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.
小题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

小题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

小题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.

小题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

Jasmine Harman，a famous TV presenter, was sunny and active. Nothing seemed to       her down. But nearly a decade on, Jasmine spent the first years of her TV life      a secret about her background—one she couldn’t      to be made public.
“When I started out in TV, I lived in fear of someone discovering about my      ,” she admitted. Because her mother had a       illness called hoarding Disorder(囤积症). “Mum would keep     batteries, old speakers, broken dolls and baskets she       in the street. Nothing would be thrown away. And she’d be       if you ever tried to clear them up,” Jasmine recalled. Eventually, the entire family couldn’t have a       life.
Two years ago, Jasmine did something      . She made a documentary called My Hoarder Mum and Me about her family’s battle to fight against her mum’s disease. “I do      our program will shine more light on the issue,” said Jasmine. Then a second program, Britain’s Biggest Hoarders      
Luckily, there are diagnostic criteria(诊断标准)now and experts that can help. Jasmine has become a(an)       herself in a way. She runs a website to help sufferers and their      . “It’s incredible. I spent most of my childhood being ashamed, but now I’d like to make it      . People like my mum need help, but not to be made to feel      .”
“We hadn’t been able to have Christmas dinner at Mum’s for      , because you couldn’t get people into the house      . But we had one last year, and it was amazing,” Jasmine said. “The       still isn’t perfect, and Mum isn’t perfect either. She’s still       with it. But I’m so proud that she’s come this far, and I want to tell other people it’s possible.”

小题1:	A．settle B．take C．beat D．calm

小题2:	A．making B．discovering C．hiding D．mixing

小题3:	A．wait B．plan C．cover D．bear

小题4:	A．work B．mum C．illness D．memory

小题5:	A．mental B．physical C．final D．social

小题6:	A．new B．used C．round D．expensive

小题7:	A．put away B．made out C．picked up D．dug out

小题8:	A．terrible B．grateful C．OK D．crazy

小题9:	A．rich B．normal C．simple D．hard

小题10:

A．special B．dangerous C．hopeless D．impossible

小题11:

A．hope B．wonder C．fear D．doubt

小题12:

A．ended up B．broke down C．kept away D．came out

小题13:

A．patient B．expert C．example D．role

小题14:

A．friends B．bosses C．families D．mistakes

小题15:

A．fair B．safe C．false D．public

小题16:

A．better B．younger C．prouder D．worse

小题17:

A．years B．months C．centuries D．weeks

小题18:

A．hardly B．actually C．luckily D．regularly

小题19:

A．dream B．way C．house D．study

小题20:

A．struggling B．filling C．turning D．begging

"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. And worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." That was Frank McCourt reading the opening lines of his book Angela's Ashes, released in 1996.
This Irish American author best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela's Ashes that recorded his poor upbringing, died of cancer on Sunday, The New York Times reported. He was 78.
Born in New York City, he was the eldest of the seven children born to Irish immigrant parents. Angela's Ashes was a memoir(回忆录)that captured an irresponsible, drunkard(酒鬼)father with a gift for story-telling. When not drunk, his father was absent, turning his back on a family so poor, McCourt wrote, that they were reduced to burning the furniture in their rented hut to keep warm. His mother struggled to raise her many children after his father left the family.
In Angela's Ashes, he wrote of hunger, a home flooded with rainwater and the unbearable humiliation(耻辱)of seeking handouts from charities in the Irish city. But he told the story in a way that is expressive, warm and light-hearted.
Frank McCourt left Ireland at the age of 19 to return to New York City where he was born. He earned a degree in English education and taught creative writing for nearly thirty years. After retiring in 1987, he decided to write about his childhood. "Angela's Ashes" became a huge success and brought McCourt a 1997 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and other honors. Millions of copies of the book were sold worldwide and it was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.
小题1:In the first paragraph, by saying "The happy childhood is hardly worth your while", the writer really means that ________.

A．a lot of readers don't deserve happy childhood

B．his childhood is not worth of others' sympathy

C．his childhood is mixed with happiness and misery

D．smooth childhood surely will not draw readers' attention

小题2:From the passage, we know Frank McCourt's father is ________.

A．humorous and trustworthy

B．alcohol-addicted but loves his family

C．poor but warm-hearted

D．irresponsible but gifted in telling stories

小题3:Which of the statements about the book “Angela’s Ashes” is right?

A．This book is intended to show respect to McCourt’s father.

B．The author wrote the book in a sad and serious tone(语调).

C．The book enjoyed great popularity after it came out.

D．The author got two awards because of the book.

小题4: What's the text mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to Frank McCourt and one of his works.

B．A literary review(评论) on Frank McCourt's book.

C．An account of Frank McCourt's miserable childhood.

D．A comment on Frank McCourt's life experience.

