翻译题 Most people spend their daily commutes trying desperately to shut out the world around them. 【F1】Whether it's bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway or body-to-body passengers on the subway, getting from point A to point B often means zoning out to preserve your reason. But instead of losing herself in a pop song, Joanne Rowling took advantage of a long train ride to come up with an idea that would generate billions of dollars and bring countless joy to fans around the world.
"One weekend after flat hunting, I took the train back to London on my own, and the idea for Harry Potter fell into my head," Rowling said. 【F2】"CoincidentaIly, I didn't have a pen and was too shy to ask anyone for one on the train, which frustrated me at the time, but when I look back it was the best thing for me. It gave me the full four hours on the train to think up all the ideas for the book."
【F3】Although Rowling would start putting pen to paper to tell Harry's story that very evening, life would throw her a series of curveballs that delayed the book's completion. Rowling's mother passed away and the budding author relocated from England to Portugal. There, she was briefly married to Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes, but the union didn't work out. She moved back to Edinburgh, Scotland, with her newborn daughter, Jessica, But during this trying time Rowling still found the energy to chip away at the book.
Finally, in 1995, Rowling completed the manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (later known in America as Sorcerer's Stone) and began shopping it to publishers. The early feedback didn't predict well for Rowling's career as an author. 【F4】But in August 1996, Bloomsbury saw potential in Rowling's story and made her an offer despite initially having a few hang-ups. Barry Cunningham, who worked at Bloomsbury at the time, said "I loved the story and the heroism, I liked the friendship between the three main characters, the owls and magic was great."
【F5】Barry's instincts didn't fail him, and thanks to his support Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit shelves in the UK in June 1997, signaling the dawn of the Potter Era. The single mother who had to live off of welfare found herself richer than the Queen of England in the span of a few short years.
问答题 1.【F1】
【正确答案】无论是在高速公路上车挨着车地拥堵着，还是在地铁上人挤人，从一地出发到另外一地通常意味着是通过走神来保持头脑清醒。
【答案解析】①本句是一个主从复合句。句首whether．．．or．．．引导让步状语从句，说明主句陈述的事情在什么情况下发生。逗号后为主句，是一个主谓宾结构，说明人们在乘坐交通工具时的精神状态。②主句中，动名词短语getting from point A to point B作主语，means后的动名词zoning out．．．是其宾语。
问答题 2.【F2】
【正确答案】碰巧的是，当时我没带笔，又太害羞，在车上不敢问人借。这让我很沮丧。不过，回想起来，这对我来说是最好的安排。
【答案解析】①本句是并列句，包含一个定语从句和一个时间状语从句。分句1本身是and连接的并列句，连词and后省略了主语I，and前后分别为主谓宾结构和主系表结构。②which引导一个定语从句，同时作从句的主语。该定语从句先行词是which前的所有内容，指罗琳当时没有带笔又不好意思借笔这件事。③分句2包含when引导的时间状语从句，说明罗琳是在什么时候认为it was the best thing for me，it指代的也是上文中提到的没有笔又不好意思借笔这件事情。
问答题 3.【F3】
【正确答案】尽管罗琳打算当晚就开始用笔写下哈利-波特的故事，但生活给了她一连串的打击，这耽搁了这本书的完成。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，包含一个让步状语从句和一个定语从句。第一个逗号前是Although引导的让步状语从句，其中would start…表示过去将来时，指罗琳本来打算当天晚上就开始创作。②主句为主谓双宾结构，throw sb．a series of curveballs是指unexpectedly present someone with challenges“给某人带来意料之外的挑战”，指出生活给罗琳带来的影响。③主句后为that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词curveballs，说明其耽误了《哈利-波特与魔法石》的完成。
问答题 4.【F4】
【正确答案】1996年8月，布卢姆斯伯里出版社看到了这个故事的潜力，尽管初时遇到一些问题，该出版社还是向罗琳抛出了橄榄枝。
【答案解析】①本句是一个简单的并列句，分句1是主谓宾结构，分句2是主谓双宾结构。②分句2中省略了主语Bloomsbury，即整句话里Bloomsbury有两个动作，一个是saw potential“看到了潜力”，一个是made her an offer“向她抛出橄榄枝”。③分句2中介词despite意为“尽管”，介词短语despite initially having a few hang-ups充当让步状语。
问答题 5.【F5】
【正确答案】巴瑞的直觉并没有让他失望。多亏了他的支持，1997年6月，《哈利-波特与魔法石》在英国销售火爆，这代表着哈利-波特时代的到来。
【答案解析】①本句是由and连接的并列句。两个分句皆为主谓宾结构。②分句2中thanks to his support是原因状语，说明Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit shelves的原因。③句末非谓语结构signaling the dawn of the Potter Era为结果状语，说明《哈利-波特与魔法石》热销的影响。