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．According to the passage，Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ．
| A．his magic tricks and inhuman powers | B．his special tricks and a skeleton key |
| C．his unusual ability and skeleton key | D．his inhuman talents and magic tricks |
According to the passage，how did Houdini get the key which helped him unlock prison door?
| A．He took the key from his wife’s mouth． |
| B．His wife passed it to his hand while kissing him． |
| C．His wife gave it to him by a magic trick． |
| D．He got it in his mouth through a kiss by his wife． |
It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous ．
| A．when he was about 24 | B．when he was about 17 |
| C．after the year 1894 | D．before the year 1898 |
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| A．how to teach lessons in French or English |
| B．what the largest guitar contest in Canada is |
| C．more information about the Drummer Contest |
| D．skill in drumming that only a few people possess |
Since James is weak in French reading comprehension he may choose _____.
| A．elite Lessons | B．private Tutoring |
| C．customized Tutoring | D．basic Lessons for Beginners |
How much shall you pay for a basic guitar lesson?
| A．$14 an hour | B．$15 an hour | C．$19 an hour | D．$25 an hour |
The article can be found in _____.
| A．daily news | B．education reports |
| C．telephone directories | D．classified advertisements |
An exercise method (Gyrotonics) designed to stretch muscles and improve strength and balance is becoming popular in the United States. Here's more about Gyrotonics and the man who invented this special form of exercise.
Gyrotonics is a kind of exercise that combines the movements of dancing and swimming with the mental and physical practice called yoga. It helps lengthen muscles, improve balance, and exercise the joints, the parts of the body where bones are joined.
A Hungarian dancer named Juliu Horvath developed this special form of exercise. After he was injured in dancing, Mr. Horvath studied yoga intensely. In the 1980s, he developed a new exercise method as a special kind of yoga to strengthen dancers.
According to Mr. Horvath, his method was based on the octopus(章鱼)，monkey and cat. He says these animals have no restrictions. They can move in any direction the Gyrotonic movements to help the human body move more freely.
A special machine made of wood and weights(砝码) helps guide the body through the Gyrotonics exercises. You sit or lie on a flat board. You put your legs or hands through special cloth handles attached to a line with weights. With the tension created by the weights, you must try to move through the exercises.
Seven kinds of backbone movements form the base of Gyrotonics. For example, you can stretch your back to the left and right or forward and backward. While moving your back, you can also work on arm or leg motions. These movements must be done in a smooth way. Often the motions are circular(圆形的)。
When Juliu Horvath first developed Gyrotonics, he was the only teacher. Since then, he has taught almost 70 trainers. Now, there are more then 800 official schools in the world where you can learn Gyrotonics.This passage mainly focuses on _____.
| A．A successful life of Horvath | B．A popular kind of exercise |
| C．Some advice on health care | D．Some uses of a special machine |
According to the passage, what made it possible for Horvath to develop Gyrotonics?
| A．His dancing-related injury. | B．His failure in practicing yoga. |
| C．His good skills of dancing | D．His wish to be a Gyrotonics trainer. |
What do you think inspired Horvath in developing Gyrotonics?
| A．His experience in dancing. | B．His use of a special machine. |
| C． The movements of some animals. | D．The ideas from many trainers. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Many Americans have improved their health through Gyrotonics. |
| B．In a way, Gyrotonics is an exercise that comes from yoga. |
| C．You only have to move your backbone when doing the exercise. |
| D．Gyrotonics courses can be found in most countries worldwide. |
There is a wide and deep choice of a career. Whether he's a hand in construction or sitting behind the desk working on a computer, everyone has some ideas of what is an attractive career. However, making a career choice is not simply a matter of following a dream; for most people it means a lot of research and soul searching. Choosing the right career becomes one of the most important decisions of an individual's life.
It used to be that one followed in the footsteps of their father or grandfather or took over the family business when it came to making a career choice. These days, a career path can start anywhere and then veer off into something totally different.
Career choices must be realistic and well thought out. It is not uncommon for persons to start a career path and realize they have made a terrible mistake, feeling as if it may be too late to turn around. Not only does a career choice concern your strongest skills and interest, it is also something that you will be doing continuously to bring in income. This is why a career choice can be such a personal decision. Formerly it used to be unusual for someone to change occupations or careers more than once or twice in a lifetime; it is now even more unusual to keep the same career during someone's working life.
