The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wide fame and a name remembered today.
1. According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.
A. his special tricks and supernatural powers
B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key
C. his magic tricks and inhuman powers
D. his wisdom and magic tricks
2. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.
A. his first prison escape B. the year 1898
C. the publicity D. Harry Houdini’s success
3. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.
A. in 1894 B. before he married
C. at the age of 17 D. when he was about 24
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Skeleton Key B. A Man of Many Secrets
C. World-wild Fame D. Great Escape
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness， which is plagues（病疫） that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy（谬误） of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly， with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds， it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes. During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）， cold and wet，showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp（奥斯维辛集中营），naked and starving，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England， volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths，they put on bathing suits， allowed themselves to be with cold water， and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose. If，then， cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds， why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research， no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times， and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on. No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors（止痛片） such as aspirin， but all they do is relieve the symptoms。
1.Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage？
A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B. Colds are not caused by cold.
C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
2.Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.
A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions
B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world
3. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.
A. suffered a lot
B. never caught colds
C. often caught colds
D. became very strong
4. The passage mainly discusses _______.
A. the experiments on the common cold
B. the fallacy about the common cold
C. the reason and the way people catch colds
D. the continued spread of common colds
Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable and which are considered taboos(禁忌) in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. You may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting — and they can cover pretty much or any topic — as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private. They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national sport. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.
1.The author considers politics and religion ________.
A. cheerful topics B. taboos
C. rude topics D. topics that can never be talked about
2.Which is typically a friendly topic in most places according to the author?
A. Sports. B. Children.
C. Personal feelings. D. Families.
3.Why are people from Asia more private in their conversation with others?
A. They don’t want to talk with others much.
B. They don’t want to have their good relationship with others harmed by informal conversation.
C. They are afraid to argue with their colleagues.
D. They want to keep their feelings to themselves.
4. What shouldn’t you do when talking about sports with colleagues from another country?
A. Praising your own country’s sports.
B. Criticizing your own country’s sports.
C. Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country.
D. Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country.
Some myths are stories told since ancient times to explain the causes for natural happenings. The Greek myth that explains why there are changes of 21 is about Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved very much. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone, and he asked Zeus, the 22 of the gods, to give Persephone to him as his 23 . Zeus did not want either to disappoint Hades or to upset Demeter, so he said he would not agree to the marriage, but neither would he 24 it. Hades, therefore, decided to take the girl without 25 . When Persephone was picking flowers in the garden, he seized her and took her to the underworld. When Demeter 26 what happened to Persephone, she became so 27 that she caused all plants to 28 . People were in 29 of starving. But Demeter was determined not to let crops grow 30 her daughter, Persephone, was returned to her. 31 , still not wanting to disappoint Hades, decided upon a condition for Persephone's 32 . She could go back to her mother if she had not 33 anything while she was in the underworld. Demeter 34 it because she did not know that Persephone had eaten several pomegranate (ʯ��) seeds in the underworld. When Zeus 35 this, he agreed that Persephone could spend part of the year with her 36 , but he added that since she had eaten the seeds, she must spend part of the year in the underworld. And so it 37 that when Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter is sad and therefore 38 not let the crops grow. That is 39 we have winter when plants do not grow. When Persephone returns, Demeter is 40 , it is spring, and plants begin to grow again.
1.A. periods B. time C. seasons D. age
2.A. winner B. ruler C. advisor D. fighter
3.A. wife B. lover C. partner D. daughter
4.A. accept B. forgive C. admit D. forbid
5.A. arrangement B. warning C. permission D. reason
6.A. let out B. worked out C. thought out D. found out
7.A. excited B. angry C. tired D. serious
8.A. grow fast B. start growing C. stop growing D grow slowly
9.A. danger B. hope C. turn D. case
10.A. since B. until C. after D. when
11.A. Persephone B. Zeus C. Demeter D. Hades
12.A. return B. change C. marriage D. journey
13.A. stolen B. found C. eaten D. heard
14.A. understood B. refused C. doubted D. accepted
15.A. discovered B. studied C. forgot D. prepared
16.A. daughter B. mother C. god D. ruler
17.A. works B. remains C. happens D. starts
18.A. should B. can C. dare D. will
19.A. where B. because C. why D. how
20.A. happy B. friendly C. fresh D. nice
－Do you have the time?
－Sorry, I have no watch.
－_____________.
A．What a shame. B．Thanks anyway.
C．It doesn’t matter. D．Why not buy one?
“___________ the election is over,” said Powell, “the time has come for me to step down as secretary of state and return to private life.”
A．Now that B．In case C．So long as D．As far as
