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(精裝書) 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(實體的) 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(樣式)—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.

Come for the Latest Movies
It’s summer movie time again. And heroes are ready to try their strength and magic on the silver screen. Check out our list of four films that look most promising to young audiences.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Release Date: June 4
Story: It’s the summer before Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A shadow is hanging over Hogwarts. A dangerous murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped the Wizards’ Prison. And he broke out to fulfill one task to kill Harry Potter.
Around the World in 80 Days
Release Date: June 16
Story: This version of the classic novel set in 1872 focuses on Passepartout (Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan), a Chinese thief who seeks refuge with a strange London adventurer, Phileas Fogg. Passepartout uses his martial arts skills to defend Fogg from danger as he travels around the world in 80 days to win a bet.
Spider-Man 2
Release Date: June 30
Story: Peter Parker is still coming to terms with his dual identity as the crime superhero Spider-Man. He wants to reveal his secret identity to Mary Jane, meanwhile, his Aunt May has fallen on hard times. A new villain (壞人), Dr Otto Octavius, has appeared to cause more troubles.
King Arthur
Release Date: July 7
Story: King Arthur is presented as a clever ruler who manages to unite all the knights (騎士) in Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire. Under the guidance of Merlin and the beautiful, brave Guinevere, Arthur will struggle to realize his dreams.
【小題1】To enjoy the performance of Jackie Chan, you can go to the cinema on ______.

About a third of all common cancers in the United States, China and Britain could be prevented each year if people ate healthier food, drank less alcohol and exercised more, health experts said on Friday.

    Reports from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) suggest that making simple lifestyle changes could prevent some 40 percent of breast cancers alone in Britain and the United States, as well as tens of thousands of stomach cancers.

    “Even in 2011, people are dying unnecessarily from cancers that could be prevented through keeping a healthy weight, diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors,” said a WCRF medical and scientific adviser.

    WCRF findings are supported by World Health Organization (WHO) reports, which say regular exercise can prevent many diseases such as cancers and heart diseases.

    Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world and its incidence(發(fā)病率) is rising. Each year around 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from some form of the disease. There are about 200 known types of cancer.

    Rachel Thompson, the WCRF’s head of science, said that while the message was simple — that not smoking, eating good food and being a healthy weight can help ward off many cancers — it was still a difficult one to get across.

    The WHO says adults should do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. This could be done by walking for 30 minutes five times per week or by cycling to work every day.

    Peter Baldini, head of the World Lung Foundation, also called on all governments to introduce smoke-free laws and raise the price of cigarettes. Tobacco kills millions of smokers every year, and tobacco-related lung cancers also kill hundreds of thousands of people who don’t smoke but have been exposed to it second-hand.

    “There isn’t a magic bullet to cure all forms of cancer, but we have the opportunity and the duty to protect people from developing cancer wherever possible,” Baldini said.

1.Which of the following words can best take the place of the phrase “ward off” in the sixth paragraph?

A. protect    B. prevent    C. develop    D. cure。

2.Which of the following statements is Not true according to the text?

A. Exercising and eating healthily can help to reduce cancer risk.

B. Each year about 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer around the world.

C. Every year millions of people die from smoking and lung cancers.

D. Adults should walk for fifty minutes three times per week.

3.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A. Simple life changes could stop millions of cancers

B. Cancer is a leading cause of death

C. Our bad lifestyle caused many diseases

D. The incidence of common cancers is rising

4.By writing the passage, the author mainly intends to ____.

A. advise people to develop healthier lifestyle.

B. warn people of the danger of cancers

C. explain why many people die from cancers every year.

D. introduce the ways to protect people from developing cancers

5.We can infer from Peter Baldini’s opinion in the last two paragraphs that ____.

