1 . 
Chinese writer Hai Ya’s The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award (雨果奖) for Best Novelette (中篇小说) in October 2023. He became the third Chinese writer to win a Hugo Award after Liu Cixin in 2015 and Hao Jingfang in 2016.
Hai Ya got the idea of his work from a painting called Qianli Jiangshan Tu. Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty painted the work at the age of 18.
Modeled on (以……为原型) the life of Wang, Hai Ya created the character of an excellent painter Zhao Ximeng. Zhao painted for an emperor more than 1,000 years ago. One day, the painter’s mind left his physical body and went into a special space. There a modern police officer was working on a case having to do with a very old painting.
The Space-Time Painter tells about the political upheavals (政治动乱) of the time when the painting was created. We can find traditional Chinese culture, history, speculative elements (推理元素) and science fiction in Hai Ya’s work.
Hai, 33, developed an interest in science fiction when he was very young and started writing at university. Now, he works in Shenzhen. “I’m really surprised and very lucky. It’s like a dream come true,” said Hai Ya.
1. How many Chinese writers have got a Hugo award so far?| A．2. | B．3. | C．18. | D．33. |
| A．He got it from a song. |
| B．He got it from an old painting. |
| C．He got it with the help of Liu Cixin. |
| D．He got it while working in Shenzhen. |
| A．A writer. | B．A policeman. | C．A painter. | D．An emperor. |
| A．Literature. | B．Science. | C．Sports. | D．History. |
2 . It was a sunny Sunday noon. Pinky and Chotu were getting bored. Just then Chotu remembered his remote control car bought ten years ago. Looking for the car, Pinky found an old thing which was like the remote of Chotu’s car.
Chotu touched the button. They both felt dizzy (头晕目眩的)! They woke up when sharp rays of sun hit their eyes. They were surprised to look at their surroundings. They were in a completely new place!
The two of them stood in front of the huge doors—green, blue and red in color. ▲ They chose the blue door.
The door opened. The place was so empty. No sign of people, it was all deserted, and the trees could hardly be seen. There were only some tall bushes. They stepped inside the door.
When Pinky turned her head, she saw a huge monster. They started to run and the monster ran after them.
Soon both of them were so tired that they couldn’t move any more. They looked closely at the monster and saw that it was made of junk, electronic waste and all kinds of garbage…
“Please don't do anything to us,” begged Pinky.
The monster said loudly, “I am the GARBAGE monster! And I was created by you—the humans. You threw all your waste on the earth, polluted its beauty, and cut down trees. And here I am, as the result of all your behavior and carelessness.”
Both of them lowered their heads in shame. Suddenly a strong wind blew and pulled both of them back to their room. Chotu and Pinky realized that they had actually traveled to the future.
“Wasn’t that very scary, Chotu?”
“Of course! We should do something to save our earth.”
1. When Pinky and Chotu looked at their surroundings in the new place, how did they feel?| A．Happy. | B．Excited． |
| C．Bored． | D．Surprised． |
| A．They didn’t know which door to enter. |
| B．They opened the red one. |
| C．A huge monster was in it. |
| D．They were too frightened to walk in. |
| A．They were too tired． |
| B．They were in shame. |
| C．They wanted to think of an idea． |
| D．The monster ordered them to do so. |
①The two of them stood in front of the huge doors.
②They started to run and the monster ran after them.
③Pinky found an old thing which was like the remote of Chotu’s car.
④Chotu and Pinky realized they had traveled to the future.
| A．①②③④ | B．③④①② |
| C．②③①④ | D．③①②④ |
| A．Pinky and Chotu wanted to go to the new place again. |
| B．Pinky and Chotu talked about what to do to protect the environment. |
| C．Pinky and Chotu wanted to fight with the monster. |
| D．Pinky and Chotu planned for a field trip. |
3 . Chinese writer Hai Ya’s The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award (雨果奖) for Best Novelette (中短篇小说) on Oct. 21st. He became the third Chinese writer to win a Hugo Award after Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang.
