As prices and building costs keep rising, “the do-it-yourself”（DIY）trend（趋势） in the US continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Kose, “and we 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 （努力）to make a home when the cost of living is very high. The Koses 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 very upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car myself. ”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can 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 to do things yourself.
【小题1】We know from the passage that many people ________ .

1.   Sydney Tower is ________ in Sydney, Australia.

2.   If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can’t ________.

3.   Frank wants to go to Sydney Tower with his two children, he will pay _________.

4.   Last Saturday, Johnson went to visit Sydney Tower. He had to get down the tower __________.

5.   The passage above is probably___________.

Lots of people make it as their aim to get to the top of Mount Everest. Mark is one of them. The difference between Mark and other climbers is that he lost both his legs when climbing. New Zealand’s highest mountain, Mount Cook. He was caught in a big ice hole and he had to have his legs cut below the knees after he was saved. But that couldn’t make Mark lose heart, who has become the first person with man-made legs to reach the top of Mount Everest.

From the top of the world’s highest mountain, Mark called his wife to say he made it. His wife, Anne got the phone when she was sleeping. She couldn’t hear him clearly on the phone. She was unable to say when he reached the top but thought it was around mid-day. She also said his “legs” didn’t work well sometimes, so her husband was carrying a spare leg and repair tools.

Mark used to be a mountain guide before his accident. He said it was not important that no one like him had ever reached the 8850-meter mountain.

“I’m not doing this to be the first. I have been climbing most of my life and I just feel Mount Everest is really a great aim. I want to send a message that I can do-anything better.”

1.What was the difference between Mark and other climbers?

    A. He went mountain-climbing with his wife.

    B. He climbed mountains with man-made legs.

    C. He was the first to climb Mount Everest.

    D. He was the best guide of the world.

2.Mark’s wife thought is was ________ on Mount Everest when Mark reached its top.

    A. noon         B. morning      C. mid-night        D. evening

3.Which of the following is the correct order in Mark’s story?

    a. Losing both of his legs.

    b. Working as a mountain guide.

    c. Falling into an ice hole on Mount Cook.

    d. Reaching the top of Mount Everest.

    A. c a b d          B. c a d b          C. b c a d          D. b a c d

4. Mark’s story makes us believe that he is a _________ man.

    A. polite           B. brave            C. kind         D. clever

5. Mark told us that he cared much about __________.

    A. being the first  B. climbing higher  C. keeping healthy  D. being a guide