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Joanne Rowling, bom 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.
J. K. Rowling's new novel arrives with the high drama and state secrecy of a royal birth. lts
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 commissions a "design guru" to analyze its mysterious artistic beauty, in search of clues as to what might lie within. Waterstones predicts the novel will be "the bestselling fiction title this year" . Literary critics begin to publish preliminary 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 $l billion 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 concemed. "Well, I can't get passionate and whisper!" When l 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 Iistening 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 450 million 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; it's chemical. I had it with Harry Potter and I had it with this. So that's how I know."
34. The "design guru" in Paragraph 2 is probably______
A. a publisher B. a reader
C. a writer D. an expert
35. 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.
36. 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
3 7. 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
38. The author writes the passage mainly to ______
A. introduce J. K. Rowling and her new book
B. describe great changes in J. K. Rowling
C. advocate readers to buy Harry Potter
D. tell readers the contents of the new book
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