Science fiction lovers in China have reasons to feel inspired by Chinese writer Hai Ya, whose book The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette on Oct. 21, 2023.
Hai created the story inspired by a painting masterpiece Qianli Jiangshan Tu by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty, who painted the work at the age of 18. Hai created a painter named Zhao Ximeng, who painted for the emperor more than 1,000 years ago. After much misery and suffering, Zhao abandoned his physical body and entered a space where a modern policeman was investigating a case involving an ancient painting. The story reveals the political struggles behind this extraordinary painting and fights of individuals against the torrents of time. Pitying on Wang who was so talented but had such a short life, Hai extended his life through sci-fi.
Hai has impressed the world most with his work ethics. Rather than being a full-time novelist, Hai treats writing as a part-time activity to be taken up whenever he is not doing his bread-winning job, something that should inspire more young writers. There was a time when not everyone could be a “writer” but now more and more people are pursuing their dreams to become writers.
In fact, Liu Cixin, who won the Hugo Award for The Three-body Problem in 2015, is also a part-time writer, holding an engineering job. He encourages young people to keep their jobs and write if they have dreams.
Their stories go to show that holding a job should not deter people from pursuing their dreams of writing. If there is a story and the will to write it, one can get up early or sleep late to devote around three hours to writing intensively every day. And having a job will actually equip one with enough material to write about, while the salary can guarantee a life, because not every writer makes enough money from writing. The key lies in balancing the eight hours in office every day with three hours of writing in the early morning or late at night. Persistence is the key.
1. What can we know about The Space-Time Painter?| A．It was inspired by the marvelous life of Wang Ximeng. |
| B．It combines the elements of Chinese culture with sci-fi. |
| C．It was the first Chinese book to win a Hugo award. |
| D．It reveals the struggles among average individuals. |
| A．To show his popularity. |
| B．To promote the book The Three-body Problem. |
| C．To prove that it’s necessary to keep a bread-winning job. |
| D．To inspire sci-fi lovers to write stories while keeping their jobs. |
| A．Persistence will be eventually rewarded. |
| B．Unintentional actions bring unexpected surprise. |
| C．Balancing your work with hobby is important. |
| D．Genius is ninety-nine percent perspiration plus one percent inspiration. |
| A．A book review. | B．A science paper. |
| C．A news report. | D．An advertisement. |
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【推荐1】The researchers say they have discovered two huge magma chambers (岩浆库) under Wei Mountain in Heilongjiang. If it is true, it will be a surprising discovery since the volcano last erupted over 500,000 years ago.
Zhang Haijiang and his team visited nearly 100 sites across Wei Mountain. They were looking for magma, and they found an unusual signal from 15km underground, followed by another one at 8km. Their computer modelling suggested there could be two huge magma chambers with a depth of more than 9km. According to their research, 15 percent of the upper chamber is now filled with molten (熔化的) rock. Some studies have suggested that a volcanic eruption could take place when a chamber is filled to 40 percent magma.
They suggested that the volcanic activity in northeast China is likely to be in an active stage, and the active volcanic monitoring is needed to further understand the magma system in this area.
Xu Jiandong, director of the volcanic research, said seismic (地震的) stations had been monitoring this area for many years. "If there are really huge magma chambers in the area, we should have found some related seismic activities—When the lower chamber fills the upper one, there should be some movement," he said. "But so far, after decades of monitoring on the site, we've picked up almost nothing. The whole area has been very, very quiet," he added.
So did the researchers really find huge magma chambers? While the unusual signals found by Zhang's team looked like magma chambers, they could also have been caused by other things.
But what is for sure is that the area is active. It's like porridge boiling in a pot. But since the studies in recent years have suggested a low risk of immediate eruption in the area, the government has not set up seismic stations around. And it is certain that they aren't prepared for a big eruption over there.
1. What do Zhang Haijiang and his team say they've found under Wei Mountain?| A．Lots of frozen rocks. | B．Two magma chambers. |
| C．Nearly 100 volcanic sites. | D．A huge magma system. |
| A．They don't find any seismic activities. |
| B．The active volcanic monitoring is needed. |
| C．Their efforts to monitor volcanoes are useless. |
| D．Volcanic eruptions never happened in this area. |
| A．Volcanic eruptions. | B．Zhang's team members. |
| C．The seismic stations. | D．The unusual signals. |
| A．What Can Cause Volcanoes to Erupt in Northeast China? |
| B．Is Chinese Government Ready for Volcanic Eruptions? |
| C．Are There Magma Chambers Under Wei Mountain? |
| D．Is Active Volcanic Monitoring Needed in China? |
【推荐2】A Virginia family whose home was destroyed by a fire last week recently received the gift of some old-fashioned Christmas cheer from “Santa Claus” (圣诞老人).