When creating The Space-Time Painter, Hai Ya drew his idea from a famous painting, A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》). It was created by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty. Based on Wang, Hai created a painter named Zhao Ximeng. After many hard times, Zhao’s mind leaves his body and enters a space where a modern policeman is trying to solve a case (案件) about an ancient painting.
Hai Ya’s story with science fiction began in his childhood. “When I was a child, the bookstore in my hometown helped create a beautiful garden in my mind that belonged to me only. In it, science fiction offered the most beautiful ‘flowers’; it opened a new world for me as a kid,” Hai Ya told Beijing Youth Daily.
Hai Ya’s works feature a mix of history and science fiction. These two styles seem opposite: One looks back at the past, and the other faces the future. However, in Hai Ya’s works, they find a perfect balance.
“If we can only imagine the future and things in space like rockets, it will only limit our imagination,” Hai Ya told Shenchen Special Zone Daily. “I don’t think history is something completely in the past. It is flowing (流动的), and we can make predictions about the future by looking back at history. ▲ ,” he added.
More Chinese writers today are trying to mix traditional culture with modern stories. Hai Ya believes that it is not a choice but a natural process.” Our history and culture have universal values (普世价值) that can touch everyone,” he said to Xinhua.
1. What do we know about The Space-Time Painter?| A．It is created according to an ancient painting. |
| B．It tells Wang Ximeng’s life story. |
| C．Its story is based on the faraway future. |
| D．It is a historical novel about the Song Dynasty. |
| A．Why Hai Ya enjoyed reading books. |
| B．How much Hai Ya liked reading. |
| C．How Hai Ya got the idea of writing the novel. |
| D．How science fiction influenced Hai Ya as a child. |
| A．To remind people of the flow of time. |
| B．To encourage readers to learn from history. |
| C．To compare history with modern life. |
| D．To find a balance between history and reality. |
| A．The future is also very important |
| B．History is also part of our future |
| C．History recalls many events in the past |
| D．History has something to do with the future |
| A．Hai Ya’s Childhood |
| B．The Space-Time Painter |
| C．China’s Science Fiction Has Improved |
| D．Another Chinese Writer Won the Hugo Award |
1. Where did the boy see the alien in his dream?
| A．On the stage. | B．In the sky. | C．In the spaceship. |
| A．About 1 meter. | B．About 1.5 meters. | C．About 1.8 meters. |
| A．Because he was too excited. |
| B．Because he was too nervous. |
| C．Because he didn’t understand the foreign language. |
5 . Books of the Week
Laurence in Hopeland —by Wilton Smith | Laurence is a boy from Hopeland, a place with magic. He lives with his parents and beloved grandpa. One day when he can’t find his grandpa who has magic powers, Laurence teams up with his uncle to find out the truth. |
| Gavin Talks to Birds —by Wayae Abel | When 10-year-old Gavin joins a team of superheroes, he finds he has an unusual ability: he can talk to birds. Now a whole world has opened up to him, but can he use his new abilities to help save the birds’ world? |
Life of Dorothy —by Nelson Arthur | After meeting a stranger, Dorothy finds herself in a place with deep mystery. She is now meeting with many strange things, from some sudden accidents to losing her friend’s pet pig. The ups and downs of the story will keep you laughing from beginning to end. |
| The Last of Drumfield —by Gorgeous Morgan | It’s about Ella who has got a book from her aunt. When she is reading the book with her good friend, they drop into the book and are taken to a fairytale (童话的) world. And they have to find a way back. |
1. Which book is about unusual ability?
| A．Laurence in Hopeland | B．Gavin Talks to Birds |
| C．Life of Dorothy | D．The Last of Drumfield |
| A．Laurence. | B．Gavin. | C．Dorothy. | D．Ella. |
| A．meets a stranger | B．meets strange things | C．loses a pet pig | D．keeps laughing |
| A．Wilton Smith | B．Wayae Abel | C．Nelson Arthur | D．Gorgeous Morgan |
| A．She is good at magic. | B．She helps save the birds’ world. |
| C．She lives in a fairytale world. | D．She experiences an unusual trip. |
An amazing experience of my old grandpa’s | |
| On a cold morning in | |
| My grandpa | walked down the street as usual |
| saw a UFO land in | |
| An alien(外星人) | came out of the UFO |
| took away | |
| took a | |
| My grandpa was | |
Have you read or watched any Chinese sci-fi (科幻小说) works, such as The Wandering Earth or The Three-Body Problem? People from other countries are talking about what they think of Chinese sci-fi.
