Ⅰ.阅读
Perhaps no one knows the power of imagination better than Chinese sci-fi writer Liu Cixin.Up until four years ago,Liu worked full-time as a computer engineer at a power plant in Yangquan,Shanxi province.He only wrote science fiction in his spare time.But it was during this time that Liu’s imagination took flight.He had the chance—imaginatively—to do what he could not do in real life—wander in space,fight with aliens,and visit planets light-years away.
But even with so powerful an imagination,Liu,55,probably didn’t think that one day he would become the first Asian to win the Hugo Award,science fiction’s highest prize,in 2015.Perhaps neither did he think that former US President Barack Obama would read his novel The Three-Body Problem(《三体》,2006)—nor that on Nov 9 in Washington DC he would win the 2018 Arthur C.Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society.It’s the first time a Chinese writer has ever won the award.
In his acceptance speech,Liu said that he owed his imagination to Arthur C.Clarke(1917-2008),a famous UK sci-fi author.He said that reading Clarke’s 1968 classic novel 2001:A Space Odyssey(《2001太空漫游》)in the early 1980s had a great effect on him.
“My mind opened up like never before.I felt like a narrow stream finally embracing(融入) the sea,”Liu said.“That night,in my eyes,the starry sky was completely different from the past.For the first time in my life,I was awed(使……敬畏) by the grandeur(壮丽) and mystery of the universe.”
But no matter how far away Liu’s imagination takes him,somehow his novels always stay grounded(理性的).
In The Three-Body Problem,for example,Liu tells of aliens invading(侵略) Earth.But unlike other alien invasion stories,with their fancy weapons(武器) and strange creatures,Liu’s tale is about relationships between civilizations,rules of survival,and the meaning of life.And in The Wandering Earth(《流浪地球》,2008),Liu looks ahead to the day when our solar system will end and humans have to look for a new place to live.However,all his visions(设想)and solutions are based on “hard science”.Liu’s works aren’t simply daydreams.
Rather,it’s the fact that his imagination is based in reality that makes it such a powerful tool.In this Liu is like his mentor(引路人) Clarke,who,we read on the website of the Arthur C.Clarke Award,believed that “Humankind’s most powerful tool to shape its future is its imagination”.
1.What do we know about Liu Cixin?
A.He became a full-time writer when he was young.
B.He dreamed about wandering in space from childhood.
C.He is the first Asian to win the Arthur C.Clarke Award.
D.He is the first Chinese winner of the Hugo Award.
2.Liu Cixin’s words are quoted mainly to show .
A.his long fascination with the mysteries of the universe
B.his love of reading science fiction in his spare time
C.his confusion when he started writing
D.his inspiration gained from Clarke’s work
3.Why did the author mention The Three-Body Problem and The Wandering Earth?
A.To compare the different writing styles in the two books.
B.To explain how Liu Cixin came up with his ideas.
C.To show that Liu Cixin has a powerful imagination.
D.To prove that Liu Cixin’s works relate science to reality.
4.What’s the text mainly about?
A.Liu Cixin’s achievements and writing style.
B.The contribution Liu Cixin has made to science fiction.
C.How Liu Cixin became a sci-fi writer.
D.How Liu Cixin started a new sci-fi style.
语篇解读:本文主要介绍了科幻小说家刘慈欣的两部著作《三体》和《流浪地球》以及他的写作风格。
答案及剖析:
1.D 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句可知,刘慈欣是第一个获得Hugo奖的亚洲人,故D项符合题意。
2.D 细节理解题。根据第三段第一句“Liu said that he owed his imagination to Arthur C.Clarke”可知,D项符合题意。
3.D 细节理解题。根据第六段最后两句:“However,all his visions(设想)and solutions are based on ‘hard science’.Liu’s works aren’t simply daydreams.”可知,D项符合题意。
4.A 主旨大意题。纵观全文,本文主要介绍了刘慈欣在科幻小说方面取得的成绩,故A项符合题意。
