Harry Houdini was a man who astonished and attracted many people during his life. Whether he was escaping from a locked box or making things disappear and reappear, he surely was entertaining. People thought that he must truly have some supernatural powers, but in fact, what Harry really had was drive. Harry was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. His real name was Ehrich Weiss, the third of five children. His family moved to Wisconsin not long after his birth and when he was nine, he was tying ropes all over his backyard and learning amazing tricks to show his friends and neighbors. He visited the local locksmith, and when he had reached his teens he could pick almost any lock that was made. He also learned how to do card tricks. He and his brother, Theo, would often entertain at local parties and clubs for extra money. When Ehrich was 16, he came across a book that would actually change his life: the biography of France's greatest magician, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. It showed Ehrich that his hobby of magic and tricks could also be a career. Immediately, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. He and Theo headed out to make a living as magicians. In 1893, they performed at the Chicago World's Fair, and after that they traveled around giving magic shows for anyone willing to listen and pay. Theo grew restless, however, as the jobs became scarce, so he left. His timing was perfect since Harry had just fallen in love with a lovely woman named Bess who was just the right size for slipping in and out of the trunk they used in their magic tricks. They married immediately and then off they went, traveling with circuses and other road shows. Harry learned more and more tricks and spent much of his time reading and studying all kinds of locks, especially handcuffs. However, no matter what tricks they did or how hard they tried, Bess and Harry were not doing well. They tried to sell their shows for seven years and finally, in desperation, they went to Europe. It was the right move. Harry's persistence and... Houdini decided to become a magician after _ . A) he read a book about a famous magician B) he learned to pick a lock C) he started entertaining at local parties D) he learned to do card tricks
A
Parents have widely different views on the problem of pocket money . Four new fathers were asked this question and this is how they answered . Ashish Khanna :Although many argue that pocket money helps develop children's sense of value , I don't agree . I wouldn't give my child any pocket money . First of all , I never got pocket money and I seem to have a good value for money . If my child ever needed something and I felt it was areasonable request , I would buy it for him . Sharad Sanghi : No , I wouldn't give my child pocket money because I don't want to create theperception of " her " money and " my " money . Besides , if I refuse to buy her something that I think is bad for her , she may buy it with her pocket money _ . In this way , I would lose control over my child's requests . I feel it also encourages children to care more about money than anything else . I don't want my child to start judging other children by the amount of money or pocket money they have . Rakesh Shah : Yes , I would give my child pocket money . I feel that children should learn to spend money intelligently and not go overboard spending . They will learn what theirlimitations are and feel the difficulty when they have to pay for something that is over in their own pockets . Rajiv Patel : Yes , I would give my child pocket money because it is important that she learns to manage money . I will give her a fixed amount every month and if she spends the money before the month is over , then she will learn a lesson and not spend money so freely . Vikram Desai : Yes , I would certainly give my child pocket money . But I would not give it to him on a weekly or monthly basis . He would have to earn it . If he helped me finish some of my jobs or helped his mother with housework , I would reward him . This helps him realize that " money does not grow on trees " and it requires hard work to earn money . According to Vikram Desai , children's earning money by themselves makes them know that _ . A) money is not easy to get B) money can be gotten from the trees C) one can get lots of money if he / she works hard D) money is not so important for people nowadays
A
*Question*
The Last Supper is regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces in the whole field of pictorial art. Tradition has it that Leonardo Da Vinci worked for ten years upon the painting, the monks in the church annoyed at the delay. It was said that Leonardo often painted continuously from dawn to night without eating his meals. But at other times he spent hours before the picture, lost in contemplation, examining, comparing, and measuring his figures. This inactivity aroused the anger of the fussy Prior , the head of the church, who belonged to the large group of those who believed that the busier a man seems, the more he accomplishes; and so he tried to find fault with the idle painter. Leonardo was slightly unhappy and explained to somebody else that there is a great difference between the work of the creative artist and the stonemason. The creative artist needs time for contemplation; he may be busiest when his hands are idlest. Just now he needed two heads to complete the picture: that of Christ, for which no model on earth could be found, for where was the man to be found whose face would express the strength, and beauty, and tenderness, and deep sorrow of the Christ; then he also needed a head of Judas, and that was hard to find as well, for where was the man whose face could express the meanness of that base traitor . But he would look no further; if none came his way, he would be satisfied to take Prior as a model for Judas. This threat silenced the angry Prior, who quite naturally had no desire to pass to descendants in such a fashion. Which of the following is true? A) The painter was pleased with the Prior's complaint. B) The Prior was angry because he thought the painter did not work hard. C) The painter took one of the monks as a model for Christ. D) The painter took one of the monks as a model for Judas.
**Answer**
B