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 (水箱) 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 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. 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.
43．According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ______.
A．his good luck and supernatural powers
B．his unusual ability and skeleton key
C．his magic tricks and supernatural powers
D．his wisdom and magic tricks
44．It can be learnt 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 |
45．According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
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.
46．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 |
黄冈创优卷系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：江西省高安中学2012届高三第二次综合考试英语试题 题型：050
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科目：高中英语 来源：山东省济宁市鱼台二中2012届高三11月月考英语试题 题型：050
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年江西吉安一中高三模拟英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
—Oh, Mom, just a few minutes.
—Hurry up, Harry, or by the time you pack your belongings, the flight _________!
A. has left B. will have left C. had left D. will be leaving
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015届河南省高一第三次考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
Harry lived in London for three months,______ he learned some English.
A．which B．in which C．that D．during which time
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Harry Houdini was a man who astonished and attracted many people during his life. Whether he was escaping from a locked box or making things disappear and reappear, he surely was entertaining. People thought that he must truly have some supernatural powers, but in fact, what Harry really had was drive.
Harry was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. His real name was Ehrich Weiss, the third of five children. His family moved to Wisconsin not long after his birth and when he was nine, he was tying ropes all over his backyard and learning amazing tricks to show his friends and neighbors. He visited the local locksmith, and when he had reached his teens he could pick almost any lock that was made. He also learned how to do card tricks. He and his brother, Theo, would often entertain at local parties and clubs for extra money.
When Ehrich was 16, he came across a book that would actually change his life: the biography of France’s greatest magician, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. It showed Ehrich that his hobby of magic and tricks could also be a career. Immediately, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. He and Theo headed out to make a living as magicians.
In 1893, they performed at the Chicago World’s Fair, and after that they traveled around giving magic shows for anyone willing to listen and pay. Theo grew restless, however, as the jobs became scarce, so he left. His timing was perfect since Harry had just fallen in love with a lovely woman named Bess who was just the right size for slipping in and out of the trunk they used in their magic tricks. They married immediately and then off they went, traveling with circuses and other road shows. Harry learned more and more tricks and spent much of his time reading and studying all kinds of locks, especially handcuffs. However, no matter what tricks they did or how hard they tried, Bess and Harry were not doing well. They tried to sell their shows for seven years and finally, in desperation, they went to Europe.
It was the right move. Harry’s persistence and constant practice were about to pay off. To get people’s attention, he walked into police stations and offered to be handcuffed by all the policemen. They were shocked when he was loose only seconds later. Soon, everyone in Europe was talking about Houdini’s astounding skills. He was in high demand and found himself doing more and more dangerous acts. He escaped from a straitjacket hanging upside down over the street; he escaped from locked boxes of all kinds; and, of course, he got out of any kind of handcuffs put on him.
After several years in Europe, Bess and Harry returned to the United States in victory. Harry was doing such amazing tricks that people felt he must have special powers. However, few realized how much time he spent practicing and studying. He would do special exercises to keep his body strong, and he would do tricks with his fingers to keep them flexible. He would spend large amounts of time tying and untying knots — with his toes! For his underwater tricks, he would get in the bathtub and practice holding his breath for longer and longer times. Since many of his tricks involved being deep in icy water, he would pour buckets of ice in the tub to get accustomed to working in the cold.
The reason that Harry Houdini was such a success was that he practiced and prepared for whatever might happen. When a college student punched him in the abdomen in 1926, however, he wasn’t prepared. The punch did internal damage that not even this magician could get out of. Harry died in 1926 at 52 years of age — a master of his trade and a true legend.
56. Houdini decided to become a magician after ______.
A. he read a book about a famous magician B. he learned to pick a lock
C. he started entertaining at local parties D. he learned to do card tricks
57. The author supports the argument that Houdini was a hard worker by describing ______.
A. his famous tricks B. his childhood
C. how he prepared D. how he became popular
58. Which of the is true according to this passage?
A. His brother left him because he was doubtful of the future.
B. He went to Europe after an argument with his brother.
C. Bess was a great help in his career before they were married.
D. He succeeded because he had special powers.
59. It can be inferred that Houdini’s death was ______.
A. a plotted murder B. another performance C. a legend D. an accident
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