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 power. 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 clubs 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 from ankle chains. 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. She passed it 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? Worldwide fame and a name remembered today.According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ______.
| A．his special tricks and supernatural powers |
| B．his unusual ability and skeleton key |
| C．his magic tricks and supernatural powers |
| D．his wisdom and magic tricks |
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 24 |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Houdini was a famous American magician. |
| B．Houdini was first recognized in Chicago. |
| C．Houdini first entered the entertainment world together with his wife. |
| D．Houdini was popular with people from Europe and America. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Skeleton Key | B．A Secret Prisoner |
| C．Worldwide Fame | D．Great Escapes |
A policeman was questioning 3 blondes who were training to become detectives． To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the first blonde a picture for5 seconds and then hides it．
“This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The first blonde answers, "That's easy, we'll catch him fast because he only has one eye!" The policeman says, "Well．．．uh．．．that's because the picture shows his profile．"
Slightly confused by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for 5 seconds at the second blonde and asks her, "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The second blonde giggles, flips her hair and says, "Ha! He'd be too easy to catch because he only has one ear!"
The policeman angrily responds, "What's the matter with you two? Of course only one eye and one ear are SHOWING because it's a picture of his profile!! Is that the best answer you can come up with?"
Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third blonde and in a very testy voice asks "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?" He quickly adds, "Think hard before giving me a stupid answer．"
The blonde looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, "Hmmmm…the suspect wears contact lenses．"
The policeman is surprised and speechless because he really doesn't know himself if the suspect wears contacts or not． "Well, that's an interesting answer．．．wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I’ll get back to you on that．" He leaves the room and goes to his office, checks the suspect's file in his computer, and comes back with a beaming smile on his face． "Wow! I can't believe it．．．it's TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact lenses． Good work! How were you able to make such an acute observation?"
"That's easy," the blonde replied． "He can't wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear．"Why did the policeman show a picture to the three blondes?
| A．To inquire about their relationship with the suspect． |
| B．To test their potential of being detectives． |
| C．To train them as qualified police officers． |
| D．To show the skills in recognizing a suspect． |
What's the policeman's attitude towards the first blonde's answer?
| A．Angry． | B．Puzzled． |
| C．Embarrassed． | D．Satisfied． |
What did the second blonde think of the task?
| A．Demanding． | B．Easy． |
| C．Ridiculous． | D．Confusing． |
How did the third blonde know that the suspect wore contact lenses?
| A．By coincidence． |
| B．By random guess． |
| C．By logical and reasonable analysis． |
| D．By checking the file in the computer． |
You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. The following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.
Getting around Australia:
Air
Flying is the best way to cover a long distance in a short time. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.
Drive
Australia has a vast network of well-maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. It’s easy for you to find car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.
Bus
Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.
Rail
Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.
Ferry
The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.
Walk
With easy on the feet pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities.
Besides all the above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia—impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.The underlined word “untouched” in the 1st paragraph means __________.
| A．unmoved | B．special |
| C．unpolluted | D．unconnected |
Which of the following is TRUE about traveling in Australia?
| A．More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before. |
| B．You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes. |
| C．Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way. |
| D．Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport. |
Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs __________.
| A．only at night hours | B．only during rush hours |
| C．several times a day | D．between different cities |
Where does the article come from?
| A．Scientific journal | B．Magazine |
| C．Travel Guide | D．Text Book |
If you have only 5 days and want to visit Australia’s famous attractions that are far away from each other, which way of traveling least suits you?
| A．By air. | B．By car. |
| C．By bus. | D．On foot. |
In the past ten years, many scientists have studied the differences between men and women. And they all got the same answer: The sexes(性别) are different, because their brains are different. And this, the scientists say, makes men and women see the world in different ways.
Boys, for example, generally are better than girls at mathematical ideas. Boys also generally are better than girls at the kind of hand and eye movements necessary for ball sports. Girls, on the other hand generally start speaking earlier than boys. And they generally see better in the dark than boys and are better at learning foreign languages.