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with God. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was simple, with no indoor pipes or heating. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the rhythm and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle(喧闹) of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and turned on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there shocked, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this old station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower…".
小题1:The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons Except that ________.

A．it was too cold and quiet

B．she could only sing one song in the small farm

C．there was nothing more that could make her excited

D．it had no indoor pipes or heating

小题2:From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

A．passed away four years ago	B．left the small farm
C．left to live her own way	D．preferred to be with God

小题3:The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A．remembered

B．comforted

C．shouted

D．sighed

小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

小题5:Which would be the best title for this passage?

A．Cherish life	B．My happy childhood
C．Our small farmhouse	D．Mom’s music

When it is Tom’s turn for a cut, Mr. Smith places a wooden board covered with a piece of red leather across the arms of the chair, so that the barber doesn’t have to bend to cut the boy’s hair.
“Hey, young man, you’re       , you won’t need this soon, you’ll be able to sit in the chair.” the barber says.
“Wow,” says Tom, turning round to look at his dad. “Dad, Mr. Smith said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the      !”
“So I hear,” his father replies. “I expect Mr. Smith will start       me more for your hair then.”
In the       Tom sees a little head sticking out of a long nylon cape. Occasionally he       glances at the barber as he works. He smells a(n)       of smelly sweat and aftershave as the barber moves around him, combing and cutting.
Tom feels like he is in another world,       except for the sound of the barber’s shoes rubbing on the plastic carpet and the       of his scissors. In the       from the window he could see through the window, a few small clouds moved slowly through the frame, moving to the       of the scissors’ click.
Sleepily, his eyes dropping to the front of the cape where his hair       softly as snow and he      sitting in the chair just like the men and older boys, the special       left leaning against the wall in the corner.
When Mr. Smith has      , Tom hops down from the seat.      , he sees his own thick,       hair mixed among the browns, greys and blacks of the men who have sat in the chair before him. For a moment he wants to reach down and       the broken blonde hair, to       them from the others, but he does not have time.
They reach the pavement outside the shop. “I tell you what, boy, let’s get some fish and chips to take home,       your mum from cooking tea,” says Tom’s dad.
Tom is excited and catches his dad’s hand. He is surprised to find, warming in his father’s palm, a handful of his own       .

小题1:	A．building up B．sending up C．bringing up D．shooting up

小题2:	A．desk B．board C．couch D．sofa

小题3:	A．paying B．blaming C．charging D．accusing

小题4:	A．mirror B．book C．shelf D．catalogue

小题5:	A．steals B．discovers C．returns D．transforms

小题6:	A．lack B．memory C．mixture D．expression

小题7:	A．helpless B．noiseless C．fearless D．thoughtless

小题8:	A．control B．direction C．effect D．click

小题9:	A．immigration B．opposition C．reflection D．assumption

小题10:

A．rhyme B．trail C．pattern D．sound

小题11:

A．falls B．covers C．melts D．explodes

小题12:

A．considers B．succeeds C．approves D．imagines

小题13:

A．package B．bench C．scissors D．carpet

小题14:

A．treated B．compromised C．finished D．entertained

小题15:

A．Looking into B．Looking forward C．Looking up D．Looking down

小题16:

A．blonde B．red C．black D．white

小题17:

A．send for B．find out C．gather up D．show off

小题18:

A．punish B．separate C．deliver D．confirm

小题19:

A．persuade B．save C．excuse D．relax

小题20:

A．money B．tip C．fish D．hair

Many years ago in a small German town, a Jewish businessman had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the businessman’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.
The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and he would forgo her father’s debt. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. No doubt she was caught in a dilemma.
What would you have done if you were the girl? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1.The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2.The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3.The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral (横向的)and logical thinking.
Read on…
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
小题1:The underlined word “forgo” in paragraph 2 may mean ________.

A．pay off

B．run out

C．take over

D．give up

小题2:Which of the following indicates lateral thinking?

A．The girl refused to take a pebble and fled at once.

B．The girl exposed the cheat and found another way.

C．The girl picked one pebbles and made it disappear.

D．The girl picked a black pebble and accepted the result.

小题3:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．The girl dropped the pebble onto the path on purpose

B．The girl dropped the pebble onto the path by accident

C．The girl didn’t know there were two black pebbles in the bag

D．The girl replaced a black pebble in the bag

小题4:What lesson can we learn from the story?

A．Keeping calm when facing a difficult situation.

B．Thinking about a complicated problem in another way.

C．Thinking twice before making a final choice.

D．Coming up with a clever answer is easy.

