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 powersB．his unusual ability and skeleton keyC．his magic tricks and supernatural powersD．his wisdom and magic tricks【小题2】 It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous .A．in 1894B．before he married C．at the age of 17D．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 KeyB．A Secret PrisonerC．Worldwide FameD．Great EscapesB
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(答案→)B
解析：文章介绍了一代魔术大师哈里·胡迪尼。他起初在娱乐界打拼，但是碌碌无为，后来在1898年他成功表演了监狱逃脱后，媒体的大肆宣传开启了他事业成功的大门。为他赢得了“脱逃大师”称号的是他特殊的身体技能和一把万能钥匙。
【小题1】B细节理解题。根据文章第二段和文章倒数第二段Bess gave him a kiss for good luck and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks.可知他脚趾和手指一样灵活，而且身体也可以弄成随意的姿势。就是因为他有着不同于常人的技能，再加上一把万能钥匙，他才可以每次都能成功越狱。故答案选B。
【小题2】D根据文章第三段Then Harry performed his first prison escape in Chicago in 1898. 和第四段It was the publicity that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success.可知他是1898年第一次成功越狱后成名，再由第三段第一句话when he was 17, in 1891.可知1898年他开始成名时是24岁，故答案选D。
【小题3】C根据文章第三段前两句话Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother T…..可知胡迪尼进入娱乐界是在他17岁时，和他哥哥一起，所以C选项内容错误。
【小题4】D文章讲述了胡迪尼靠成功越狱获得了声誉，以此走上了成功的道路，而且在文中作者也详细叙述了他之所以能够成功越狱的技能和秘密，由此推断D选项标题更能反映文章中心，故答案选D。