In the spirit of Christmas, the Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department delivered presents to the family who lost their home and belongings in a house fire on Thursday.
“It was a working structure fire and unfortunately the family lost everything. We as volunteers knew that we couldn’t let this mom and her three kids go through Christmas without anything,” the fire station wrote on Facebook. “Yes, they’re OK but it’s Christmas, right?”
The fire station officials delivered Christmas gifts to the mother and her three children the following day at the local church shelter they were staying at, and in photos posted on the site, the children appeared joyful.
“We brought gifts and more gifts! The kids were overjoyed and very grateful.” the station said on its post.
“They were very happy to see all the gifts and the fire trucks that we brought the gifts in,” the department told USA TODAY. The kids received Barbies, Pokémon, artworks, remote control cars, blankets, clothes and shoes. The mother also received a gift card.
The Facebook post was flooded with what seemed to be comments from community members touched by the generosity. “The best Christmas gifts are the ones you give! Thank you all for your wonderful service and your big hearts!” one user commented.
“So thankful they are alright! We are truly blessed to live in such a giving and helping community, and our fire department and rescue teams are amazing! Great job! So proud!” another user wrote.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．The Fire Department provided the family with shelter. |
| B．The volunteers saved some belongings for the family. |
| C．The family went through Christmas in sorrow. |
| D．Receiving a Christmas gift is a traditional joy. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Appreciative. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using quotation. |
| C．By making comments. | D．By analysing causes. |
| A．Firefighters or Santa Claus? | B．Firefighters Safeguarded Us |
| C．A Fire Brought Gifts | D．Love Can Cure |
【推荐3】There are 225 students in Common Ground’s campus, who attend class on 20 acres (英亩) of land surrounded by West Rock Ridge State Park. Students take classes outside, learn how to tend to the land and grow food for local communities where access to fresh produce is insufficient.
Teachers at Common Ground say their students seem to be more engaged in the classroom when compared to most students at traditional public high schools. They say this is due in part to the autonomy that students are given over their education. “In class, students aren’t just being lectured; they’re experiencing their lessons,” O’connor, a senior at Common Ground said. “We’re very hands on. We’ve had science classes where we go outside and do experiments within nature. We’ll go into the wetlands and do experiments where we interact with the fish or the frogs out there.”
Samantha Townsend, an English teacher at Common Ground said the school encourages students to be active participants in their learning process. “There’s more cooperative learning here where they work in groups and have the opportunity to make a choice about what works best for them in their learning,” Townsend said. “If a student would prefer to write a poem rather than write an essay, then we allow them to tap into their unique passion, skill, or interest.”
“They’re looking at the world in a very different way. They’re thinking about climate change. They’re thinking about the types of food we eat and the impact it has on our bodies and on their communities,” Cherry Pacquette-Emmanuel, High School Director said. She said she wanted students to take their experience at Common Ground and understand their future careers could be anything they want it to be. To not just have a career to have a career, but make sure their life’s work is making a difference. “The fact that the concept for Common Ground came about because there’s some educators that wanted to do things differently and have created this really unique space,” she said.
1. What do the students of Common Ground do outside?| A．Grow produce. | B．Plant trees. | C．Do research. | D．Hunt for jobs. |
| A．Because they hate traditional learning. | B．Because they are autonomous students. |
| C．Because they study in a closed campus. | D．Because they get experiential education. |
| A．It was unique to Common Ground. | B．It was unfriendly to differences. |
| C．It was devoted to local communities. | D．It was attentive to individuation. |
| A．To be a poet or a writer. | B．To pursue their dreams. |
| C．To understand educators. | D．To have a well-paid job. |
【推荐1】Regarded as one of the English language’s most gifted poets, John Keats wrote poetry that concentrated on imagery, human nature, and philosophy (哲学). Although Keats didn’t receive much formal literary education, his own studies and passion brought him much success. Additionally, his own life situation influenced his poetry greatly.
Growing up as a young boy in London in a lower middle-class family, the young John didn’t attend a private school, but went to a public one. His teachers and his family’s friends regarded him as an optimistic boy who favored playing and fighting much more than minding his studies. After his father’s death in the early 1800s, followed by his mother’s passing due to tuberculosis (肺结核), he began viewing life differently. He wanted to escape the world and did so by reading anything he could get his hands on.
At around the age of 16, the teenage John Keats began studying under a surgeon so that he too might become a doctor. However, his literary appetite had taken too much of his fancy, especially with his addiction to the poetry of Ehmund Spenser. He was able to have his first full poem published in the Examiner in 1816, entitled O Solitude! If I Must With Thee Dwell. Within two months in 1817, Keats had written an entire volume of poetry, but was sharply criticized (批评) by a magazine. However, the negative response didn’t stop his love of rhythm (韵律).
