We all know that a magician does not really depend on "magic" to perform his tricks, but on his ability to act at great speed. 1)______, this does not prevent us from enjoying watching a magician 2)______rabbits from a hat. 3)______ the greatest magician of all time was Harry Houdini who died in 1926. Houdini mastered the art of 4)______. He could free himself from the tight test knots or the most complicated locks in seconds. 5)______ no one really knows how he did this, there is no doubt 6)______ he had made a close study of every type of lock ever invented. He liked to carry a small steel needle like tool strapped to his leg and he used this in place of a key.

　　Houdini once asked the Chicago police to lock him in prison. They 7)______ him in chains and locked him up, but he freed himself 8)______ an instant. The police 9)______ him of having used a tool and locked him up again . This time he wore no clothes and there were chains round his neck, waist, wrists, and legs; but he again escaped in a few minutes. Houdini had probably hidden his "needle" in a wax like 10)______ and dropped it on the floor in the passage. 11)______ he went past, he stepped on it so that it stuck to the bottom of his foot. His most famous escape, however, was 12)______ astonishing. He was heavily chained up and enclosed in an empty wooden chest, the lid of 13)______ was nailed down. The 14)______ was dropped into the sea in New York harbor. In one minute Houdini had swum to the surface. When the chest was 15)______, it was opened and the chains were found inside.

　　1.A. Generally　B. However　C. Possibly　D. Likewise

　　2.A. to produce　B. who produces　C. produce　D. how to produce

　　3.A. Out of the question　B. Though　C. Probably　D. Undoubted

　　4.A. escaping　B. locking　C. opening　D. dropping

　　5.A. Surprisingly　B. Obviously　C. Perhaps　D. Although

　　6.A. if　B. whether　C. as to　D. that

　　7.A. involved　B. closed　C. connected　D. bound

　　8.A. at　B. by　C. in　D. for

　　9.A. rid　　B. charged　　C. accused　　D. deprived

　　10.A. candle　　B. mud　　C. something　　D. substance

　　11.A. As　　B. Usually　　C. Maybe　　D. Then

　　12.A. overall　 B. all but　 C. no longer　 D. altogether

　　13.A. it　　B. which　　C. that　　D. him

　　14.A. chest　　B. body　　C. lid　　D. chain

　　15.A. brought up　B. sunk　C. broken apart　D. snapped

　　參考答案：

　　1、B　2、C　3、C　4、A　5、D

　　6、D　7、D　8、C　9、C　10、D

　　11、A　12、D　13、B　14、A　15、A