The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was...

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-wild fame, and a name remembered today.

1.According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.

2.In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

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-wild 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 power B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key

C. his magic tricks and supernatural 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

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

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-wild 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 unhuman 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

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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．

0f course，his secret was not magic，or supernatural powers．It was simply strength．He had ability to move his toes as well as to move 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 a New York club．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 successful．Then Harty 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 newspaperman to watch．It was the publicity(名声)that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success．

Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐)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 passed quickly from her mouth to his．

Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame．He arranged to escape from the local jail 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．

1.According to the passage，Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on________．

2.According to the passage，how did Houdini get the key which helped him unlock prison door?

3.It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous________．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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.

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 skeleton key

C. his magic tricks and supernatural powers

D. his wisdom and magic tricks

2. 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

3.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.

4. 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

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

Many years ago, in one of the Arabian tribes(部落),there was a man named Nabor who owned a beautiful horse. This horse was famous for being both fast and gentle. Now, an Arab named Jehu, who belonged to another tribe wanted this horse.

Jehu had offered his camels and many valuable treasures for the horse but the owner would not sell it. Jehu then thought up a trick by which he hoped to get the horse for himself.

He decided to dress in rags, dirty his face and blindfold himself. Thus, he lay by the roadside to wait for the owner of the horse, who he knew would pass by that way.

When he saw Nabor coming on his beautiful　 horse, he cried out in a weak voice, “I am a poor and sick blind man. For three days and nights I have been unable to move from this spot to find food. I am dying; help me please.”

Nabor kindly offered to take him on his horse and carry him home; but Jehu replied, “I cannot stand; I have no strength left,” Nabor felt pity for him and got　 off his horse. He led his horse to the man and, with great difficulty, helped him onto the horse’s back. But, once Jehu was sitting in the saddle(鞍), he kicked the horse and galloped off, calling out as he did so, “I have the horse; and you will never see it again. Goodbye!” Nabor was, at first, surprised and sad but he soon ran after the thief, shouting to him to stop as he had something to say to him.

注意:

1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；

2. 应使用 5 个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

Certain that Nabor could not catch him by foot, Jehu turned the horse and stopped a short distance from Nabor.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

Struck with shame at these words, Jehu was silent for a moment.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

高二英语读后续写困难题查看答案及解析

第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

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(手铐) and toes trained to escape 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, passed 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-wild 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 wisdom and magic tricks

C. his magic tricks and unhuman powers

D. his unusual ability and a skeleton key

2. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

A. the year 1898                                B. his first prison escape

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. when he was about 24                            D. at the age of 17

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. A Man of Many Secrets                      B. A Skeleton Key

C. World-wild Fame                                 D. Great Escape

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.

The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.

Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.

The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.

1. The first paragraph tells us that______.

A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.

B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.

C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.

D. a new invention may make wheels less important.

2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.

A. without difficulty                   B. by electricity .

C. without friction                    D. by hand.

3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.

A. is more important for industry than for transport.

B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.

C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.

D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.

4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.

A. will soon get a name                        B. can go almost anywhere

C. is lighter than air                             D. was uncommon a century ago

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

In many people's opinion, man's first real invention,1.is also one of the most important inventions in history, 2. (be) the wheel. All transportation and every machine in the world depend3.it. The wheel is the4.(simple) yet perhaps the most remarkable of all5.(invention) because there are no wheels in nature. How, then, did man come to invent the wheel? Perhaps some early hunters6. (find) that the body of a heavy animal could be rolled through the forest on logs (圆木) more7. (easy) than they could carry it. However, the logs 8. (them) weighed a lot. It must have taken 9. great prehistoric thinker to imagine two thin slices of log connected at their centers by a strong stick. This would roll along just as the logs did, yet be much lighter and easier10. (handle). Thus the wheel and axle(车轴) came into being and with them the first carts.

高二英语语法填空困难题查看答案及解析

There was once a young man walking down the streets of Rome, from one end of the city to the other, on his way to visit a relative. While walking, he happened to 　　　　 a beautifully impressive church and heard 　　　　 sounds coming from the building. They sounded like a lot of pounding（冲击）.

Deciding to satisfy his 　　　　 , he approached the building, opened the heavy door and looked inside the church. Well , all he could 　　　　 was an old man in front of a big piece of marble , 　　　 the marble with a chisel（凿子） and hammer.

“Well , it must be something very 　　 ,” the young man probably thought to himself, “　　　　 he doesn’t even notice me.” He then left the church and continued with his 　　 .

Several days later, he returned on the same 　　　 . It seemed that the old man was still going at it, so he decided to ask him what he was 　　　　 doing.

He again went to the door, opened it and looked inside. To his 　　 , there was a big statue of an angel 　　　 with wings spreading out wide open, light 　　　　 on it through the stained glass windows, and it　　　　 the front of the church.

He could not help it but the next moment he was right next to the old man, 　　　　 his jaw hanging wide open. He 　　　　 with absolute amazement and a puzzled look on his face.　 He just could not understand how the old man knew that there was an angel in that piece of 　　 and he could not help but 　　　　 him, “Sir , how did you know that there was an 　　 in that piece of marble?”

The old man 　　　　 and replied, “Son, there is an angel in every one of us. All we need to do is to take a hammer and a chisel and chip away at all those little piece that do not look like an angel.”

1.A. enter　　　　 　　　 B. build　　　　　　 C. pass　　　　　　　 D. visit

2.A. loud　　 　　 　　 B. noisy　　　　　　 C. pleasant　　　　　 D. rough

3.A. relative　　 　　 B. curiosity　　　　 C. owner　　 　　　　 D. wife

4.A. hear　　　 　　　 B. see　　　 　　　 C. feel　　　 　　　　 D. smell

5.A. wiping　　 　　 　 B. cutting　　 　　　 C. taking　　　 　　　 D. turning

6.A. mysterious　 　　 B. optimistic　　　　 C. important　　　　 D. strange

7.A. because　　　 　　 B. although　　　　 C. unless　　　　　　 D. if

8.A. thought　　 　　 B. work　　 　　　 C. journey　　　　　　 D. pray

9.A. route　　　 　　 B. square　　 　　　 C. business　　　　　 D. time

10.A. usually　　　　　　 B. secretly　　　　　 C. really　　　　　　 D. absolutely

11.A. disappointment　 B. amazement　　　 C. relief　　 　　　　 D. joy

12.A. sitting　　 　　　 B. kneeling　　　　 C. lying　　　　　　　 D. standing

13.A. shining　　 　　　 B. bathing　　　　　 C. throwing　　　　　 D. looking

14.A. decorate　　 　　 B. exposed　　　　　 C. shaded　　　　　　 D. beautified

15.A. for　　　　　　　　 B. at　　　　　　　　 C. with　　　　　　　 D. in

16.A. shared　　　　　　 B. wondered　 　　 C. frowned　　　　　 D. noticed

17.A. stone　　　　　　 B. clay　　　　　　　 C. marble　　 　　 　 D. wood

18.A. challenge　　 　　 B. ask　　　　 　　　 C. praise　　　　　　 D. question

19.A. admire　　　　 　　 B. inventor　　 　　 C. eagle　　　　　　　 D. angel

20.A. sat down　　　　 B. turned around 　　 C. looked up　　　　 D. came out

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析