J.K. Rowling set children’s imaginations on fire. Can the creator of Harry Potter do the same for a grown-up audience? The British author will find out on September 27, when more than 2 million hardcover(精装书) copies of her first novel for adults hit bookstores in the UK and the US, along with the digital edition. Set in a little English town, The Casual Vacancy is about an election held after an unexpected death.
Michael Pietsch, Rowling’s US publisher, says the novel reminded him of Dickens “because of the humanity, the humor, the social concerns, the intensely real characters”. No magic though, apparently: “This book isn’t Harry Potter”, says Pietsch. “It is a pletely different concern”. As with Harry Potter, there are no advance copies for the media, no early reviews. To date, the seven-book series has sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, and it became one of the most successful movie franchises in July 21, 2007.
Back then, fans could buy books at midnight parties hosted by bookstores. But recent years have seen a great challenge for brick-and-mortar(实体的) bookstores. People are still buying books, indeed more books than in 2007, according to figures released by the Association of American Publishers. But they are reading them in a new format(样式)—the e-book. The Harry Potter series just became available digitally for the first time in April. It will be different for The Casual Vacancy, with the publisher simultaneously releasing an e-book. For Rowling fans who once queued up for Harry Potter, this means that instant satisfaction is now only a click away.
Moving from children’s books to adult literature is a big transition. Will Rowling’s new book be successful? Arthur Levine, the US co-editor of the Harry Potter books, seems confident: “If you read or re-read the Harry Potter books, you can see that Rowling has all the strengths she needs for great success as a fiction writer –you have great characters, an involving plot, a sense of humor and great empathy”.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2, what Michael Pietsch says means that .A．Dickens’ works are too impressive to forget.B．J.K. Rowling has all the strengths of Dickens.C．The new book is similar to Dickens’ works in some way.D．The new book is quite different from the works of Dickens.【小题2】The underlined word “simultaneously” has the closest meaning with“ ”.A．willinglyB．meanwhileC．especiallyD．eventually【小题3】What’s the main purpose of Paragraph 3?A．To explain why the new book will have a digital edition.B．To show the Harry Potter series are popular with readers.C．To pare J.K. Rowling’s old books and her new book.D．To clarify the great challenges for brick-and-mortar bookstores.【小题4】What do the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy have in mon?A．They are both intended for children.B．They both show the author’s great talent.C．Their characters both have magical power.D．Both of them won’t be read on the Internet.C
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(答案→)C
解析：
试题分析: 本文讲哈里波特的作者又出新书，这是关于成年人的书，预售火爆及各方对些的评论。
【小题1】 C 细节理解题。根据第二段提到Michael Pietsch, Rowling’s US publisher, says the novel reminded him of Dickens “because of the humanity, the humor, the social concerns, the intensely real characters”. Michael Pietsch, Rowling的出版师说她的小说让他想到了狄更斯，因为人性，幽默，社会关心的问题，真实角色，所以说再者之间是相似的，所以选C项。
【小题2】B 细节理解题。根据下方提到For Rowling fans who once queued up for Harry Potter, this means that instant satisfaction is now only a click away对于她的排除买书的粉丝来说，这意味着即时的满足只需要轻轻一点，也就是说两种类型的书同时上市，所以选B项。
【小题3】A 细节理解题。根据第三段提到But they are reading them in a new format(样式)—the e-book但是他们马上要讲到一种新的样式，电子书，与纸书同步上市，所以这段用来解释为什么新书有电子版本，故选A 项。
【小题4】B 细节理解题。根据最后一段提到“If you read or re-read the Harry Potter books, you can see that Rowling has all the strengths she needs for great success as a fiction writer –you have great characters, an involving plot, a sense of humor and great empathy如果你重读哈里波特系列书，你能看到做为一个成功小说家他所具备的优点，伟大的人物，幽默感，同情心，所以两本书体现作者良好的语言天赋，所以选B项。