3 . Reading a book and watching a film are two very different experiences, but it’s normal to have high expectations when a film of a favourite book is made. There are many times I have been pessimistic or even disappointed by a film of a book I love.

The source material for a film may be taken from classic novels, short stories, comic books and stage plays, as well as non-fiction such as biographies and autobiographies, even those written by ghost writers. All can work well, but why do many adaptations and indeed remakes fail with both cinema audiences and critics? And why do some adaptations get lower ratings than others?

A key question is obviously how close to the original the film is. Since a typical film is only around two hours long, it becomes a question for screenwriters to decide what is appropriate for the screen and what to leave out. Screenwriters take creative liberty and sometimes there may be changes to the plot, additions, and even different endings to please producers, directors and test audiences. I, like many people, have often left the cinema feeling “the film is not like the book”.

Another problem area is the cast. Finding actors acceptable to film audiences can mean the difference between success and failure. Readers of the book use their imaginations to visualise characters and have very definite ideas about how characters should look and sound. This is where I think many film adaptations fall down.

Despite the challenges, there have been some highly successful films made from popular books. For me, Jaws, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings all fit this category. And possibly the best proof of a successful adaptation is the James Bond series, the majority of which has been adapted from the 007 novels of Ian Fleming. Perhaps unusually, audiences seem to accept that the actors who have played James Bond have changed so often, although everyone seems to have their favourite. I know I do.

Lu Xun, who is acknowledged as one of the greatest modern writers in China, was born in Zhejiang Province in 1881. In 1904, he went to Japan and became a medical student, aiming to improve people’s health and save lives. _________Nevertheless, he saw a Chinese man about to be killed by a Japanese soldier in a photo, which changed his intention. What struck him was that the other Chinese men in the photo _________apparently did not care about what was happening to their fellow countrymen. From this, he concluded that the spiritual illness of people at that time was a more _________crucial problem in China than physical illness. Lu had an appetite for the power to change the present situation of China.

_________Consequently, he quit medical school. He returned to China in 1908 and _________obtained a teaching job, hoping to promote the innovation of society. In 1917, a friend insisted that he help write for a magazine named New Youth. That was how his first famous short story A Madman’s Diary got published.

“Smile, smile at Mummy.” My baby moves, kicks and feels upset, his skin is irritating _______ him. Neither of us have slept for weeks and none of the creams are functioning _______. His eyes meet mine and his smile melts away _______ my tiredness immediately. I use a software to even out _______ his skin and remove the heavy bags from under eyes, and then upload the picture to my social media. In the heading I type “Good morning” and I post. Within minutes my phone starts ringing with likes and comments: “what a happy baby” “so cute” “looking fresh mama”. The picture goes viral _______.