Step by Step 3000 第2册 Unit7:Leisure time(4)

 　　Part 4. Bank holiday DIY.

　　Keyword. DIY(Do it yourself), home improvements, simple decorating, disaster, gardening.

　　Vocabulary. bank holiday, flock, tile, bite off more than one can chew, flat-pack furniture, savvy¹, weed, patio², deck.

　　Listen to a passage about how a bank holiday is spent in Britain, after that, you're going to hear some statements.

　　Decide whether they are true or false, put "T" or "F" in the brackets.

　　Whenever there's a bank holiday weekend in Britain, a certain kind of shop always gets very busy.

　　And it's not what you might think, clothes shops or music shops.

　　The British flock to DIY stores and garden centers.

　　And huge numbers of people spend their days off doing home improvements instead of relaxing.

　　Doing DIY is very popular in Britain, and there are lots of TV programs which show people how to improve their homes.

　　Some people stick to simple decorating, putting up wall paper and painting walls.

　　But there are all sorts of DIY projects that some people decide to take on, from laying new flooring, to plumbing³, such as putting in a new shower or tiling walls.

　　Unfortunately, some people bite off more than they can chew, and start doing a job which ends in DIY disaster.

　　For example, it's recommended that anything electrical should be done by a qualified⁴ electrician.

　　But many people ignore this warning, and put themselves in danger.

　　There is a huge market for flat-peck furniture which you put together yourself with a few basic tools.

　　Often people who are not very savvy about DIY find the supposedly simple instructions impossible to follow.

　　And it's easy to build a piece of furniture which is unstable⁵ or just not very attractive.

　　Gardening is also popular and a good way to enjoy the weather on a sunny bank holiday.

　　But it's not as simple as planting plants and doing some weeding.

　　More complicated work such as building a new patio or some decking can cause some stress and backache.

　　So why do people do it?

　　Who knows? May be we're so used to working that we aren't very good at relaxing.

　　One thing is for sure.

　　Though a lot of DIY or gardening projects will be started with the best intentions during the bank holiday weekend.

　　Many of them may not get finished.

　　Statements.

　　1. Many British people go to clothes shops, music shops or relax at home on a bank holiday weekend.

　　2. DIY projects are very easy to finish because there are many TV programs showing people how to do them.

　　3. Putting in a new shower is more difficult than putting up wall paper.

　　4. Non-electricians are not supported to do anything electrical because they might put themselves in danger.

　　5. Flat-pack furniture is furniture that can be put together with a few basic tools.

　　6. Gardening can cause stress and backache.

1 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

2 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

3 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。