One night of 2023, a red light came into Alan’s yard. Minutes later, an alien (外星人) like a plate came into his bedroom. Alan looked at the alien in surprise.
Then, the alien took out a box. With the help
When they
“Goodbye! And I hope you’ll come again!” Alan said.
2 . 
Chinese writer Hai Ya’s The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award (雨果奖) for Best Novelette on October 21, 2023. He became the third Chinese writer to win a Hugo award after Liu Cixin in 2015 and Hao Jingfang in 2016.
When creating The Space-Time Painter, Hai Ya got his idea from a famous painting, A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》).
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.
| A．In it, science fiction offered the most beautiful ‘flowers’. |
| B．I usually read books and play games with my friends in it. |
| C．Today, more Chinese writers try to mix traditional culture with modern stories. |
| D．Hai Ya’s works are famous because they are a mix of history and science fiction. |
| E．This famous painting is created by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty (960—1279). |
Once upon a time, in a small town, there was a little girl named Matilda. She was a brave and
Matilda’s parents didn’t really
One day, Matilda found
Matilda learned to practise her newfound power and used it to play tricks on her family.
| A．honest | B．clever | C．generous | D．polite |
| A．hear about | B．care about | C．complain of | D．dream of |
| A．always | B．often | C．sometimes | D．never |
| A．happy | B．nervous | C．lonely | D．cheerful |
| A．none | B．anything | C．nothing | D．something |
| A．move | B．learn | C．see | D．eat |
| A．beds | B．TVs | C．pencils | D．bookshelves |
| A．As | B．When | C．After | D．Before |
| A．her | B．their | C．its | D．our |
| A．in | B．on | C．for | D．up |
4 . The Hugo (雨果) Awards, the world’s top science fiction awards, were announced on the night of Oct 21, 2023. Chinese writer Hai Ya’s book The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette. He became the third Chinese writer to win a Hugo award after Liu Cixin in 2015 and Hao Jingfang in 2016.
When creating The Space-Time Painter, Hai Ya drew his idea from a famous painting by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Based on Wang, Hai Ya 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 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’. Science fiction opened up a new world to him as a kid,” said Hai Ya.
Hai Ya’s works are 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. I don’t think history is something completely in the past. It is flowing, and we can look forward to the future by looking back at history. History is also part of our future,” Hai Ya said.
Science fiction lovers in China feel inspired (激发) by Hai Ya. 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 (过程). “Our history and culture have universal values (普世价值) that can touch everyone,” he said.
1. What do we know about The Space-Time Painter?| A．It tells Wang Ximeng’s life story. | B．It is inspired by an ancient painting. |
| C．Its story is based on the faraway future. | D．It is a novel about the Song Dynasty. |
| A．It offered him traditional ways to write novels. | B．It taught him a lot about planting flowers. |
| C．It introduced him to a different world. | D．It helped him mix the East with the West. |
| A．History is opposite to the future. |
| B．History can help us look forward to our future. |
| C．History offers us everything to shape our future. |
| D．History and the future are separate from each other. |
| A．Chinese traditional culture is inspired by Hai Ya. |
| B．Mixing traditional and modern culture is a choice. |
| C．Chinese writers are trying to limit their science fiction works. |
| D．A new force of science fiction has risen to spread Chinese culture. |
In recent years, science fiction (科幻小说) has become more and more popular in China, especially after the sci-fi writer Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award in 2015.
In an interview, Liu said that science fiction would open our minds to everything in the future. “
According to Liu, young readers should read different books in order to find out what they are truly interested in. Liu once said, “I’ve read a lot of works of Leo Tolstoy and Arthur Charles Clarke.
The Chinese sci-fi film The Wandering Earth was a real hit in 2019.
| A．Science fiction makes young people interested in science. |
| B．Reading all those books has helped make me successful. |
| C．The Three-Body Problem is Liu’s most famous fiction. |
| D．Liu thought that sci-fi movies had a bright future in China. |
| E．It came from Liu’s fiction of the same name. |
6 . Have you heard of the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon)? This year, it was held in Chengdu from October 18 to 22. WorldCon is the biggest sci-fi event (盛会) in the world. It has been held since 1939. This was the first time the event had been held in China.