Mondays are usually pretty busy for me. On one of these      Mondays, I got ready to go to work thinking about all the things I had to       on that day and walked down to get to my car scolding myself for being late to work, but       the car was nowhere to be found. I     right across my apartment the previous night but it wasn’t there that morning.
This was at 8:00 am in the morning. I made      to all the towing（拖）places, police stations all the time thinking that it was towed by     . By around 10:00 am, I couldn’t find it anywhere and the policemen decided that it was      stolen. After filing a report with them, I finally got to work thinking how my day was completely     .
Later in the day I went to pick up a rental car at an enterprise      to realize that my license was missing too along with my car. I told the enterprise guy the whole     and he was so sorry for me that he     to take me to the nearest DMV（车管局）and get a duplicate（副本的）   . I was totally surprised. I didn’t know why this complete stranger would want to     some time off his day to help me . He actually took me to DMV, got a duplicate and then      me a car. I was      the whole day because of the continuous events that happened to me but somehow this simple act of kindness from a     stranger made it all worth it. It cheered me up and made me forget all the misfortunes of the day. I was so     by this kind act that the next day I made sure someone else got a similar      . I took some smiley shaped chocolates and     them on some of my colleague’s desks.
This is still a lot     out there in the world. We just need to take the time to discover it.

小题1:	A．typical B．lovely C．strange D．pleasant

小题2:	A．face B．explain C．accomplish D．arrange

小题3:	A．excitedly B．surprisingly C．interestingly D．hurriedly

小题4:	A．stayed B．looked C．walked D．parked

小题5:	A．ways B．trips C．surveys D．contributions

小题6:	A．policemen B．doctors C．thieves D．officials

小题7:	A．normally B．curiously C．actually D．finally

小题8:	A．made up B．worked out C．figured out D．messed up

小题9:	A．still B．even C．never D．only

小题10:

A．message B．secret C．story D．business

小题11:

A．declined B．offered C．hesitated D．approved

小题12:

A．license B．card C．book D．ticket

小题13:

A．spend B．leave C．take D．get

小题14:

A．lent B．presented C．bought D．rented

小题15:

A．delighted B．annoyed C．disappointed D．amused

小题16:

A．complete B．perfect C．wonderful D．special

小题17:

A．moved B．puzzled C．shocked D．embarrassed

小题18:

A．honor B．method C．problem D．surprise

小题19:

A．forgot B．threw C．left D．exposed

小题20:

A．friendship B．goodness C．competition D．misunderstanding

Former National Football League player and children’s author Tim Green has added another book to his list of accomplishments: Unstoppable. The book tells the story of a 12-year –old boy named Harrison, who survives life in a cruel foster home before he finally finds a loving family. Once he settles in and realizes his natural football ability, tragedy strikes again and he loses his leg to a deadly bone cancer. Unstoppable follows Harrison’s incredible journey as he faces many challenges in his life.
Tim Green says he decided to write a novel about a kid facing cancer after watching how his wife fought to survive her own illness. “Her mental and physical toughness were more heroic to me than anything I’d ever seen in the national sports leagues,” Green told TFK Kid Reporter Zachary J. Lewis.
After watching his wife’s battle, Green said, he knew he needed to write about a person who struggled through a serious illness. But because the target age for his books is teen, he needed to tell the story through the eyes of someone that age.
When friends introduced Green to Jeffrey Keith, Green knew he had found the right person to help him“ capture the heroism that it takes to fight cancer”. Cancer-survivor Jeffrey Keith lost his leg to disease at age twelve, but went on to be the goalie （守门员）for the Boston College Division 1 Lacrosse（长曲棍球）Team and was also the first amputee to run 3,300 miles across the country. When Green heard Jeffrey Keith’s story, he knew it was the perfect narrative on which to base his next book.
TFK asked Keith what it felt like to read Unstoppable for the first time. “Tim captured what it felt like for me to go through this experience and battle back,” Keith said. “After I read the book, Tim asked me to describe it in one word, and I said ‘awesome’. Tim’s work sends a message to all the kids across the country that are facing obstacles that can have nothing to do with cancer: you are all unstoppable, as long as you believe it.”
小题1:Who inspires Tim Green to write the novel Unstoppable?

A．A boy named Harrison.	B．His wife.
C．Zachary J. Lewis. .	D．Jeffrey Keith

小题2:The underlined word “amputee” in Paragraph 4 most probably means________

A．a person who has survived cancer

B．a person who has had a leg or an arm cut off

C．a person who looks different from others

D．a person who has no arms or legs

小题3:What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．Jeffrey Keith thinks highly of Unstoppable.

B．Jeffrey Keith has read Unstoppable many times.

C．Unstoppable will be one the best-sellers this year.

D．Jeffrey Keith is fond of reading Tim Green’s novels.

小题4:The novel Unstoppable intends to inspire kids that ________.

