Juniper Beats the Odds　魔法無所不在　擊敗死神的女孩

The magic of Harry Potter has helped save a life.
《哈利波特》的魔法幫忙拯救了一個生命。

　　Juniper came into the world 16 weeks ahead of schedule. As a result, she was the size of a newborn kitten when she was born. Doctors performed tests and worked around the clock to keep her alive. Despite their best attempts, the situation seemed grim▼. Her father, Tom, had a somewhat unusual response to the situation. Every day, he would visit her in the hospital and read to her from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer▼‘s Stone. Tom dreamed that one day his daughter would live to hear the end of the series. Of course, at that time Juniper did not understand one word of the story. Yet for some reason, the words had an effect on her. When she heard Tom reading, Juniper would breathe calmly and her temperature▼ would stabilize▼. Whenever he would stop, her condition would worsen.
　　Against all odds, Juniper survived. Five years later, she was attending kindergarten and doing well. One day, she came home and found a package▼ sent from Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a gift from J.K. Rowling. The legendary author had heard Juniper’s story on a podcast▼ and was deeply moved. On this podcast, Juniper’s mother talked about how Rowling’s books were sacred▼ texts▼ to their family. Rowling’s stories taught them about love and bravery, and guided them through the darkest period of their lives. When they opened the package, they found a complete set of Harry Potter books. Rowling even signed one, "To Juniper, The Girl Who Lived!" A few months later, Juniper and her family were able to return the favor. They sent Rowling an autographed▼ copy of their book about Juniper’s life and thanked her for the magical words, which had helped Juniper survive.
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1. What is this article mainly about?
(A) A young girl who learns how to read.
(B) A baby that survived being born prematurely▼.
(C) A father who dreamed of becoming a writer.
(D) A mother who took her daughter to see a Harry Potter film.
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2. What happened to Juniper when she heard Rowling’s stories as a baby?
(A) She would feel too excited.
(B) They didn’t have any effect on her.
(C) Her condition would improve.
(D) She would get sick.
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3. What statement is NOT true?
(A) Rowling sent Juniper a gift in the mail.
(B) Rowling named a character in her book after Juniper.
(C) Juniper’s parents wrote a book about her life.
(D) Rowling gave Juniper her autograph.
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4. What does the phrase "Against all odds" in the second paragraph mean?
(A) Striving for the best.
(B) Seemingly weird.
(C) With great chances.
(D) Despite very low probability▼.

1. perform vt. 執行；動（手術）& vi. 表演；表現
衍: perform surgery　　動手術
The doctor performed surgery on the wounded soldier.
醫生為這名受傷的士兵動手術。
To the delight of her parents, Kathy usually performs well on tests.
令凱西父母高興的是，她常在考試中有好成績。
＊to the delight of sb　　令某人喜悅∕高興的是

2. attempt n. 企圖，試圖
衍: in an attempt to V　　試圖要∕意欲……
= in an effort to V
Vincent worked day and night in an attempt to finish the project on time.
文森為了要準時完成企劃案而日夜工作。

3. somewhat adv. 有點，稍微
Pierre’s café is very popular, even though it’s somewhat out of the way.
雖然皮耶的咖啡廳偏僻了些，但卻很受歡迎。
＊be out of the way　　不順路

4. unusual a. 不尋常的；奇特的
反: usual a. 平常的；慣例的
The young swimmer uses an unusual technique to increase her speed in the water.
這名年輕的泳者運用特殊技巧增加她在水中的速度。
＊technique n. 技巧，技術
The new employee is so efficient that she finished the work in half the usual time.
這名新員工很有效率，僅花費平常一半的時間便完成了工作。

5. condition n. 病情；情況
Doctors refer to this condition as a temporary problem.
醫生說這種情形只是暫時的症狀。

6. attend vt. 上（學）；參加，出席
衍: attendance n. 出席（率）
Getting the scholarship enabled David to attend the college of his choice.
得到獎學金使大衛能夠進入自己理想的大學。
＊scholarship n. 獎學金
The attendance of the outdoor concert was bigger than we had expected.
參加這場戶外演唱會的人數我們預期的還要多。

7. legendary a. 著名的；傳奇的
The legendary TV series Game of Thrones is back for a seventh season, and it’s better than ever.
《冰與火之歌：權力遊戲》這個著名影集將推出第七季，而且它比以往都還要精彩。

8. bravery n. 勇敢，英勇
衍: brave a. 勇敢的，英勇的
For generations to come, the nation will remember the bravery of its soldiers who died in battle.
在未來的世代中，全國人民都將記得那些士兵在戰場上為國捐軀的英勇表現。
Only one person was brave enough to take up my challenge.
只有一個人夠勇敢來接受我的挑戰。