There are a great many measures in helping one choose the right profession. A number of websites offering tools such as career tests and information, educational resources, resume services and the kind can be found. It is important for one to research one's career in this changing economy situation, and choose the best from several related career choices.According to the author choosing the right career ______.
| A．is not difficult at all | B．needs a lot of dreams |
| C．is an interesting thing | D．needs a lot of thoughts |
The underlined phrase "veer off" in the second paragraph probably means "______".
| A．set out to do the same job | B．change the former course |
| C．compare two different things | D．dream of getting an easy job |
Nowadays it is common for one to _____.
| A．change his job often | B．do the same job all his life |
| C．find a few good jobs at a time | D．live without a job for many years |
All of the following are the tools on profession offered by websites EXCEPT _____.
| A．tests and information | B．training courses |
| C．employers' phone numbers | D．instructions on resume |
For many people – especially those juggling (兼顾) family and work at the same time --- it can be difficult to stick with a college degree. Kathy Bitzthum thought many times about dropping out of her accounting program at Iowa State University: She had two children and a job at Electronic Technology Corp. She’d only enrolled in the first place because her boss would offer her a promotion if she took a few accounting courses.
Because she only had enough time to take one class at a time, it took her seven years to complete the courses her boss asked her to take on. She received the promotion as her boss promised and wasn’t planning to continue a degree. But a request from her father, who was dying of cancer, made her think twice. He said to her, “Kathy, why don’t you just keep going and get your degree?”
Before he passed away, he made her promise that she would finish it. And he made her a promise in turn. Vitzthum’s parents had agreed to give each of their children a valuable gift when they graduated from college, and Vitzthum was obsessed with an antique she’d come across and knew that she couldn’t afford. After she promised to graduate from college, her parents bought her the antique. Her father told her, “I’m not going to be around when you graduate, so I’ll give this to you now. But it doesn’t _________ until you graduate from college.”
Since then, Vitzthum has looked at that antique every day and remembered the promise she had made to her father. Despite a hectic life as a wife, mother and full-time employee, she’s taken one course every semester for the last 19 years. And finally, at the age of 48, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting --- and she was excited to accept full ownership (所有权) of the antique that she’d borrowed for more than a decade.What had contributed to Kathy’s studying the accounting program at Iowa State University?
___________________________________________________________________Why did it take Kathy seven years to finish the accounting program?(no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________What did Kathy’s father make her promise to do before he died?(no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words.(no more than 3 words)
___________________________________________________________________What does the passage mainly talk about?(no more than 12 words)
___________________________________________________________________
Many adults in the United States can remember crying the nursery rhyme in the street "Hot cross buns!" But only a few people realize this was an early form of advertising.
Written advertisements probably began with hieroglyphics more than three thousand years ago, but only a few people could read these symbols. So merchants made signs with pictures or hung their tools over their doors to identify their businesses.
In the time of the Roman Empire, wall paintings were a popular form of advertisement. An ad for a play, or some other performance was painted on part of a building or on a wall around a city. People often advertised a house for rent or a freshwater bath in this way, too.
Today, large wall signs are still used for outdoor advertising. But outdoor advertising is only a small fraction of the total advertising. About forty per -cent of all ads are printed in daily newspapers. Radio commercials also provide this kind of information. Some people think they are the best form of advertising because radio broadcasts reach almost everyone in a nation.
Advertisements in magazines and on television reach many people, too. However, usually only large companies can advertise on a national network, because TV commercials shown across the country can cost many thousands of dollars.
Then there are ads that are almost part of daily living. If you use public transportation, you will see large printed ads, called ear cards, on buses and taxis and in trains. Ads are painted on the trucks that deliver products people are buying or selling.Which is the passage mainly discussing?
| A．Modern advertising | B．Significance of advertising |
| C．Development of advertising | D．Origin of advertising |
Which of the following is the original form of advertising?
| A．Signs with pictures | B．Wall signs |
| C．Street crying | D．Wall painting |
Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “hieroglyphics” in Paragraph 2?
| A．A signal | B．A signature | C．A symbol | D．A form |
Why did the merchants make signs with pictures or hang their tools over their doors ?
| A．To have their houses decorated. |
| B．To make their business known by public. |
| C．To enable people to learn how to read |
| D．To advertise their houses to rent |
Radio commercials are the best form of advertising because ____________.
| A．they can be heard everywhere in a country |
| B．they are cheap and fast |
| C．they are most recently developed |
| D．they can be understood by those who can neither read nor write |
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