《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit 29 《哈利·波特》

　　nit 29
Harry¹ Potter: Excellent or Evil?
Harry Potter books have spent the past year quite comfortably on bestseller lists nationwide. Controversy² over the series of fantasy fiction books -- about a boy who discovers a world of magic -- is generated in chatrooms, boardrooms and classrooms alike. All this frenzy³ makes one wonder if there has been a recent comingback of witchcraft⁴ among pre-teens. Are we really afraid that the Harry Potter books will inspire some frightful⁵ behavior that Peter Pan, Snow White, or the Grimm's Fairy Tales will not? Maybe some of the objecting parents have forgotten how much they loved the magical worlds in their childhood.
Part of what makes these books so popular is what also makes them threatening to some. The protagonist⁶ finds ways to control his environment as well as escape from it. When Harry's aunt begins talking about his deadbeat dad, who has died, her wine glass explodes in her hand, due to Harry's powers. While this could be seen as a violent act, Harry's reaction was unintentional and Aunt Marge isn't hurt, after all. Besides, this behavior is frowned upon by the Hogwart's (magic) school, so Harry is never pardoned and he does face punishment for it.
The boy is treated so badly by his relatives that we cannot help but take pity on him. Who can blame Harry for hating the cruel family he is forced to endure? Most of us can remember all too well how it felt when a sibling⁷, a cousin or a classmate was being favored. At the very least we can likely recall feeling a need to escape everyday trials at school or at home. Harry has his escape; he takes the reader with him, and it's nothing short of excitement. The Hogwart's School is where he fits in, and where there are others like him.
It seems that this escape appeals to adults as much as it does children; there is even a web page devoted⁸ to adult fans, and talk of creating "adult" covers so that those over 15 needn't hide the books in public, or try to explain that it must have accidentally crept into to their brief cases.
While escape from reality can be just as appealing to those who have already passed through puberty, it seems there may also be other factors at play here. The books became increasingly more popular amongst adults as word spread that people objected to them. Yes, people love magic and controversy.
No one is terribly worried abut⁹ adults reading fantasy books, of course, except maybe some extremist groups. The burning question is whether these books are a true threat to children's stability, faith and healthy development? Unlikely. Real world violence should probably be much more of a concern, as well as the pre-teen peers that can greatly influence a child's behavior.
If children need to escape to another world, be it Narnia or the Hogwart's school while reading, parents should be delighted to see that need realized through a love of reading. I imagine there are far more dangerous routes of escape.

1 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。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

4 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。

5 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

6 protagonist   

n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公

参考例句：

• The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
• He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的！

7 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 abut   

v.接界，毗邻

参考例句：

• The two lots are abut together.那两块地毗连着。
• His lands abut on the motorway.他的土地毗邻高速公路。