三、阅读理解：
A
Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye broke, there has been confusion(混淆) over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever.
Sudan?1 is a red industrial dye that has been found in some chili powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003.
Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been striving to remove some food products from the shelves. So far 580 products have been recalled.
Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification of the origin of the dye’s name.
Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye.
"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said. "Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country. But they told us there was no relationship."
The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week.
"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said. "People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name. Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out."
Sudan dyes, which include Sudan 1 to 4, are red dyes(颜料) used for colouring solvents(溶剂), oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
1. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph one?
A. Causing cancer. B. Having side effect. C. Containing poison. D. Poisonous.
2. How did the Sudan 1 get its name?
A. The dye is often produced in Sudan.
B. The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan.
C. Nobody is sure of the origin of the name.
D. Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye.
3. We can infer from the passage that.
A. the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety
B. Sudan 1 is often used to be added to the food
C. people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan 1 until 2003
D. many food shops will be closed down
4. Which of the following is the best title?
A. Keep away from Sudan 1 B. No Sudan 1 dye links to the country
C. How Sudan 1 dye got its name? D. Pay attention to the food safety
B
The Man of Many Secrets — 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 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 club 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 ankle chins. 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, pass 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? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.
5. According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.
A. his special tricks and supernatural powers
B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key
C. his magic tricks and unhuman powers
D. his wisdom and magic tricks
6. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.
A. his first prison escape B. the year 1898
C. the publicity D. Harry Houdini’s success
7. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.
A. in 1894 B. before he married C. at the age of 17 D. when he was about 24
8. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Skeleton Key B. A Man of Many Secrets
C. World-wild Fame D. Great Escape
