Name:________________ Class:__(
) Date:__________ Mark:____
Read the article on page 5 carefully and then complete the following tasks.
Task One : What do the following words or expressions refer to?
Lines
Words/Expressions
6
JKR
23
Their
35
Mum
46
Do
65
This
Reference
Task Two : Match the words/expressions in Column A to their corresponding
meanings in Column B
Column A
Column B
Answers
1. incredible
A.
Many different kinds of
2. obscurity
B.
A person who tries to win something in a contest
3. domination
C.
A first and good introduction to a profession
4. scratching
around
D.
Payments made to a writer
5. a handful of
E.
Had the good qualities or importance
exaggerated in order to obtain maximum public
attention
6. hyped
F.
Looking for something in various places
7. deal
G.
The state of not being well known or clear
8. royalties
H. Unbelievable
9. unique
I.
The most important or obvious things
10. a promising
foot in the door
J.
As much or as many as can be held in one hand
11. dreamt him up
K.
An agreement esp. in business
12. a wide variety
of
L.
being the only one of its type
1
13. trilogy
M. had an idea, especially an imaginative or foolish
one
14. at times
N. Developing and moving forward
15. progressing
O. A person competing with another
16. contender
P.
17. rival
Q. A state of extreme excitement, extreme and
wild activity or behaviour
18. whipped up
R.
Working together with someone to create or to
produce something
19. collaboration
S.
A groups of three related novels
20. frenzy
T.
sometimes
Made excited, enthusiastic
Task Three: Complete the following sentences with the words/phrases in Column A
in Task Two.
Changes have to be made whenever necessary.
Sue used to have _____________________ interests. She liked singing, dancing,
drawing, reading and collecting things. _________________, she enrolled in some
language classes. Having joined various competitions, she had won ______________
trophies and made friends with many _______________.
One day, she signed a six-figure _________________ for an album with a music
company after winning a singing contest.
Her singing style was so ______________
that she was unlike any pop stars. When the music company offered her a five year
contract, she was extremely _______________. She planned to work to her full
capacity so as to rise to __________________ of the showbiz from a school girl
__________________. Very soon she was ______________ as Madonna of the
East and very _______________, all her albums were a big hit. Despite her rise to
fame, she remained very humble. She shared the ________________ from her
albums 50/50 with her parents and even donated part of her share to charities. She
was constantly ____________________ to help the underprivileged.
Undeniably, winning the singing contest was not only ________________________
of Sue as a professional singer but also a key to the safe where she could find money to
help the needy.
Task Four: Answer the following in complete sentences.
1. What is being implied by the word “fat” in line 24?
2
2. What is unusual about the author Zizou Corder?
3. What does the word “pseudonym” mean? A stage name or a pen name?
4. What is the name of Louisa Young’s daughter?
5. How did the Lionboy stories come into being?
6. Which of the mother-daughter due does most of the actual writing?
7. Where did Louisa study history?
8. Who was the subject of her first full-length book?
3
9. With which publishing company have Louisa and Isabel signed a deal?
10. How will the royalties be divided up between mother and daughter?
11. How many Lionboy books have they signed a contract to write?
12. In what way has single mum Louisa Young gone a bit further up the family path than
those first steps taken by Joanne Rowling?
End
4
Unique duo hope to be a roaring success
SCMP Young Post (4-12-2003)
5
6