A．they should fight against disease fearlessly

B．they should pursue their dreams

C．they can become a writer if they want

D．they can overcome any obstacles ahead

An Invisible Smile
Mr. Dawson was an old grouch, and everyone in town knew it. Kids knew not to go into his yard to pick a delicious apple. Old Dawson, they said, would come after you with his gun.
One Friday, 12-year-old Janet was going to stay all night with her friend Amy. They had to walk by Dawson's house on the way to Amy's house, but as they got close, Janet saw him sitting on his front porch and suggested they cross over to the other side of the street. Like most of the children, Janet was scared of the old man.
Amy said not to worry. Mr. Dawson wouldn't hurt anyone. Still, Janet was growing more nervous with each step closer to the old man's house. When they got close enough, Dawson looked up with his usual frown (皱眉), but when he saw it was Amy, a broad smile changed his entire face as he said, "Hello Miss Amy. I see you've got a little friend with you today."
Amy smiled back and told him Janet was staying overnight and they were going to listen to music and play games. Mr. Dawson said that sounded fun, and offered them each a fresh picked apple off his tree. They gladly accepted. Mr. Dawson had the best apples in the whole town.
When they left, Janet asked Amy, "Everyone says he's the meanest man in town. How come he was so nice to us?"
Amy explained that when she first started walking past his house he wasn't very friendly and she was afraid of him, but she pretended he was wearing an invisible smile and so she always smiled back at him. It took a while, but one day he half-smiled back at her.
After some more time, he started smiling real smiles and then started talking to her. Just a "hello" at first, then more. She said he always offers her an apple now, and is always very kind.
"An invisible smile?" questioned Janet.
"Yes," answered Amy, "my grandma told me that if I pretended I wasn't afraid and pretended he was smiling an invisible smile at me and I smiled back at him, sooner or later he would really smile. Grandma says smiles are contagious."
If we remember what Amy's grandma said, that everyone wears an invisible smile, we too will find that We're always on the go trying to accomplish so much, aren't we? It's so easy to get caught up in everyday life that we forget how simple it can be to bring cheer to ourselves and others. Giving a smile away takes so little effort and time, let's make sure that we're not the one that others have to pretend to be wearing an invisible smile.
小题1:Kids were scared of Mr. Dawson because _____.

A．he was wearing an invisible smile

B．he would fire them with a gun

C．he was mean with his apples

D．he was always very cold

小题2:We can infer from the passage that_____.

A．Janet was so lovely a girl that Mr. Dawson couldn't resist her smiles

B．Janet and Amy were going to invite Mr. Dawson to listen to music and play games

C．Mr. Dawson was friendly to Amy because she always wore an invisible smile

D．it was Grandma's advice that helped bring Amy and Mr. Dawson closer

小题3:The underlined word "contagious" in Paragraph 9 means _____.

A．infectious

B．supportive

C．moving

D．meaningful

小题4:What is the main message that the writer intends to send us readers?

A．Always wear an invisible smile.

B．Smile whenever we can.

C．Try our best to transform others.

D．Pretend that we are happy even if we are not.

I never got along with Dad. But when he was dying. I set off for Nebraska to be with him and my family. I stopped for the night at a hotel with a pool, hoping it would relax me.
The pool area was empty as I walked into the still water. A man in a bathing suit appeared. He sat on the edge of the pool with his legs moving up and down in the water. He had dark hair and deep brown eyes and smiled. “Where are you going?” he asked. When I told him about my father, he asked how we got along. I tried to change the subject, but then for some reason, I told him everything.
Finally the man said, “Even with all the trouble, remember, your father still loves you.” All at once, warm and clear childhood memories came flooding back: Dad running alongside my wobbling（摇摆的）bicycle, the proud hug he gave me at my high school graduation, his laugh when I caught him off guard with a tickle（挠痒）. “Yes, I know he does, ” I heard myself say. And for the first time in years I believed it. The man left, leaving me alone with my comforting thoughts.
Back in my room, as I went to bed, I decided it was time to forgive my father. Then I wished he’d forgive me too. The phone bell woke me up at 3 am. My sister’s voice sent a shiver（寒战）through me: Dad had just died. I had wanted to see him and make peace. But as sadness was beginning to surround me, I remembered that the man by the pool had already brought Dad and me together.
小题1: From the passage we learn that the author _________

A．didn’t know his father was seriously ill

B．always thought highly of his father

C．lived in Nebraska far away from his family

D．was going to see his father

小题2:When the author was in the pool, ___________

A．many other people were there too

B．he talked a lot with the man by the pool

C．he greeted the may by the pool first

D．the man by the pool told him everything about his family

小题3: What made the author change his original idea about his father?

A．That he was reminded that his father actually loved him

B．That the man by the pool mentioned his interesting childhood

C．That he remembered his father had taught him to ride a bike

D．That he knew his father would leave him forever

小题4: In the last paragraph, the author was sad that he ________

A．hadn’t accepted the kind stranger’s advice

B．had no chance to make peace with his father

C．hadn’t obeyed his father when he was young

D．hadn’t stayed with his father before