第一册课本听力(上)Unit12 reading

Welcome to the world of JK Rowling! It is a world of magic and wonders, a world where anything can happen. Many of the creatures in Rowling's world are not real, and much of what happens is strange. JK Rowling has written a series¹ of books about Harry² Potter, a boy with a scar³ on his forehead and a secret past. The books are about magic and strange creatures, but they still tell us something about the real world.
In the first book about Harry Potter, we meet Harry before he knows anything about magic. Harry seems like a normal boy, but his life is miserable⁴. His parents are dead and he lives with a family that treats him badly. Harry is very unhappy and does not know what to do about his life. His life changes when a bird tells him to go to Hogwarts and become a student of witchcraft⁵ and wizardry.
Hogwarts is an unusual school where the students learn about magic. But for Harry, the most important lesson is about real life, friendship and how to be brave. Harry learns more than magic at Hogarts. He makes new friends and learns how important and difficult it is to be a good friend. His friends help him when he is in trouble, but he must also be strong and help them when they need him. Harry also learns to be brave and to do things he used to be afraid of. He learns the truth about his past, a dark secret that will make his life and his choices more difficult. At Hogwarts, Harry also learns about the power of love. The magic, many strange creatures and the adventures Harry comes across at Hogwarts help him understand the real world.
Harry has to fight against bad wizards⁶ and do the right thing. Together with his friends, Harry learns that it is not always easy to do what is right. You must believe in what you do and who you are if you want to succeed in the world--- the magical⁷ world of Hogwarts and the real one. Where someone is born and what a person looks like is not as important as what he or she grows up to be. Two people may speak different languages, have different habits or even come from two different worlds, but they can still be friends if they share the same goals, hopes and dreams. It is not enough to be strong in heart and mind; we must also believe in ourserlves and help others if we want to be happy and live a good life.

1 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 scar   

n.伤疤，伤痕，创伤

参考例句：

• This scar is from the bite of a dog.这是狗咬后留下的伤疤。
• The tragedy left a scar on her mind.这个悲剧给她造成精神上的创伤。

4 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

5 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

6 wizards   

n.向导( Wizard的名词复数 )；（尤指故事中的）男巫( wizard的名词复数 )；术士；有特殊才干的人；奇才v.向导( Wizard的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Wizards usually use magic wands to perform spells. 男巫通常用魔杖来施魔法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Programmers like wizards because they get to treat users like peripheral devices. 程序员喜欢向导，因为他们像对待外围设备一样对待用户。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 magical   

adj.魔术的，有魔力的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• I used to believe my mother had magical powers.我以前一直相信我母亲有奇妙的魔力。
• The effect of the medicine on the sick man was magical.药对病人的效力是不可思议的。