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
高三英语阅读理解简单题
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
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
You are about to hear a strange but true story. Legend has it that, Harry Houdini, the master magician, once claimed that he could break out of any jail cell in the world. All he had to do was walk into that jail cell with his street clothes on. 'I will be out of there in one hour. No problem!' He said. A very old jail down South heard about Houdini's claims and they accepted the challenge. On the day of the event, many people gathered outside. Very confidently, Houdini walked into the jail and into the cell and they shut the metal door behind him.
The first thing Houdini did was to take off his coat. Then, very strangely, he took off his belt. Secretly hidden in Houdini's belt, was a ten-inch piece of steel; very tough and very flexible and Houdini started working.
In about 30 minutes, that confident expression Houdini had when he walked in disappeared. In one hour, he was bathed in sweat. And at the end of two hours, Houdini in defeat, collapsed against the door, which then opened. It opened because you see, that door had never been locked. But that's not entirely true is it? That door was locked. It was firmly and thoroughly locked in Houdini's mind, which meant it was locked as if the best locksmith in the world had put his lock on it.
The mind is powerful. How many doors in your life do you think are locked but aren't? how many times have you been stuck in the mental prison of over thinking something that really had a simple solution. There is an ancient African proverb that says when there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.
Your mind is the most powerful force you will ever face. It will tell you lies. It will tell you can't do that. You're not meant for that. You're not good enough for that. You can't go on anymore. You don't have the energy. You must thank it for its opinion and carry on. Because as Houdini showed us the only locked doors that exist are in your own mind. The doors in reality are open and all you have to do is walk through.
1.Why couldn't Harry Houdini open the door within two hours?
A.Because he didn't open the door with his mind.
B.Because the door was locked by the best locksmith.
C.Because he had thought the door was locked.
D.Because he overestimated his own ability to open the door.
2.Which of the following story shows the "locked door," in our mind?
A.Bring the painted dragon to life by putting in the pupils of its eyes.
B.One tends to stand still and refuse to make progress.
C.The donkey has exhausted its skills against the tiger.
D.Lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen.
3.We can conclude from the passage EXCEPT ?
A.The biggest enemy in your life is in fact the enemy in your mind.
B.If you walk through the door in mind, your potential will be unlimited.
C.Unless you defeat the enemy outside, you will not defeat your enemy inside.
D.Life is really simple, but we insist on making it rigid and complicated.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a 1man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very 2indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to3 , he did so by singing opera. Even if someone said “good day” to him, he would clear his throat and 4 : “Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”
Almost everyone considered William unusual, since no one could get a normal 5 word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living — he lived quite6 , always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often had no ___7__for him and sometimes even made fun of him.
William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when one day a rumor (谣言) spread that William had received a role in a very important 8in the nation’s capital, that there had been posters everywhere advertising the event, and that it had been a great9. And to everyone’s surprise, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking with good10, and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day on, William gave up11at all hours. Now he sang only during his stage appearances. People wouldn’t have thought him 12if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large13, with a hand-carved message on it.
The message said, “Practice every second, for you never know when your 14 will come.” Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the 15 had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.
1. A. tall B. sensitive C. handsome D. strange
2. A. common B. concerned C. wealthy D. confident
3. A. appear B. practice C. communicate D. debate
4. A. whisper B. respond C. repeat D. tease
5. A. advised B. printed C. written D. spoken
6. A. simply B. naturally C. calmly D. fortunately
7. A. mercy B. respect C. trust D. money
8. A. concert B. documentary C. opera D. film
9. A. experience B. benefit C. discovery D. success
10. A. movements B. manners C. efforts D. signs
11. A. pretendingB. recording C. singing D. wandering
12. A. mad B. skillful C. artificial D. desperate
13. A. knife B. stone C. medal D. diamond
14. A. solution B. inspiration C. performance D. chance
15. A. neighbor B. visitor C. director D. Teacher
高三英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析
I want to ________ the secrets of nature and apply them for the happiness of man.
A.bring in | B.bring out | C.bring up | D.bring about |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
In autumn of 1935, when I was a young man, I was traveling in the north of Indian. One evening, before hunting in the forest all day, I was returning to the place which I had put up my tent. It was getting dark, but I was walking along a road. Suddenly I saw two eye glaring at me from among the trees. How could I do? Should I jump into the river to save my life? Then I look to the right. In the river there had a big crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth was wide opening.
高三英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of the man held the view ____ the book said was right.
A. that what B. what that C. that D. whether
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of the man held the view ____ the book said was right.
A. that what B. what that C. that D. whether
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The position of a car's fuel door (if you can actually remember where it is) remains one of the greatest unsolved motoring mysteries.
Do car company engineers draw straws (抽签) to decide what side of the car the fuel door goes on? No. According to Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer, as reported on the Allstate Blog, engineers are free to place fuel doors on the side of the car that offers the easiest packaging. And while one on each side would be rather convenient, we're not likely to see double fuel doors anytime soon—there's neither the room nor the demand for them.