I watched the movie The Wandering Earth years ago, and it was a great work of sci-fi. But the recent The Wandering Earth II was even better. The story is so touching and it covers many aspects (方面). For example, it shows how Chinese parents are caring for their kids.
It shows that when it’s time to serve the nation or in a bigger picture save Earth, Chinese people don’t hesitate (犹豫).
But the most beautiful thing in this movie is the efforts (努力) made by people together from different countries. This is not like US sci-fi or superhero movies where one person saves the world. The Chinese sci-fi shows how we can work together to overcome our biggest challenges. I love this idea.
from Uzair Faiz,30, Pakistan
I must say that not many Asian sci-fi works are promoted in the US. But some US people are familiar (熟悉的) with the Chinese writer Liu Cixin. I read the English translation of The Three-Body Problem as a high school student. At the time, in my physics class, we were learning about nuclear physics (核物理), and I really loved the idea in the book that the aliens unfold (展开) a proton (质子) and put machine parts into it. My physics told me that while now, technology doesn’t allow you to do this, we have created quantum (量子) computers that work similarly.
A lot of Western sci-fi stories today focus on robots and artificial intelligence (AI) instead of aliens. But Liu’s books are really fun to read.
from Natasha Ellis, 18,US
1. What does the underlined phrase “in a bigger picture” mean in Chinese?| A．更大的图片 | B．更大的屏幕 | C．更广袤的宇宙 | D．更大的格局 |
①the touching story ②the beautiful picture
③the bravery of Chinese ④the love from Chinese parents
⑤the efforts made by people from all around the world
| A．①②③④ | B．②③④⑤ C ①③④⑤ D.①②④⑤ |
| A．sci-fi works | B．AI | C．protons | D．computers |
| A．Natasha Ellis prefers Three-Body Problem to The Wandering Earth. |
| B．A lot of Chinese sci-fi writers are popular in the US. |
| C．In many US superhero movies, one person can save the world without any help from others. |
| D．Western sci-fi stories pay too much attention to aliens. |
| A．Three-Body Problem | B．The movie The Wandering Earth II |
| C．The Films of Liu Cixin | D．Chinese sci-fi Works |
A: Hey, Jason. What are you reading?
B: Martin Morning. It’s fantastic.
A: No, I haven’t. Are they interesting?
B: Yes.
A: What does Martin do?
B:
A:
B: Yes. He has two good friends, Gromo and Roxanne.
A: Sounds great!
B: Of course not. Here you are.
| A．I have read five times so far. |
| B．Does Martin have friends? |
| C．What’s your favourite book? |
| D．He is a nine-year-old schoolboy. |
| E．Have you ever read a Martin book? |
| F．How many Martin books do you have? |
| G．Do you mind if I borrow (借) your book? |
9 . GG Bond, a third-year student of Great Hope Primary School, always imagined himself a super master of Kung Fu. One day, he was attacked by a thief who had stolen the “Keyinuoer” great diamond.
All the people on Olympic Island were sports masters.
The “Keyinuoer” great diamond was sacred on the island, and it was also the key point for GG Bond getting back to the future.
Sports master Super Qiang, who always dreamed of becoming a winner, was the strongest challenger to GG Bond.
| A．GG Bond was not good at sports at all. |
| B．Their only hobby was sports competition. |
| C．In the fight, he fell into a space-time hole accidently. |
| D．Can GG Bond beat Super Qiang to win the great diamond? |
| E．The diamond was kept on the top of Bright Mountain, protected by a giant dragon. |
On another planet, a very strange-looking alien met us. This alien took my friends and me to see its master. I saw another alien
The strange unknown planet looked like a prison. There were many
We were
The next day, the aliens told us to do a long list of things
One day, the aliens forgot
