Joanne Rowling, born on 31 July 1965, is an English fiction writer who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, which has gained international attention, won multiple awards, and sold over 375 million copies worldwide.

JK Rowling’s new novel arrives with the high drama and state secrecy of a royal birth. Its due date is announced in February, and in April the disclosure of its title, The Casual Vacancy, makes international news. The release of the cover image in July commands headlines again, and Fleet Street(英国媒体) commissions (委托) a “design guru” to analyze its mysterious artistic beauty, in search of clues as to what might lie within. Waterstones(英国连锁书店) predicts the novel will be “the bestselling fiction title this year”. Literary critics begin to publish preliminary (初步的) reviews, revealing what they think they will think about a book they have not yet even read.

I am required to sign more legal documents than would typically be involved in buying a house before I am allowed to read The Casual Vacancy, under tight security in the London offices of Little, Brown. Even the publishers have been forbidden to read it, and they give me the manuscript carefully, religiously, as though handling a priceless Ming vase. Afterwards, I am instructed never to disclose the address of Rowling’s Edinburgh office where the interview will take place.

In the 15 years since she published her first Harry Potter, Rowling has become both universally known and almost unrecognizable. The untidy redhair who used to write in the cafes of Leith has slowly transformed into a shiny fashionable lady, one who is beyond recognition behind wealth and control. Once a penniless single mother, she became the first person on earth to make $1billion by writing books, but her rare public appearances suggested a faint ice maiden quality.

Rowling is completely relaxed about this arrangement. Warm and energetic, quick to laugh, she chatters so freely that her publicist gets nervous and tells her to lower her voice. “Am I speaking too loud?” She doesn’t look a bit concerned. “Well, I can’t get passionate and whisper!” When I tell her I loved the book, her arms shoot up in celebration. “Oh my God! I’m so happy! That’s so amazing to hear. Thank you so much! You’ve made me incredibly happy. Oh my God!” Anyone listening would take her for a debut author, meeting her first ever fan.

In a way, that’s what she is. Rowling has written seven Harry Potter books, and sold more than 450m copies, but her first novel for adults is unlike them in every respect.

“Obviously I need to be in some form of vehicle to have a decent idea,” she laughs. Having dreamed up Potter on a train, “This time I was on a plane. And I thought: local election! And I just knew. I had that totally physical response you get to an idea that you know will work. It’s a rush of adrenaline (肾上腺素), it’s chemical. I had it with Harry Potter and I had it with this. So that’s how I know.”

66. The “design guru” in Paragraph 2 is probably ________.

A. a publisher　 B. a reader　 C. a writer　 D. an expert

67. Why was the author required to sign so many legal documents before reading the book?

A. Because it’s a commercial secret before the book is published.

B. Because publishers are afraid the author is a commercial spy.

C. Because the author is so dishonest that publishers can’t trust him.

D. Because the author is involved in buying a house.

68. From the passage, we can learn the following facts about Rowling EXCEPT that________

A. she used to write stories in the cafes.

B. she often makes public appearance after she is famous.

C. she was very poor before she became well-known.

D. she has become a wealthy lady with good quality.

69. According to the interview with Rowling, we can infer that she is ________.

A. aggressive and energetic　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. quiet and easygoing

C. enthusiastic and lovely 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. modest and shy

70. The author writes the passage mainly to ________.

A. introduce JK Rowling and her new book　　 B.describe great changes in JK Rowling

C. advocate readers to buy Harry Potter D. tell readers the contents of the new book

People who speak or perform before the public sometimes may suffer from “Stage Fright”. Stage fright makes a person nervous. In the worst case it can make one's mind go back and forget what one ought to say, or to act. Actors, musicians, dancers, lawyers, even radio show hosts have suffered from stage fright at one time or another.

Diana Nichols is an expert in helping people free from stage fright at a medical center in New York City. She helps actors learn to control themselves. Miss Nichols says some people have always been afraid to perform before the audience. Others, she says, develop stage fright after a fearful experience.

She offers them ways to control the fear. One way is to smile before going onto the stage. Taking two deep breaths also helps. Deep breathing helps you get control of your body.

Miss Nichols persuades her patients to tell themselves that their speech or performance does not have to be perfect. It's all right to make a mistake. She tells them they should not be too cautious while they are performing. It is important that they should continue to perform while she is helping them. After each performance, they discuss what happened and find out what advice helped and what did not. As they perform more and more, they will fear less and less as much as 50%. Miss Nichols says the aim is only to reduce stage fright, not to eliminate it completely. This is because a little stage fright makes a person more cautious, and improves the performance.

