-
J.K. Rowling is the author of the most successful book series in history, but her attempt to take on a new career as a screenwriter hasn’t been as smooth as she may have thought it would be. The sequel(续篇), “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”, shows that even the most successful author in the world is in need of checks and balances when making the transition to cinema.
Following the sale of half a billion copies of the Harry Potter series, Rowling is working hard to extend and enrich the mythology she created around the child wizard. In contrast to the eight Harry Potter movies, which were based on the seven books and most of which were written by experienced screenwriter Steve Kloves, the “Fantastic Beasts” series is scripted only by Rowling. This time she skipped the bookstores and went straight to the movie theater.
The “Fantastic Beasts” series takes its title from one of Harry Potter’s textbooks. The leap backward in time, a new set of adult heroes and a globe-spanning background show that Rowling is in tune with her fans and the spirit of the times. Harry Potter and his friends started out as a typical product of 1990s naivety, but since then the loyal veteran audience has experienced the shocks of the 21st century and grown mature and discouraged. The “Fantastic Beasts” series feel less like children’s fare; they deal with adults and frightening events that occurred in Europe at the end of the 1920s.
It’s 1927, and the criminal Grindelwald has escaped from prison to Europe. The hero, Newt Scamander, a zoologist of fantastic beasts, prefers to distance himself from politics and maintain his improvised nature reserve in London. But the young Prof. Dumbledore reminds him that neutrality is not an option in hard times. Dumbledore urges him to cross the Channel to Paris and stop Grindelwald, who is trying to plot a war to ensure the purity of the wizard race.
The rough outline of the plot constitutes only part of the movie. There are many other characters who appear in the mystery. I will mention the boy Credence who continues to have a central role in the struggle between the hero and the villain, even as his background remains a mystery. Similarly, Newt’s brother and partner, the snake-woman Nagini, and other new and old characters hint at an obscure past and future. Rowling populates her world with characters large and small, odd beasts and simplifies its story to lay the foundation work of the universe. The film lays strong foundations of mystery, but forgets to build any sort of structure above them. It’s like a construction site where the budget ran out too fast.
With movie screens full of superheroes and fantasy films, and every studio trying to float a fictional universe, Rowling is today’s most creative builder of cinema worlds, but there’s still a difference between her and a mega-corporation like Disney. Every character and beast is there because Rowling said so, not because the marketing division thought it would promote sales of merchandise. Rowling clearly has a true passion to create a mythology, and just as clearly, she hasn’t yet finished creating it.
The “Fantastic Beasts” series offers a world even fuller than that of Harry Potter. Once more she collaborates with David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies and now the two “Fantastic Beasts” pictures. Still, the world she’s created would be even more wondrous if Rowling had only filled it out with a crystallized or at least coherent plot. In the Harry Potter series, she mostly succeeded in making the films into independent works. But without experienced screenwriters to mediate between her imagination and the screen, the two “Fantastic Beasts” episodes are more like a chess game in which the creator moves characters from A to B as part of a broader strategy---which remains unclear.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is a film made for existing fans and doesn’t bother to appeal to a new audience. Not by chance does it offer a more mature world for fans who have grown up at least as much as Daniel Radcliffe. For them, the movie delivers the goods, but little of the magic remains. If Rowling continues to put out films without a beginning and an end, her world will collapse, leaving only the middle. It may be entertainment with captivating characters and effects, but it’s not a movie.
1.What changes has J.K. Rowling made in her writing career?
A. She was forced to abandon her original writing career and start a new one.
B. She was determined to skip the bookstores and publish books on her own.
C. She started a new fantasy book having nothing to do with the Harry Potter series.
D. She tried to enrich the Harry Potter series as a screenwriter rather than a novelist.
2.Who are probably the target audience of the “Fantastic Beasts” series?
A. Kids newly introduced to magic. B. Teenage students with grand dreams.
C. Adults going through life changes. D. Professional critics of fantasy books.
3.What are the features of the “Fantastic Beasts” series?
A. Complex story and exciting characters.
B. Simple story but abundant characters.
C. Childish story and strange characters.
D. Sad story but inspiring characters.
4.Big corporations like Disney choose movie characters and beasts based on _____.
A. potential profitability of the movies B. preference of their screenwriters
C. consultation with the original author D. investigation into successful films
5.How does the author explain Rowling’s failure to create a clear plot?
A. By describing shooting processes. B. By listing official statistics.
C. By drawing a comparison. D. By citing examples.
6.What does the author think of J. K. Rowling’s performance as a screenwriter?
A. It is really a disappointment for movie goers.
B. It is widely acknowledged by her book fans.
C. There exits much more magic in her screenplay.
D. There is still much room for improvement.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
_______ from J.K. Rowling’s book series
of the same title, the “Harry Potter” movies are universally acknowledged as classics.A. Adapting B. Having adapted C. Adapted D. To be adapted
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.
1. What is JK Rowling famous for?
A. detective novels B. crime fiction C. Harry Potter books D. love stories
2. Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?
A. He is a writer famous for police novels.
B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city.
C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels.
D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels.
3. Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?
A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration.
B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there.
C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing.
D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money.
4. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success.
B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing.
C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted.
D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling.
5. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling
C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How many books has the author of the series finished so far?
A.Three B.Five. C.Seven.
2.Why wasn’t the series turned into a movie?
A.The story was too complex. B.There was too much violence.
C.The author didn’t want it to be a film.
3.When was Game of Thrones first shown on television?
A.In 2006. B.In 2008. C.In 2011
高三英语短文中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
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 completely 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”.
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.
2.The underlined word “simultaneously” has the closest meaning with“______”.
A. willingly B. meanwhile C. especially D. eventually
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 compare J.K. Rowling’s old books and her new book.
D. To clarify the great challenges for brick-and-mortar bookstores.
4.What do the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy have in common?
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.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
-
1.In the book China Is Not Happy, the authors express their dissatisfaction with .
A．the influence of western countries on China
B．the relationship in economy between China and western countries
C．China's position in the interactional stage in the world today
D．Westerners' robbing China of many resources in history
2.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
A．China has made great historical breakthroughs in the past several years．
B．China's civilization has advantages over the westerners'．
C．China needs to use its growing power and economic resources to build its own world position．
D．China should be the number one leader in the world．
3.We can infer from the fifth paragraph
A．some of the responses to the book is negative
B．the youth and the elderly in China are angry with the book
C．the authors of the book are reporters and sociologists
D．many Chinese express their radical opinions
4.The book is named China Is Not Happy because on the book
A．China wants to put pressure on the western countries
B．it reflects the national feelings of Chinese people
C．the authors of the book asked them to do so
D．it is a good selling point
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.
1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
A. introduce the topic
B. draw readers’ attention
C. introduce the author of the book
D. advertise the book
2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
A. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.
C. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.
3.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Four misunderstandings of obesity.
B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity.
C. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis.
D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.
1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
A. draw readers’ attention
B. introduce the topic
C. introduce the author of the book
D. advertise the book
2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
A. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.
C. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.
3.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis.
B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity.
C. Four misunderstandings of obesity.
D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1.If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2.If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant (警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3.Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4.The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.
1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
A. introduce the topic
B. advise readers to buy books
C. introduce the author of the book
D. advertise the book
2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
A. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.
C. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.
3.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Four misunderstandings of obesity
B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity
C. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis
D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
One of the most popular Chinese TV opera series, Legend of Zhen Huan is expected ________ on several US television stations in about six months．
A．to be broadcast B．to broadcast
C．to broadcasting D．to be broadcasting
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
of the same title, the “Harry Potter” movies are universally acknowledged as classics.