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 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．
(1)
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
(2)
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．
(3)
It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous ________．
While Western culture has become used to the thumbs-up as a good signal(probably coming from World War II pilots using the signal to show that they were "good to go" with ground crews), there are cultures where a thumbs-up may land you in trouble．In West Africa, as well as Greece, Italy and Middle East, the thumbs-up is pretty much the biggest insult(侮辱)．
Rather more interesting is a thumbs-up in Germany and in parts of Japan－they just see it as the hand signal for the number one．
The "A-OK"
This sign is mainly used by divers(潜水员)to mean "OK"(to prevent being confused with the thumbs-up sign, which means "rise")．Basically the meaning comes out as "great", or "completely fine"．However, in a few countries in Europe, people may think you抮e telling them that you think they抮e a 'zero挘?/P>
The "V Sign"
The sign comes in two formats：one with the palm(手掌)faced outwards, and one with the palm inwards．In America they mean the same thing －"victory"．However, if the outside of your hand is facing your target(目标), you抮e giving somebody a long-built insult in Great Britain and many English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand．Winston Churchill famously used the "incorrect" version of the V sign during the early years of the war, turning the outside inside later．The V sign is also considered rude in Italy．
The "Corna"
The corna hand gesture has most recently been adopted by fans of rock and heavy metal music．Nowadays many Americans use the gesture simply to mean "rock on", or in support of the University of Texas in Austin(known as the "Hook抏m Horns")．Today it is still popular in Spain, Brazil and Slovakia．Historically, however, the symbol possibly dates back to Ancient Greece．
(1)
Which of the following signs doesn抰 have an insulting meaning?
[ ]
A．
The "Thumbs-Up"．
B．
The "A-OK"．
C．
The "V Sign"．
D．
The "Corna"．
(2)
What information can we get from the passage?
[ ]
A．
The "V Sign" was first used by Winston Churchill．
B．
Italians often use the "Thumbs-Up" to praise others．
C．
You are most likely to see the "Corna" in a heavy metal music concert．
D．
The "A-OK" and the "Thumbs-Up" have the same meaning to divers．
(3)
If you travel abroad, you 抎 better not use the "V Sign" in ________．
"Mr Castle, how are you?" We talked about this and that. As he left,
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king Tips