"The placement of the fuel door is mainly a factor of fuel tank design, location, and underbody packaging," Nissan's Steve Yaeger told the Allstate Blog." With all of the structure and components located underneath the vehicle, engineers would quickly encounter restrictions in trying to route the filler tube to the same side on every vehicle."
Schirmer says Americans prefer fuel doors on the left side of their cars, probably because it makes it easier for them to place their car's left fender close to the fuel pump. For this reason, itˈs possible that drivers in the U. K., Australia, New Zealand, India, and other countries who drive on the left side of the road favor a right-hand-side fuel door. But thereˈs nothing to confirm that driver preference is a factor. There are regulations about where the fuel door should be positioned, but these donˈt specify the right or left side of the car.
If you canˈt remember the location of your fuel door, simply look at the little diamond-shaped arrow on the fuel gauge (燃油量表) on your dashboard—it points to the side of the car where the fuel door is. Do it before you pull up to the pump, to avoid the embarrassment of having to get back into your car and drive to another pump.
1.Why don't all cars have gas tanks on the same side?
A.Engineers place fuel doors where they like.
B.Drivers ask for its position due to their driving habits.
C.It troubles engineers if they are on the same side.
D.There are regulations about which side it should be positioned.
2.Why do Americans prefer fuel doors on the left side?
A.They are left-handed.
B.Itˈs convenient for their fuel filling.
C.It is easier to place their carˈs right fender near the fuel pump.
D.There are many cars with a right-hand-side fuel door in America.
3.What does the underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refer to?
A.The fuel door. B.The fuel gauge.
C.The dashboard. D.The diamond-shaped arrow.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Tips to Identify the Location of the Fuel Door
B.The Popularity of a Right-hand-side Fuel Door to American Drivers
C.Reasons for Gas Tanks on Different Sides
D.The Motoring Mysteries
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
完形填空(共20小题;每小题1分,满分20分)
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered.and they all admired his heart for it was 41 . There was not a scar in it. Suddenly, an old man appeared and said, “Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as 42 .”
The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s 43 . It was full of scars, it had places 44 pieces had been removed and other pieces 45 in, but they didn’t fit quite right, and there were several 46 edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gaps where whole pieces were missing.
The young man laughed. “ 47 your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars.”
“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours 48 perfect but I would never trade with you. You see, every 49 represents a person 50 I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they 51 me a piece of their heart that fits into the 52 place in my heart. But because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we 53 .
“Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart 54 , and the other person hasn’t returned a 55 of his or her heart to me. These are the empty gaps—giving love is 56 a chance. Although these gaps are painful, they 57 open, reminding me of the love I have for those people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have been waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?’’
The young man walked up to the old man, 58 his perfect heart, and tipped a piece out. He 59 it to the old man.
The old man placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It 60 , but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his.
They embraced and walked away side by side.
1.A.ugly B.perfect C.beautiful D.hurt
2.A.mine B.his C.theirs D.ours
3.A.coat B.appearance C.face D.heart
4.A.that B.which C.where D.whose
5.A.cut B.set C.put D.brought
6.A.smooth B.rough C.broken D.pretty
7.A.Comparing B.Compared C.Compare D.Compares
8.A.looks B.seems C.is D.fits
9.A.one B.heart C.piece D.scar
10.A.on whom B.in whom C.with whom D.to whom
11.A.take B.give C.lend D.pass
12.A.empty B.full C.original D.first
13.A.had B.gave C.shared D.owned
14.A.in B.away C.off D.up
15.A.lot B.sheet C.piece D.pile
16.A.making B.taking C.keeping D.bringing
17.A.keep B.cut C.come D.stay
18.A.carried away B.reached into C.took out D.brought up
19.A.offered B.took C.passed D.served
20.A.fit B.hit C.beat D.set
高三英语完型填空简单题查看答案及解析
Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices-television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well at school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.
One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.
14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.
Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a tube. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it “light in a bottle".
Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea.
Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. In another room was the first television camera. Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year.
The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In 1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
1.How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?
A.By learning from his science teacher.
B.By reading a story about the idea in a magazine.
C.By thinking hard himself.
D.By using his knowledge about electrons.
2.Philo referred to “_________” when he called something Tight in a bottle.
A.a container sending pictures and sound through the air
B.a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle
C.a receiver that held light and sent it on a line of electrons
D.a way to make electrons send pictures
3.We can infer from the passage that_________.
A.without his teacher's help, he would never have become interested in science
B.he made the first working television tube and the first television camera himself
C.Philo's early ideas about the television could not be understood by most people of that time
D.his invention was recognized and protected immediately he made it
4.In the passage, the author mainly tells us_________.
A.that Philo Farnsworth was a great inventor
B.how Philo Farnsworth invented the television
C.who made it possible to create television
D.when and where the television was invented
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析