【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 oney so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to bee a “do ityourselfer”, you can go to DIY classe s. And for those who don’t have time to take the course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself. 51. We can learn from the second paragraph that ______. A. many young people have difficulty building a house B. many newly married people take DIY courses for fun C. John and his wife make or repair things to save money D. John and his wife build their furniture to improve the quality of life 52. When the writer says that Jim has a fulltime job at home, he means Jim ______. A. keeps house and looks after his children B. does extra work at night C. does his own car and home repairs D. makes shoes in his home 53. Jim Hatfield decided to bee a doityourselfer when ______. A. he had to raise the children all by himself B. his car repairs cost too much C. he could not possibly do two jobs D. The car repair class wasn’t helpful B European Day of Languages falls on 26 September. BBC News Online reported the attitudes across several European Union countries to languages. Tamsin Smith, Rome, Italy Italians place very high importance on learning languages, particularly English. Twenty years ago it was quite difficult to find an English speaker here but today it is quite easy. The strong influence of American and English culture helps young people to learn the English language. They often bee familiar with it through “Harry Potter” books or Disney movies. English schools, where Italian children are taught all their lessons in English, are also being popular among rich Italians. Lucien Libert, Paris, France Languages are very important in France. A good knowledge of the English language is necessary for many Frenchmen to get a good job and the more languages you can learn, the better. English is the first language you learn in school and you start very young. Most people have at least eight years of learning English at school. Learning German or Spanish es next and Latin is also taught in most schools. While French people learn languages, there is also a movement to protect the French language. James Helm, Dublin, Ireland The English language predominates(占優(yōu)勢 ) in Ireland, but the ancient Irish language is a lasting source of pride and interest, and it remains a living tongue that is used in several areas. School are required to teach ancient Irish, and most students learn it as part of the subjects. There is a continuing discussion about how to protect the language best. In recent years some primary schools have introduced foreign language classes for younger students, and the Irish government has tried to encourage schools to offer more languages such as French, Spanish, German and Italian. 54. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Tamsin Smith? A. English learning in Italy has been popular for more than a century. B. Some popular books and movies help young Italian people with their English a lot. C. Only children from rich families like to learn English in Italy. D. More and more Italian children have given up learning their mother tongue. 55. What can help you get a better job in France? A. Studying abroad for at least one year. B. Learning English at younger ages. C. Knowing another language but French. D. Learning several languages well. 56. In Ireland most students ______. A. like learning English instead of the ancient Irish B. are asked to learn many other foreign languages C. have to spend time learning the ancient Irish D. have no idea how to protect the English language 57. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A. European Language Day. B. BBC News Online. C. Attitudes to Languages in Europe. D. Three Foreigners in Europe. C When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These “Polar Bears” are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February. Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of coldwater swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body’s temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the differ