import copy

def get_max(lst, number):
    lst = copy.deepcopy(lst)
    if number == 1:
        return max(lst)
    number -= 1
    del lst[lst.index(max(lst)]
    return get_max(lst, number)

print(get_max([1, 2, 3, 4, 5], 2))

def get_2nd_max(s):
    max1 = s[0]
    max2 = s[1]
    if max2 > max1:
        max1, max2 = max2, max1

    i = 2
    while i < len(s):
        if s[i] > max2:
            max2 = s[i]

        if max2 > max1:
            max1, max2 = max2, max1

        i += 1

    return max2

import random

s = [random.randint(1, 100) for _ in range(10)]

print(s)  # пример, [31, 63, 29, 43, 77, 36, 45, 11, 71, 91]

print(get_2nd_max(s))  # 77

# Сортируем для проверки, смотрим второй элемент с конца:
print(sorted(s))  #  [11, 29, 31, 36, 43, 45, 63, 71, 77, 91]

def get_2nd_max(s):
    max1, max2 = s[0], s[1]

    i = 2
    while i < len(s):
        if max2 > max1:
            max1, max2 = max2, max1

        if s[i] > max2:
            max2 = s[i]

        i += 1

    return min(max1, max2)

def get_2nd_max_recursive(s):
    def get_2nd_max_recursive_inner(s, max1, max2, i=2):
        if i >= len(s):
            return min(max1, max2)

        if max2 > max1:
            max1, max2 = max2, max1

        if s[i] > max2:
            max2 = s[i]

        return get_2nd_max_recursive_inner(s, max1, max2, i+1)

    return get_2nd_max_recursive_inner(s, s[0], s[1], i=2)