9. guide vt. 指導，指引 & n. 導遊
We used a compass to guide us in the right direction.
我們用指南針引導自己找到正確的方向。
＊compass n. 指南針；羅盤
The guide explained our trip schedule in great detail.
那名導遊非常詳細地解釋我們的旅遊行程。

10. favor n. 恩惠 & vt. 惠賜；偏愛
衍: do sb a favor　　幫某人忙
Will you do me a favor and open the window?
幫個忙把窗戶打開好嗎？
David’s mother favors him over all his siblings.
大衛的媽媽在所有的兄弟姊妹中最疼他。
＊sibling n. 兄弟姊妹，手足

Juniper Beats the Odds
注意
odds n. 勝算；機會；可能性（恆為複數）
衍: beat the odds　　戰勝命運；出乎意料地成功（儘管不被看好）
against all odds　　儘管困難重重
the odds are + (that) 子句　　可能會……
= the chances are + (that) 子句　
= it is likely + that 子句
Most new restaurants fail, but this one somehow managed to beat the odds.
大多數新開的餐廳都會失敗，但這一家卻得以成功。
Against all odds, the once paralyzed man walked again.
儘管困難重重，那名曾經癱瘓的男子又能走路了。
＊paralyzed a. 癱瘓的
If you do well on your exams, the odds are that you’ll get into a good college.
如果你考試考得好，就有可能進入好大學。

魔法無所不在　擊敗死神的女孩
《哈利波特》的魔法幫忙拯救了一個生命。

　　茱妮珀提前十六個星期來到了這個世界。因此她剛出生時的體型只有新生貓咪的大小。醫生們進行測試並晝夜不停地工作就為了讓她活下來。儘管他們用盡全力，情況似乎仍不樂觀。她的父親湯姆對此情形做出有些非比尋常的反應。他每天都會前往醫院探望她，並朗讀《哈利波特：神秘的魔法石》給她聽。湯姆夢想有一天他的女兒能夠活著聽完該系列的結局。想當然耳，茱妮珀當時無法理解那則故事中的任何一個字。但不知為何，那些文字對她產生了作用。當茱妮珀聽到湯姆朗誦時，她的呼吸就會平穩下來，體溫也會趨於穩定。每當他一停止，她的病情便會惡化。
　　儘管困難重重，茱妮珀活下來了。五年過後，她就讀幼稚園且過得不錯。有一天，她回家後發現一個從蘇格蘭愛丁堡寄來的包裹。它是 J.K. 羅琳送的禮物。這位著名作家在一段播客節目上聽到茱妮珀的故事並深受感動。在這段播客節目中，茱妮珀的母親談到羅琳的書籍在他們家被當作聖書一般。羅琳的故事教導他們何為愛與勇敢，並帶領他們走過人生中最黑暗的時期。當他們打開包裹時，他們發現一整套的《哈利波特》書籍。羅琳甚至在其中一本書中簽下：「獻給活下來的女孩 ── 茱妮珀！」幾個月後，茱妮珀和她的家人得以報答恩情。他們寄給羅琳一本附上親筆簽名、關於茱妮珀人生的書，並感謝她寫下那些充滿魔力的話語，是那些話語幫助茱妮珀活下來。

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1. 本文的主旨是什麼？
(A) 一位學習如何閱讀的年輕少女。
(B) 一個倖存的早產兒。
(C) 一位夢想成為作家的父親。
(D) 一位帶她女兒去觀賞《哈利波特》電影的母親。
題解：全文皆在描述克服重重困難而存活下來的早產兒茱妮珀的故事，故 (B) 項應為正選。
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2. 當茱妮珀在嬰兒時期聽到羅琳的故事時，她發生了什麼事？
(A) 她會感到過於亢奮。
(B) 這些故事對她毫無效果。
(C) 她的病情會改善。
(D) 她會生病。
題解：根據本文第一段，當茱妮珀聽到湯姆朗誦時，她的呼吸就會平穩下來，體溫也會趨於穩定，故 (C) 項應為正選。
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3. 下列哪一項敘述為非？
(A) 羅琳寄給茱妮珀一個禮物。
(B) 羅琳以茱妮珀的名字為她書中的一個角色命名。
(C) 茱妮珀的父母寫了一本關於她人生的書。
(D) 羅琳給茱妮珀她的簽名。
題解：根據本文第二段，茱妮珀收到 J.K. 羅琳送的禮物。羅琳甚至在其中一本書中簽名。幾個月後，茱妮珀和她的家人寄給羅琳一本附上親筆簽名、關於茱妮珀人生的書，僅 (B) 項未被提及，故為正選。
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4. 本文第二段的片語 "Against all odds" 意思為何？
(A) 力求最好。
(B) 似乎很古怪。
(C) 機率很大。
(D) 儘管機率渺茫。
題解：Against all odds 意指「儘管機率渺茫；克服萬難」之意，與 (D) 項敘述最為接近，故為正選。
答案： 1. B　2. C　3. B　4. D

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