题目内容
阅读理解
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 (马戏表演). 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 (复杂的) knots (结) 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?
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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 ________.
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A．as 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 ________.
[ ]
(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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