Swimming in an ocean of stars
Ladies and Gentlemen，
It's my great honor to receive the Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society．Thank you．
I started writing sci-fi because I looked for a way to escape the dull life，and to reach out，with imagination，to the mysterious time and space that I could never truly reach．But then I realized that the world around me became more and more like science fiction，and this process is speeding up． Future is like pouring rain．It reaches us even before we have time to open the umbrella． Meanwhile，when sci-fi becomes reality，it loses all its magic，and that frustrates me．Sci-fi will soon become part of our lives．The only thing I can do，is to push my imagination further to even more distant time and space to hunt for the mysteries of sci-fi．As a sci-fi author，I think my job is to write things down before they get really boring．
This being said，the world is moving in the direction opposite to Clarke's predictions．In 2001，A Space Odyssey，in the year of 2001，which has already passed，human beings have built magnificent cities in space，and established permanent colonies on the moon，and huge nuclear-powered spacecraft have sailed to Saturn．However，today，in 2018，the walk on the moon has become a distant memory．And the furthest reach of our manned space flights is just as long as the two-hour mileage of a high-speed train passing through my city．
As a sci-fi writer，I have been striving to continue Arthur Clarke's imagination．I believe that the boundless space is still the best direction and destination for human imagination．I have always written about the magnitude and mysteries of the universe，interstellar expeditions，and the lives and civilizations happening in distant worlds．This remains today，although this may seem childish or even outdated．It says on Arthur Clarke's epitaph，"He never grew up，but he never stopped growing．"
Many people misunderstand sci-fi as trying to predict the future，but this is not true．It just makes a list of possibilities of what may happen in the future，like displaying a pile of cobblestones for people to see and play with．Science fiction can never tell which scenario of the future will actually become the real future．This is not its job．It's also beyond its capabilities．But one thing is certain：in the long run，for all these countless possible futures，any future without space travel is gloomy，no matter how prosperous our own planet becomes．
Sci-fi was writing about the age of digital information and it eventually became true．I now look forward to the time when space travel finally becomes the ordinary．By then，Mars and the asteroid belts will be boring places and countless people are building a home over there．Jupiter and its many satellites will be tourist attractions．The only obstacle preventing people from going there for good，will be the crazy price．
But even at that time，the universe is still unimaginably big that even our wildest imagination fails to catch its edge．And even the closest star remains out of reach．The vast ocean of stars can always carry our infinite imagination．
Thank you all．
（1）What does the writer mean by the underlined sentence in the second paragraph？AA
A．Science technology has been developing fast before we realize it．
B．What happened in our life was mysterious and beyond our imagination．
C．We had a good outlook for the future and were desperate to realize our dream．
D．We managed to escape from the boring life and looked forward to the prosperous future．
（2）What can we learn from the third paragraph？DD
A．What Clarke foresaw is childish and out of date，going against scientific theories．
B．It is feasible for human beings to fulfill challenging space missions that Clarke forecast．
C．Human beings have deserted imaging and exploring the attractive and boundless space．
D．Clarke's predictions haven't happened in real life and the reality won't change very soon．
（3）According to the passage，which of the following statements is true？CC
A．What is written in science fiction can never become a reality．
B．The writer considers it his duty to create sci-fi with author Clarke．
C．Science fiction provides readers with possibilities that future will bring about．
D．High price will likely stop humans from dreaming of living on other planets．
（4）What's the writer's attitude towards sci-fi creation？BB
A．Curious
B．Passionate
C．Concerned
D．Suspicious
【答案】A；D；C；B
【解答】
【点评】
声明：本试题解析著作权属菁优网所有，未经书面同意，不得复制发布。
发布：2024/4/20 14:35:0组卷：4引用：1难度：0.5
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1．British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime"，remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl．
After dinner，whether dining alone or entertaining guests，Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars，Milky Ways，Maltesers，Kit Kats and much more．
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented．1937 was a big year when Kit Kats （his favorite），Rolos and Smarties （his dog，chopper's favorite） were invented．He wrote a history of chocolate，lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory（熟记），such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene"，saying． "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England．All of you should learn these dates instead．Perhaps the Headmistress（女校长）will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school．"
According to Dahl，the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937．In 1930，Roald Dahl was 14 years old．He was a student at Repton，a famous boys' boarding school in England．It was a tough environment：those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students．
Ironically（讽刺地），it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion．Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory．Every so often，Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler（样品）box of new chocolates to taste and grade．They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions．
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight．He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge（软糖）and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves"．
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children．I remembered those little cardboard boxes（纸盒）and the newly invented chocolates inside them，and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．"
For the record，Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream．He said， "I prefer my chocolate straight．"
（1）What's the purpose of the first paragraph？
A．To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl．
B．To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate．
C．To introduce main character's daily life．
D．To introduce some important characters．
（2）What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl？
A．He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly．
B．He has a good knowledge of chocolate，especially its history．
C．He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school．
D．He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate．
（3）What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate？
A．It was a great time for children to get educated．
B．Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate．
C．Students could become chocolate experts then．
D．Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then．
（4）gave Roald Dahl inspiration to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory．
A．the dream about chocolates．
B．Factories with chocolate and fudge．
C．Those boxes with chocolate．
D．Chocolate cakes and ice cream发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
2．Recently，a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground．If you're a bookworm，a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user，then it's been an exciting month for you．
Emma Watson，who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard，has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through．
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement，which has a simple aim：to get more people burying themselves in literature．Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up，dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim．
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London．Talking about Watson's participation in the project，the manager of Books On The Under ground，Cornelia Oxley，said， "The reaction has been great．It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma，and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey．"
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription（题词）．The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom．
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic，Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism（饥荒） as possible．She has also started her own book club．
So．Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train？It could make a stranger's life richer．
（1）What does Books On The Underground aim to do？
A．To get more readers to buy their books．
B．To leave books on trains．
C．To find lucky readers．
D．To get more people to read．
（2）Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A．People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement．
B．There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book．
C．To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting．
D．Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books．
（3）What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train？
A．critical
B．indifferent
C．supportive
D．pessimistic发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
3．It can be really hard to learn a new language．I had always enjoyed learning languages in school，but only recently did I start learning German．I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily，but when it came to literature，I really struggled．That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language．
At first，I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age，but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere．As children，we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures，and from there，we can learn and develop．I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK．I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl．
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot．Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story．At first，I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other，but this did not work well．The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter，highlight the new words and then look up the definitions．If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary，you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context．Additionally，a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring．
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child，I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner．However，if you feel a bit more confident reading in English，I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J．K．Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books．
（1）What makes it hard for the author to learn German？
A．The author had a poor memory．
B．The author had no interest in it．
C．The author had no one to ask for help．
D．The author couldn't read books fluently．
（2）What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first？
A．Interesting．
B．Stupid．
C．Helpful．
D．Boring．
（3）What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3？
A．How to deal with new words while reading．
B．Why it is helpful to read children's book at first．
C．How to choose a proper book to match your level．
D．How to form the habit of reading in the target language．
（4）Why does the author write this text？
A．To give tips on how to learn a new language．
B．To persuade the readers to learn a new language．
C．To stress the importance of reading in language learning．
D．To share the author's stories of learning a new language．发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：5引用：1难度：0.5
