Lesson 46 Do it yourselfComprehension questions1. Are we becoming less dependent on specialized labour?2. Why can no one plead ignorance of a subject any longer?3. What do many newlyweds embark on?4. What do some really keen enthusiasts do?5. Do shops run special advisory services for novices?6. What else do they offer consumers?7. What do some wives assume that their husbands can do?8. What are most men supposed to be? Born …?9. Why did the author's wife suggest that he ‘call in a man’?10. Had the author repaired it the previous summer?11. Did the author decide to fix it himself?12. As far as he could see, did it need a major or a minor adjustment?13. Why did he decide to dismantle the lawn mower?14. What was the cause of the trouble?15. What did he do after he bought a new chain?16. What did the machine do after he had reassembled it?17. Is the house now surrounded by a beautiful lawn?18. And where is the lawn mower?2_________to take apart a machine or structure so that it is in separate pieces 3_________to fix equipment or furniture into position so that it can be used4_________to try to make someone do something by continuously complaining 5_________a false belief or opinion about yourself or your situation6_________(often humorous) as you expect7_________having a strong and active interest in something8_________enthusiastic about an activity or idea, etc.9_________someone with no experience in a skill or job, a beginner10_________without limits11_________clever at finding ways of doing things12_________to stop working because a fuse(保险丝)has melted13_________a person whose job is to fit and repair water pipes14_________weak and likely to break15_________to block something or to become blocked16_________to look for and find something17_________to break suddenly with a sharp cracking noise18_________too large or difficult to deal with19_________to become covered with rust (绣)20_________a thick solid that has been cut or broken off somethingMatch the phrases in the left column with those in the right column1. less dependent on A. to find time to do something2. plead ignorance of sth B. to start to do something new or difficult3. embark on C. to say that you don't know anything about4. lay out D. to provide the things that a particular person needs5. cater for E. small objects or items of various kinds6. pent up F. (of feeling, energy, etc.) that cannot be expressed or released6. bits and pieces F. more independent of7. get round to G. to arrange things in a planned wayFinish the following sentences with the phrases givenbe faced with get round to embark on in despairbe littered with armed with plead ignorance lay outpent up made up cater for bits and pieces1. No one can __________________of a subject any longer,…2. _____________the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily _______________the task ofdecorating their own homes.3. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, ____________their own gardens;…4. Shops _____________the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory servicesfor novices, but by offering consumers ___________________which they can assemble at home.5. Such things provide an excellent outlet for ______________creative energy,…6. …though I promised to repair it, I had never ______________ it.7. The garden ______soon ___________ chunks of metal which had once ________________a lawn mower.8. After buying a new chain I __________________the insurmountable task of putting theconfusing jigsaw puzzle together again.9. I gave up _____________.Finish the following sentences with the help of the clues1. Some really keen ___________(乐衷于…的人) go so far as to build their own computers.2. Some wives t_________ to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fixanything.3. When lights f________, furniture gets _________(要散架的), pipes get ________(堵塞), orvacuum cleaners fail to operate, some women assume that their husbands will somehow put things right.4. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under thed___________ that they can do anything,…5. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to _________(拆卸) it.Analyze the following sentences1. So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasinglyless dependent on specialized labour.2. …a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good asnew.So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for there are countless do-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics., even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.Key to Multiple choice questions1 c2 d3 d4 c5 d6 a7 b 8 c 9 b 10 a 11 c 12 bLesson 46 Do it yourself 自己动手Listen to the tape then answer the question below.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
