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The story of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter

The elder stateswoman of British fantasy literature is J.K. Rowling, the gifted creator of Harry Potter. Joanne Rowling’s roots are in the southwest of England, where she grew up. But the idea for Harry Potter came to her while she was on a delayed train between Manchester and London. She wrote down her ideas on the back of an envelope. She then went to teach English in Portugal, where she continued to add flesh to the bones of the first Harry Potter story.

But her name is forever associated with Edinburgh in Scotland, where she lived and developed the format for the whole series of seven books.

There are many anecdotes about how, in 1990, J.K. Rowling began the first draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. She had the extra burden of looking after her baby daughter while she worked, and because she was too poor to own a typewriter, she wrote by hand. She spent many hours over a single cup of coffee in a warm cafeteria in Edinburgh because she had no money to pay for the heating at home.

Success was not swift and Rowling might have given up. But she was stubborn and overcame all the difficulties. It was only in 1997 that she completed the first Harry Potter story, which, because the publishers in the USA requested an adjustment to the title, was also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Rowling always intended that her output would be a book every year until she had finished the series. In fact, it took her about ten years to complete. Bur after the first book, the success of each of the following titles was automatic. The fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix

sold about seven million copies the day it was published.

Rowling’s style has been a target for some criticism, but what makes the books so important is that, because they appeal to readers of all ages, they create a special literary bond between parents and children. In an age of computer games and television programmEs, it is also claimed they are responsible for a renewed interest in reading. Harry Potter has even became part of the school curriculum, much to the part of the pleasure of the schoolchildren.

And the Harry Potter effect is not just restricted to the English-speaking world. Rowling’s books have been translated into more than 55 languages, and it has been estimated that more than 250 million copies have been distributed around the world. In 2005 it was estimated that Rowling had accumulated more than one billion dollars on deposit in her bank. She has thus attained the status of being the first writer to become a billionaire.

拓展词汇anecdote n. 逸闻趣事

envelope n. 信封

typewriter n. 打字机

adjustment n. 调整

output n. 作品数量

bond n. 纽带

deposit n.

存款

The Learner’s sheet Pre-reading

burden

draft

series

flesh

appeal

estimate

distribute

accumulate

billionaire

Fast-reading Match the main idea of each part

Part 1

(Para.1-4)

The effect she has brought Part 2

(Para. 5)

How Rowling succeeded Part 3

(Para.6)

The reasons why she succeeded Careful-reading

Task 1 Decide the correct order.

a. Rowling became a billionaire.

b. She continued to add flesh to the bones of the first Harry Potter story.

c. Rowling began the first draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

d. The idea for Harry Potter came to her.

e. She completed the whole series.

____-____-____-____-____ Task 2 Choose the best answer. 1. When J.K. Rowling added flesh to the bones of the Harry Potter story, she______.

A. gave more details to the main idea

B. created the other characters

C. sold the story for food

D. finished writing the story. 2. Rowling met many difficulties, such as _________.

A. writing by hand without a typewriter

B. no money for the heating at home

C. taking care of her baby daughter

D. all the above 3. As soon as the first book was a success, _______.

A. J.K. Rowling finished the series more quickly than planned

B. the publishers asked her to finish one book a year.

C. she wrote The Order of the Phoenix.

D. it was clear that others would be successful too.

4. Harry Potter series are so appealing that they________.

A. must be included in the school curriculum

B. encourage children to read more

C. have been criticised for bad style

D. are shown on television in other countries. 5. The Harry Potter stories ________.

A. can now read in only 50 languages.

B. are easy to translate.

C. have made J.K. Rowling very rich.

D. are distributed in 55 countries. Task 3 Find out what these figures refer to.

55

250

1 billion

Match :

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Write downs 3 questions

Question 1______________________________________________________ Question 2______________________________________________________ Question 3______________________________________________________ Post-reading Discussion From The Story of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, we can learn______________________________________________________________

Homework

Write a short passage about J K Rowling and what qualities you learn from her.