閱讀理解

  Today remarkable escapes are not unusual. In cinemas and on TV we watch secret agents (特工) using all kinds of modern equipment, escape from impossible situations. If we believe what we read in the newspapers, the world of cinema and TV is not so far from the real world. Yet wonderful and brave as modern agents are, none have succeeded in bettering the remarkable feats of Erich Weiss, known to the world as the Great Houdini.

  Erich Weiss was born in the U. S. A. in 1874. When he was seven years old he saw his first circus (馬戲表演). He wanted to be a magician and conjurer and he began practising every day. He joined an athletic club because he believed that physical fitness was important. When he was eleven he got a job as a locksmith and it was not long before he was able to pick any lock. He was even able lo open handcuffs. In 1893 Erich appeared at the Chicago World Fair as Harry Houdini, Handcuffed King and Escape Artist. This was the start of a remarkable career, which lasted thirty-four years. In this time Houdini and his wife, perhaps the only person who knew the secret of his tricks, traveled all over the world. Houdini performed before millions of people including kings, queens, dukes and millionaires.

  Houdini was able to make elephants disappear but his special trick was escaping. Once he was handcuffed and put into a packing case. He was them tied with rope, weighed, and thrown into the sea. It took Houdini less than five minutes to come to the surface. He once challenged the police of fourteen countries to keep him handcuffed and locked up. In Russia he was handcuffed and locked in a steel prison van. The door was locked and chained. There was only a well barred window five inches square. The Russians thought it was impossible to escape from this. Houdini had no modern equipment but it took only an hour. There was nothing to show how he did it. Nobody knows how he performed his remarkable tricks but we do know he practised every day of his life. He was always in very good physical condition. His toes could do the work of fingers. He used to tie string in complicated (復(fù)雜的) knots (結(jié)) and then undo the knots with his toes without looking! He also learned to stay underwater for six minutes and had an ice cold bath every morning so he could work in winter. There have been many excape artists since Houdini but none have been quite so clever.

(1)What is Houdini's special trick?

[  ]

A.Making elephants disappear.

B.Picking locks.

C.Opening handcuffs.

D.Escaping.

(2)Compared with the modern agents and the other escape artiste, Houdini is ________.

[  ]

A.a(chǎn)s clever as themp

B.cleverer than most of them

C.the cleverest

D.not so clever as them

(3)He began to finish his career at the age of ________.

[  ]

A.11
B.19
C.34
D.53

(4)In the world perhaps ________ knew the secret of his tricks.

[  ]

A.no one

B.only his wife

C.modern agents

D.other escape artists

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科目:高中英語 來源:山東省棗莊市2010屆高三第一次模擬考試英語試題 題型:050

閱讀理解

  April 22,2010 will be the 18th celebration of the annual Take Our Daugluers to Work Day(TOD), a project the National Ms.Foundation for Women of America(NFW)developed to expose girls to expanding opportunities for women in the workplace.

  The program offers, millions of girls a first - hand view of the many career opportunities available in their futures.Now that women make up 46 peroent of the U.S.workforce, girls can find role models in every occupational field-from politics to molecular biology to professional athletics, to name just a few.TOD encourages girls to focus on their abilities and opportunities, not just their appearance.

  The NFW developed the project more than a decade ago to address the self-esteem problems that many girls experience when they enter adolescence.At school, boys often receive more encouragement in the classroom, especially in math.science and computer science, the academic fields that tend to lead to the highest salaries.Women receive on average only 73 cents for every dollar that men are paid.a(chǎn)nd remain vastly underrepresented(數(shù)量不足)in top executive positions and technology fields.TOD aims to give girls the confidence and inspiration they need to develop successful careers, particularly in non-traditional fields.

  Perhaps because the program had become so widespread and successful, TOD had been criticized for excluding boys.a(chǎn)nd it was expanded in 2003to include boys.The program's official website states that the program was changed in order to provide both boys and girls with opportunities to explore careers at an age when they are more flexible in tenns of gender stereotyped roles."We should also show boys that becoming a child care provider is as acceptable a choice as becoming a police officer or CEO," added Sara K.Gould.executive director of the NFW.

(1)

The purpose for having a Take Our Daughters to Work Day is ________

[  ]

A.

to encourage girls to get top paying jobs

B.

to let girls spend more time with their mothers

C.

to show girls possibilities for work and careers

D.

to give girls a chance to visit their mothers' offices

(2)

Why are women underrepresented in some fields such as technology?

[  ]

A.

They are not interested in these fields.

B.

They are not encouraged to work in these fields.

C.

They are not paid the same as men in these fields.

D.

They are not allowed to be educated in these fields.

(3)

TOD was criticized because some people ________.

[  ]

A.

thought it was not fair to boys

B.

did not like having children at work

C.

did not have daughters to take to work

D.

would rather have their daughters stay at home

(4)

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[  ]

A.

Boys are now included on Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

B.

Women and men have always been treated equally at work.

C.

Homemaking and raising children are jobs for girls only.

D.

Girls grow up receiving more attention than boys.

(5)

What can we learn from Sara K.Gould's words?

[  ]

A.

Boys are sometimes more careful and responsible than girls.

B.

It is most suitable for women to look after children at home.

C.

Aboy's life ambition should be to become an officer or CEO.

D.

It is also acceptable for boys to do what girls are supposed to.

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