinese use one every day. But you may not know its role in strengthening international relations, as it did in the case of US President George W. Bush’s visit to China .

President Bush arrived in Beijing on November 19, 2005 after he finished the APEC meeting in South Korea.He met with Chinese top leaders and achieved agreements on trade, Taiwan issue and more.

Although Bush’s trip was short as 40 hours, he managed to spare a moment to do some cycling. On November 20, he rode up and down a steep path at Laoshan Olympic Mountain Bike Course in Beijing’s suburbs.

Six young Chinese cyclists accompanied the president, who was dressed in a Chinese training uniform with the “Beijing 2008” logo (标志). He did not go along the arranged route and chose a more zigzag(曲折的) hiking path.

“How do you say, ‘take it easy on the old man’?” Bush joked to his partners before setting out.

“Compared with my bike path on the Crawford ranch (农场) , this one is greater and really difficult,” said Bush when his 45-minute ride ended. He said he will come to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

This is not Bush’s first cycle ride in Beijing. In 1975 at the age of 29, he visited the Chinese capital for the first time, when his father was head of the US liaison office (联络处) in Beijing, which Bush described as “fantastic”.

However, observers said Bush’s ride is much more than just his favorite pastime. It expressed friendliness with people in China, where the bicycle is an important part of life and culture.

According to the Washington Post, one of the major newspapers in the US, this was a specially arranged activity by the US Government, for they want to send the Chinese a sign of friendship. “The president is by no means hostile (有敌意的) to China,” it said.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A. Every Chinese has at least one bicycle

B. The bicycle is the common sight in our daily life

C. Bicycle can play a role in improving relationship between nations

D. President George W. Bush is fond of cycling

2. President George W. Bush went cycling ______.

A. wearing a T-shirt with the “Beijing 2008” logo

B. up and down a path on Laoshan Mountain

C. accompanied by six young Chinese policemen

D. along a more challenging way without arrangement

3. Bush said “take it easy on the old man” to his partners probably because ______.

A. he wanted to make them easy

B. he wanted to make a joke about them

C. he wanted to tell them it would be a more zigzag hiking path

D. he wanted to show them it would be a easy task for an old man

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Bush’s first cycle ride was in 1975.

B. Bush’s ride was specially arranged by the Washington Post.

C. Bush’s ride is more a sign of friendship than just his favorite pastime.

D. Bush will come to Beijing to take part in the Olympic cycling games in 2008.