What makes men and women better at one thing or another? The answer is the brain. The brain has two sides connected by nerve(神经) tracks. The left side generally is used for mathematics, speech and writing. The right side is used for artistic creation(创造) and the expression for emotions(情感). In men and women, different areas in each side of the brain develop differently. In boys, for example, it’s the area used for mathematics. In girls, it is the area used for language skills. Another interesting difference is that the two sides of a man’s brain are connected by a smaller number of nerves than the two sides of a woman’s brain are.Which of the following is the best title of the article?
| A．Research on the Brain |
| B．Men and Women are Different in Brain |
| C．People’s Different Brains |
| D．Who Are Better, Boys or Girls |
__________ men and women think differently.
| A．The different brains make |
| B．Sex makes |
| C．The different experiences make |
| D．The influences(影响) of society make |
According to the article, girls are generally better than boys at __________ in your school.
| A．mathematics | B．physics |
| C．English | D．chemistry |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The left side of brain in boys generally develops better than that in girls. |
| B．The left side of brain in girls generally develops better than that in boys. |
| C．Men are better than women in all things. |
| D．The area in girls used for language skills develops better. |
The number of nerves connecting the two sides of the brain in men __________.
| A．is the same as women’s |
| B．is different from women’s |
| C．is larger than women’s |
| D．is twice as large as women’s |
Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
Place friendship in the first place. Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmoved or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’t get together, use the phone to keep in touch.
Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of “heartfelt” intimacy (亲密).Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems，but offer advice only when it’s wanted. Help raise friends’ selfesteem when they are sad about a job loss, or other such events.
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies，singing in a choir，and joining in a bowling league.
Don’t wait for a friend to ask for helps. When a friend has the flu，offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their afterschool activities.
Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage，friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests.
Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms，or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.
Enroll in an adulteducation course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests.People with close friends have aability to fight disease than people who are alone.
| A．less | B．greater |
| C．poorer | D．little |
According to the passage，you’d better offer advice to your friends .
| A．at any moment |
| B．only when they are happy |
| C．only when they want it |
| D．only when you are glad |
What we should do to have friends according to the author?
| A．Make friendship a priority(头等大事）. |
| B．Open up to close friends. |
| C．Never take a friendship for granted. |
| D．All the above. |
Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．You should have different friends for the same activities. |
| B．You should wait for a friend to ask a favor. |
| C．You should avoid talking with strangers in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores. |
| D．You should never take a friendship for granted. |
The underlined word “enroll” in the last paragraph means .
| A．give | B．join | C．get | D．catch |
In order to know a foreign language completely, four things are necessary. First, we must understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, correctly with confidence and without hesitation (犹豫). Thirdly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are correct in grammar. There is no short way to succeed in language learning. A good memory is a great help, but it is not enough only to memorize the rules from a grammar book. It is no much use learning by heart long lists of words and their meanings, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language. If we are pleased with a few rules we have memorized, we are not really learning the language. We must “Learn through use”. Practice is important. We must practise speaking and writing the language whenever we can.The most important things to learn a foreign language are.
| A．understanding and speaking |
| B．hearing, speaking, reading and writing |
| C．writing and understanding |
| D．memorizing and listening |
Someone hears and writes English very well, but he speaks it very badly. This is because.
| A．he doesn’t understand the language when he hears it spoken |
| B．he doesn’t have a good memory |
| C．he always remember lists of words and their meanings |
| D．he often hesitates to practise speaking it |
One can never learn a foreign language well only by.
| A．much practice | B．studying the dictionary |
| C．learning through use | D．using the language |
Which of the following is the most important in learning a foreign language?
| A．A good memory | B．speaking |
| C．Practice | D．Writing |
“Learn through use”means_______
A. We use a language in order to learn it.
B. We learn a foreign language in order to use it.
C. We can learn a language well while we are using it.
D. Both B and C.