A. all the lung cancers are linked to smoking 

B. there is no medicine to cure the cancers but it’s our duty to find one

C. all governments should take measures to control smokers and protect people’s health

D. it’s our opportunity and duty to persuade people to give up smoking

One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather．Several times, it   36    several obstacles in its path．And after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour （繞道）．  37   one point, the ant had to cross a crack about 10mm wide．After some   38    thoughts, the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked   39   it and picked the feather up on the other side, then continued on its way．I was   40   by the cleverness of this ant．It was only a small insect, lacking in   41   yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome．  42    this ant, like the other two-legged creatures   43   on the earth, also shares human failings．

       After some time the ant   44   reached its destination --- a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its   45   home．It was there that the ant met its   46  ．How could that large feather possibly   47   such a small hole? Of course, it couldn’t．So the ant, after all this   48   and using great brightness, overcoming problems a1l along the way, just gave up the   49   and went home．The ant had not thought the problem through   50   it began its journey and in the end the feather was   51   more than a burden．Isn’t our   52   like that?

       We worry about our families; we worry about the   53   of money; and we worry about all kinds of things．These are all burdens --- the things we pick up along life’s path, and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to   54   that at the destination they are   55   and we can’t take them with us．

A．came across        B．came about      C．got over        D．dealt with

A．For               B．At              C．To              D．With

A．brave            B．tiring        C．short            D．magic

A．through          B．a(chǎn)cross           C．beside         D．behind

A．satisfied           B．frightened       C．a(chǎn)nnoyed      D．a(chǎn)ttracted

A．height             B．size             C．depth         D．length

A．Therefore       B．Otherwise        C．But             D．Moreover

A．living             B．working        C．sleeping      D．walking

A．finally             B．probably       C．suddenly     D．easily

A．lonely            B．comfortable   C．underground    D．big

A．partner          B．parent        C．match         D．friend

A．fix            B．fit              C．fill             D．suit

A．trouble        B．pleasure         C．decision         D．matter

A．insect         B．problem      C．feather          D．hole

A．before            B．a(chǎn)fter           C．until            D．once

A．everything        B．a(chǎn)nything      C．something    D．nothing

A．study           B．a(chǎn)im          C．dream          D．1ife

A．waste           B．lack            C．worth        D．danger

A．think           B．wonder          C．warn            D．find

A．bad           B．useless          C．meaningful      D．practical

Tales of the supernatural are common in all parts of Britain. In particular there was（and perhaps still is）a belief in fairies. Not all of these fairies are the friendly, people-loving sprites that appear in Disney films. In some folktales they are cruel and cause much human suffering. This is true in the tales about the changeling. These tell the story of a mother whose baby grows sick and pale and is changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable to the parents. It was then feared that the fairies had come and stolen the baby away and replaced the human baby with a fairy changeling. This was most likely to happen between birth and the baby’s baptism. There were many ways to prevent this from happening: hanging a knife over the baby’s head while he slept or covering him with some of his father’s clothes were just two of the recommended（推薦）methods. However, hope was not lost even if the baby had been stolen .In those cases there was often a way to get the real baby back. You could place the changeling on the fire—then it would rise up the chimney, you would hear the sound of fairies’ laughter and soon after you would find your own child safe and sound nearby. Or, if you were more cautious（謹(jǐn)慎）,perhaps there was a magic well in the neighbourhood where you could leave the changeling overnight, and in the morning you would return to find your own baby there without a scratch（劃痕）on him.

1. Another word in the passage which is closest in meaning to the underlined word sprites is ______.

A. changeling               B. baptism                    C. folktales                   D. fairies

2.The writer described ______ways to prevent babies from being stolen and ______ways to save a stolen baby.

A. Many; two               B. Two; two                  C. Two; three                D. Two; four

3.Which is not stated but can be inferred from this passage?

A. Some sick babies might have been killed with the recommended methods.

B. There are bad fairies as well as good fairies.

C. Lots of stolen babies were saved with the recommended methods.

D. Fairies would laugh if they found a changeling rise up the chimney.