John Keats’ next work was Endymion, which was published in May 1818. The story involves a shepherd who falls in love with the moon goddess and leads him on an adventure of one boy’s hope to overcome the limitations of being human. Following Endymion, however, he tried something more narrative-based (叙事体的) and wrote Isabella. During this time, John Keats began seeing his limitations in poetry due to his own limit in life experiences. He would have to have the “knowledge” associated with his poems. His next work was Hyperion that would attempt to combine all that he learned. However, a bout (发作) with tuberculosis while visiting Italy would keep him from his work and eventually take his life in 1821.
1. John Keats’ attitude towards life changed because of .| A．his early education from school | B．the deaths of his parents |
| C．Edmund Spenser’s poetry | D．the criticism of a magazine |
| A．They read many books. | B．They had a bad childhood. |
| C．They died of the same disease. | D．They showed strong interest in poetry. |
| A．determined | B．experienced |
| C．knowledgeable | D．impatient |
| A．Keats received little education at school. |
| B．Endymion was about a real love story. |
| C．In 1816 Keats spent two months writing a poem. |
| D．Keats once had a chance of becoming a doctor. |
【推荐2】James Joyce, Excellent Irish Writer
The beautiful land of Ireland has given us a great number of excellent writers — Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Yeats, Synge, and so on. Among them, James Joyce is a shining star.
A novelist (小说家) with the great quality of being different from other writers, James Joyce is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the modern age. In fact, the modern English novelist, Anthony Burgess, praised him as one of the four "Giants" of modern literature (文学).
It is he who created the new method in literary experiment, "the stream of consciousness (意识)"which has very great influence on the modernist writers. In Ulysses, his great work, Joyce skillfully used this method to describe the difficult thoughts of the characters, especially by monologues (长篇大论).
However, in his earlier work Dubliners, Joyce mainly used the traditional method of realism. His description is so lively that the readers can sense the characters hopes and longings, their loneliness and sadness ― drinking a lot to forget the bitter experience in life, wandering aimlessly from one street to another in silence. You could never forget the sad atmosphere (氛围) and sharp philosophical (哲学的) words once you read them.
1. James Joyce is ________ .| A．a shining star in the sky |
| B．an outstanding representative (代表) of the excellent Irish writers |
| C．a better writer than Bernard Shaw |
| D．as good a writer as any other writer |
| A．Anthony Burgess was his friend |
| B．he wrote more novels than other writers |
| C．he was a novelist with great difference |
| D．he was a modern novelist |
| A．a new novel that has very great influence on the modernist writers |
| B．created to influence other modernist writers |
| C．a new method in literary experiment which has little influence on the modernist writers |
| D．a new method in literary experiment which has very great influence on the modernist writers |
| A．the work that Joyce did when he was young |
| B．a book written by Joyce with the method of "the stream of consciousness1* |
| C．a book written by Joyce with the traditional method of realism |
| D．a man who wrote to Joyce mainly with the traditional method of realism |
| A．had bitter experiences in life |
| B．could sense their hopes and longings |
| C．walked about in the streets aimlessly while crying bitterly |
| D．drank a lot because they had a lot of money to spend |
【推荐3】A Day with a Dickens Descendant (后裔)
Sunday, 23rd July
The Charles Dickens Museum is very happy to welcome Lucinda Dickens Hawksley for a full day of adventure this weekend. The three times great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Lucinda is returning to her family’s historic London home to share some exciting projects with you.
9:00 am — Our Dickens Day begins with a virtual talk presented by Lucinda in celebration of Christmas in July. This festive event is for people down under celebrating Christmas in midwinter, and is timed so that friends in Australia and New Zealand can join. Streamed online, this is a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit. For those in the Northern Hemisphere (北半球), or for people who just don’t fancy celebrating Christmas in July, this is still a wonderful way of understanding how Dickens came to write one of his most famous books, A Christmas Carol.
2:00 pm — Lucinda will be on-site, here at the museum, to deliver a short talk on her brand new book, Dickens and Travel. This remarkable book takes a look at how Dickens enthusiasm for adventure and travel helped influence his famous stories.
2:30 pm-3:30 pm — If you’ve ever wanted to meet a Dickens descendant, now is your chance. Lucinda will be in the Boardroom to sign copies of her new book and greet visitors.
4:00 pm — Lucinda will finish her day at the museum with another short talk on her new book.
Copies of Dickens and Travel, as well as other books by Lucinda, will be available for purchase from our museum shop, or you can pre-order through our online shop. We hope to see you virtually, or in person, this weekend!
1. What is the purpose of Lucinda’s online talk?| A．To celebrate Christmas south of the equator. | B．To recall her three times great-grandfather. |
| C．To memorialize her favorite festival in July. | D．To appreciate Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. |
| A．Show visitors around the museum. | B．Sign copies of Dickens’ novels. |
| C．Meet with Dickens’ admirers. | D．Give a talk on her new book. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