　　 1. Miss Nichols is

　　　　 A. a teacher whose students can be free from stage fright

　　　　 B. an expert who helps people get rid of stage fright

　　　　 C. a teacher who helps people out when they’re suffering from stage fright

　　　　 D. a woman who never suffers from stage fright

　　 2. The underlined word “eliminate” in the last paragraph means——.

　　　　 A. keep　　　　  B. reduce　　　　   C. change　　　　  D. get rid of

　　 3. The wrong way to overcome stage fright is

　　　　 A. to smile before going to the stage

　　　　 B. to take two deep breaths to calm oneself

　　　　 C. to pay less attention to one's mistakes in performance

　　　　 D. to perform less and to watch more

　　 4. Which of the following statements is right?

　　　　 A. We can get rid of stage fright completely.

   　　  B. We can reduce stage fright as much as one third.

　　　　 C. A little stage fright can make actors perform better.

 D. A little stage fright leads to complete failure.

 

People who speak or perform before the public sometimes may suffer from “Stage Fright”. Stage fright makes a person nervous. In the worst case it can make one's mind go back and forget what one ought to say, or to act. Actors, musicians, dancers, lawyers, even radio show hosts have suffered from stage fright at one time or another.

Diana Nichols is an expert in helping people free from stage fright at a medical center in New York City. She helps actors learn to control themselves. Miss Nichols says some people have always been afraid to perform before the audience. Others, she says, develop stage fright after a fearful experience.

She offers them ways to control the fear. One way is to smile before going onto the stage. Taking two deep breaths also helps. Deep breathing helps you get control of your body.

Miss Nichols persuades her patients to tell themselves that their speech or performance does not have to be perfect. It's all right to make a mistake. She tells them they should not be too cautious while they are performing. It is important that they should continue to perform while she is helping them. After each performance, they discuss what happened and find out what advice helped and what did not. As they perform more and more, they will fear less and less as much as 50%. Miss Nichols says the aim is only to reduce stage fright, not to eliminate it completely. This is because a little stage fright makes a person more cautious, and improves the performance.

　　 1. Miss Nichols is

　　　　 A. a teacher whose students can be free from stage fright

　　　　 B. an expert who helps people get rid of stage fright

　　　　 C. a teacher who helps people out when they’re suffering from stage fright

　　　　 D. a woman who never suffers from stage fright

　　 2. The underlined word “eliminate” in the last paragraph means——.

　　　　 A. keep　　　　  B. reduce　　　　   C. change　　　　  D. get rid of

　　 3. The wrong way to overcome stage fright is

　　　　 A. to smile before going to the stage

　　　　 B. to take two deep breaths to calm oneself

　　　　 C. to pay less attention to one's mistakes in performance

　　　　 D. to perform less and to watch more

　　 4. Which of the following statements is right?

　　　　 A. We can get rid of stage fright completely.

   　　  B. We can reduce stage fright as much as one third.

　　　　 C. A little stage fright can make actors perform better.

 D. A little stage fright leads to complete failure.

 

阅读理解

　　Not long ago, Richard Denniston found himself suffering the same pain that million of other pet owners have faced.

　　His little Scottish dog had a brain tumour （瘤） and would soon die. Like others who faced the problem before him, Dennison just wanted to end his pet's suffering.

　　However, he took one step further.

　　Denniston, an expert who studies animals that have breasts to nurse their young, collected a tiny skin sample （样本） from the dog and took it to his laboratory at Louisiana State University. There he cultured （培育） it and froze it in liquid nitrogen （氮）.

　　From that idea, Denniston started a new technology. Dennistion's company will save pet's DNA for $500 , plus a monthly storage fee of $10 , until cloning （克隆） becomes a reality.

　　Thanks mostly to the contribution of a California multimillionaire , that day may not be so far off.

　　“It could happen extremely soon if everything went on well ,” says Mark Weshusin , a professor leading a dog cloning team. Most experts put successful dog cloning a year to five years down the road. The cost is bound （肯定的） to be expensive at first, but it would drop to a few thousand dollars.

　　Since Dolly, the sheep which was first cloned in 1997, cattle, goats, mice and monkeys have been cloned in labs. Pets are likely to be next.

　　“I really believe that the technology is going to become available （可用的） for many species in the near future,” Denniston says.

1．After his pet died, Richard Denniston ________.

[　　]

A．did something more than the ordinary pet owners

B．did as other pet owners

C．did nothing but feel very sad at heart

D．could not belp feeling lonely without his dear pet

2．Richard Denniston ________in liquid nitrogen.

[　　]

A．was a doctor and put his dog

B．was an animal specialist and put a piece of his dog's skin

C．was expert at collecting any skin samples and then put them

D．took great interest in freezing things

3．If you put your pet's DNA in Richard Denniston's company for six months, you'll have to pay ________.

[　　]

4．Most experts believe people will be able to clone a dog ________.

[　　]

A．in a year

B．in five years

C．in six years

D．in something between one to five years

5．Cloning will cost people ________.

[　　]

A．a lot of money in five years

B．much in the beginning and then will be reduced to hundreds of dollars

C．much and then will surely be reduced to thousands of dollars

D．much at first and then might be reduced to a few thousand dollars