The Story of J．K. Rowling and Harry Potter
The elder stateswoman① of British fantasy literature is J．K. Rowling, the gifted② creator of Harry Potter. Joanne Rowling's roots③ are in the southwest of England, where she grew up④. But the idea for Harry Potter came to her⑤ while she was on a delayed train⑥ between Manchester and London. She wrote down⑦ her ideas on the back of an envelope. She then went to teach English in Portugal, where she continued to add flesh⑧ to the bones of the first Harry Potter story⑨. But her name is forever associated with⑩ Edinburgh in Scotland, where she lived and developed the format? for the whole series of seven books?.
[读文清障]
①stateswoman/'steIts?w?m?n/n.在某一领域受尊敬的女性领导人物
②gifted/'gIftId/adj.有天才的，有天赋的
③roots/ru?ts/n.(喻)根，根基
④grow up成长，长大
⑤come to sb.此处指“某种观点、念头、想法在某人脑海中出现”。
⑥while she was on ...是时间状语从句。
⑦write down写下(＝take/put/set down)
⑧flesh/fle?/n.肉
⑨where 引导非限制性定语从句，修饰Portugal。
⑩be associated with与……有联系，与……联系在一起
?format/'f??mæt/n.(节目、计划等的)构成，安排
?where 引导非限制性定语从句，修饰Edinburgh。
J．K.罗琳与哈利·波特的故事
[第1段译文]
哈利·波特的天才般的创造者——J.K.罗琳，是英国魔幻文学的元老。乔安妮·罗琳在老家——英格兰西南部长大。而关于哈利·波特的想法是在从曼彻斯特开往伦敦的一列晚点的火车上闯入她的脑海的。她在一个信封的背面写下了她的想法。随后她前往葡萄牙教英语，在那里，她继续给她的第一部哈利·波特小说的框架添加情节。但是她的名字却永远与苏格兰的爱丁堡联系在一起，她生活在那儿，并在那儿把整个系列7本书的框架构思出来。
There are many anecdotes? about how, in 1990, J．K. Rowling began the first draft? of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She had the extra burden? of looking after her baby daughter while she worked, and because she was too poor to? own a typewriter, she wrote by hand?. She spent many hours over a single cup of coffee in a warm cafeteria in Edinburgh because she had no money to pay for? the heating? at home.
Success was not swift? and Rowling might have given up. But she was stubborn and overcame all the difficulties. It was only in 1997 that she completed the first Harry Potter story， which, because the publishers in the USA requested an adjustment to the title, was also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Rowling always intended that her output would be a book every year until she had finished the series. In fact, it took her about ten years to complete. But after the first book, the success of each of the following titles was automatic. The fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix sold about seven million copies the day it was published.
?anecdote/'ænIk?d??t/n.趣闻，轶事
?draft/drɑ?ft/n.草稿
?burden/'b??dn/n.负担，重负
?too ...to ...太……而不能……
?by hand用手工，用手
?pay for支付
?heating暖气设备
?swift/swIft/adj.快的，迅速的
might have done sth.本来可能做某事
stubborn/'st?b?n/adj.顽强的，坚持的
It was ...that ...是强调句型。
adjustment/?'d??stm?nt/n.调整
intend v．打算， intend to do sth.打算做某事
output/'a?t?p?t/n.(文学等的)作品数量
It takes sb. some time to do sth.做某事花费了某人多长时间。
automatic/???t?'mætIk/adj.自动的，习惯性的，自然发生的
the day相当于连词，在此引导时间状语从句。
publish v．发行，出版
[第2～4段译文]
关于J.K.罗琳1990年如何开始她的第一部《哈利·波特与哲学家的石头》的初稿有许多奇闻。她在工作的同时还要肩负另外的责任，那就是照顾她幼小的女儿。由于贫穷，她买不起打字机，她只好手写书稿。因为没钱支付家里的取暖费用，她会在爱丁堡一家温暖的自助餐厅里要上一杯咖啡，然后待上很长时间。
成功不是一蹴而就的，罗琳本可能会放弃。但她是顽强的，她克服了所有的困难。直到1997年她才完成第一部哈利·波特小说。由于美国的出版商要求调整书名，这本书也被称作《哈利·波特与魔法石》。
罗琳一直计划每年出一本书直到完成整个系列。事实上，她却花了大约10年的时间来完成。但是第一本书问世之后，该系列接下来的每一本书的成功就显得自然而然了。第5本书《凤凰社》仅在发行的当天就售出了约700万册。
Rowling's style has been a target for some criticism， but what makes the books so important is that， because they appeal to readers of all ages, they create a special literary bond between parents and children. In an age of computer games and television programmes, it is also claimed they are responsible for a renewed interest in reading. Harry Potter has even become part of the school curriculum， much to the pleasure of the schoolchildren.
And the Harry Potter effect is not just restricted to the Englishspeaking world. Rowling's books have been translated into more than 55 languages, and it has been estimated that more than 250 million copies have been distributedaround the world. In 2005 it was estimated that Rowling had accumulated more than one billion dollars on deposit in her bank. She has thus attained the status of being the first writer to become a billionaire.
target/'tɑ?gIt/n.(批评等的)对象
criticism/'krItI?sIzm/n.批评，评论
what makes the books ...是主语从句。
that引导表语从句，中间被because ...隔开了。
appeal to sb.对某人有吸引力，引起某人的兴趣
bond/b?nd/n.纽带，接合剂，黏合剂
in an age of在一个……的年代/时代
be responsible for引起……的；对……负责
curriculum/k?'rIkj?l?m/n.课程
much to the pleasure of sb.使某人特别高兴
be restricted to限于
be translated into被翻译成
more than超过，多于
It has been estimated that ...据估计……
distribute/dI'strIbju?t/v.(书报的)发行
accumulate/?'kju?mj??leIt/v.积累，积聚
deposit/dI'p?zIt/n.存款
thus/ð?s/adv.因此，所以
attain/?'teIn/v.达到，得到
status/'steIt?s/n.身份，地位
billionaire/?bIlj?'ne?/n.亿万富翁，巨富
[第5～6段译文],罗琳的写作风格成了一些批评的对象，但是这些书之所以重要是因为它们在父母和孩子之间建立起了一条特殊的文学纽带，因为它们吸引了各个年龄段的读者。同时，也证实了在电脑游戏和电视节目时代，它们掀起了新的读书热潮。哈利·波特甚至已经成为学校课程的一部分，这使得学生们特别开心。
哈利·波特的影响不仅仅局限于讲英语的国家。罗琳的书已被翻译成55种以上的语言版本，据估计，全世界已售出超过2.5亿册。2005年，估计罗琳的银行存款累计已超过10亿美元。因此她成了第一位亿万富翁作家。
