J.K. Rowling bought back her childhood home J.K.羅琳買回童年時期住的房子

陜西周至縣第三中學 李飛鳴

家在我們的心里都是一個特殊的存在， 童年時期的房子是J.K. Rowling永遠無法放棄的割舍。

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難詞探意

1. nostalgia /n??st?ld??/ n. 懷舊; 念舊

2. renovation /?ren??ve?∫n/ n. 翻新; 修復

3. property/?pr?p?ti/ n. 房屋及院落；財產；不動產

Let's be real. We all have a special place in our heart for the home we grew up in.

Think of the place where you learned to ride your first bike or the door frame where your parents tracked your heights. But would that nostalgia be enough for you to drop half a million to buy back the house? If you're the author J.K. Rowling, and your childhood home inspired certain parts of what would become one of the most well-known fiction series to ever exist,it's worth considering.

As it turns out,the author of Harry Potter J.K.Rowling owns her childhood home, Church Cottage at Tutshill in Chepstow. Rowling quietly bought it back in 2011 for ￡400,000.

Now, the secret is out, as this week, Rowling and her husband carried out major renovation projects for it, after years of no activity.

But let's talk about that magic that is Church Cottage already. Rowling lived here from age 9 to 18. There is also a trap door in the cottage's dining room, similar to the one Fluffy guards in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.Also, the property is near the Forest of Dean,where a chunk of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows takes place.

Over the years, some wise fans were able to connect the dots leading to the home, often trying to visit it. “For years, every time a book or a film came out, there were always members of the public asking to come in to see the house,” Julian Mercer, the home's former owner, told BBC back in 2011. “That's been happening ever since the book came out. But we haven't let them in.”

Now that the secret's out that the home is back in Rowling's hands, those uninvited fans might be knocking on the door a little more frequently. Although her exact renovation plans may still be a mystery, we sure hope she turns it into a museum for the book.

Reading Check

1. What do we know about Rowling's childhood home?

A. It's once sold twice.

B. It cost Rowling $400,000 in 2010.

C. It gave her lots of inspiration.

D. It has been changed into a museum.

2. How long has Rowling lived in the cottage?

A. 8 years.

B. 9 years.

C. 12 years.

D. 18 years.

3. Who is Julian Mercer?

A. Rowling's fan.

B. The former owner of J.K. Rowling's childhood cottage.

C. A reporter from BBC.

D. A character in Rowling's books.

4. When do visitors begin to want to see the house?

A. After Rowling's books came out.

B. After the house has been changed.

C. After the public began to focus on it.

D. After Rowling bought the house back.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Think of the place where you learned to ride your first bike or the door frame where your parents tracked your heights.

【翻譯】_______________________________

【點石成金】本句為一個主從復合句, 兩個where都引導限制性定語從句。