During the event, the winners of this year’s Hugo Awards were announced (宣布). The awards are very famous in the science fiction world. They are voted on by members of WorldCon. Chinese sci-fi writers and artists enjoyed a big night on October 21.
The Space-Time Painter (《时空画家》) won the award for the best novelette (短中篇小说). It was written by part-time writer Hai Ya (海涯). “I’m very lucky,” he said. “It’s like my dream shining into reality.” He hopes that his works can make more people think about technology, time and art.
Besides that, Zhao Enzhe won the best Professional Artist (最佳职业艺术家) award. The artist has worked in the game industry for more than 20 years. He has been making covers for China’s Science Fiction World magazine for a long time. The magazine is the best-selling one of its kind in the world.
In addition, China’s Zero Gravity Newspaper (《零重力报》) won the best Fanzine (最佳粉丝杂志) award. Four works by Chinese writers were shortlisted (最终入围) for the Best Short Story award.
Over the past years, a lot of Chinese science fiction works have been translated into many different languages. They have attracted (吸引) more and more readers around the world. The influence of Chinese science fiction keeps growing!
1. What do you know about WorldCon?| A．It usually lasts for 5 days. |
| B．It is the biggest event in the world. |
| C．It has a long history of over 90 years. |
| D．It was held in China for the first time this year. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Seven. |
| A．different languages | B．more readers |
| C．Chinese Sci-fi works | D．the Hugo Awards |
| A．Chinese Sci-fi Shines at Hugo Awards |
| B．The World Science Fiction Convention held in China |
| C．Winners of this year’s Hugo Awards |
| D．The influence of Chinese Sci-fi keeps growing |
7 . When I arrived at his house the next Thursday, four or five men were already here. The doctor was standing in front of the fire with his watch in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.
“It’s half past seven now,” he said. “Shall we start dinner?”
“Where is the time traveler?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we wait for him? We are guests in his house.”
“I have a note from him,” the doctor said, holding up the piece of paper. “It says he will be late and that we should start dinner first.”
“In that case,” the editor of a newspaper said, “let’s go into the dining room.”
He rang the bell to tell the housekeeper that we were ready to eat.
Not all the men present knew about the model of the time machine. Only the doctor and the psychologist knew. During dinner, we described the model to the other guests. I suggested, jokingly, that perhaps our host was late because he was traveling in time. The laughter suddenly changed to shock, however, when the door opened, and the time traveler stood there.
His clothes were dirty and torn. His face was white, and his chin had a cut on it.
1. Whose house were the guests in? ________| A．The doctor’s. | B．The editor’s. |
| C．The time traveler’s. | D．The psychologist’s. |
| A．A newspaper. | B．A picture. |
| C．A map. | D．A note. |
| A．Dirty. | B．Modern. |
| C．Smart. | D．Cool. |
①I got to the house.
②We described the model.
③The doctor was in front of the fire.
④The time traveler stood outside the door.
⑤The editor asked us to go into the dining room.
| A．①④②⑤③ |
| B．①③⑤②④ |
| C．②③①④⑤ |
| D．②⑤③④① |
8 . Misty had always wanted to be a superhero and always dreamed of having super powers. Every Halloween, she designed costumes so she could look like a hero. She often had a mask (面罩) so everyone could tell she was someone who could save the world.
One day, as she looked into the mirror, Misty realized she could no longer see herself. She had become invisible (隐身的)! She had no idea why this happened or how long her powers would last, but she couldn’t wait to help people. She ran to the streets, looking for criminals, and surprising them when they didn’t realize anyone was there. By the end of the day, she had stopped three bank robbers (强盗) and two shoplifters. It had been a wonderful day for her!
The next day, she woke up and discovered she was still invisible, she went out and did much of what she had done the day before. Whispers of some unknown hero were starting to spread through the streets.
Newspaper reporters wanted to write stories about the mysterious (神秘的) hero, but no one knew who the new hero was or where to find the hero. Misty smiled to herself. If they only knew, she thought, they wouldn’t believe it. She could hardly believe it herself. After a whole week of being a superhero, Misty was starting to become a bit tired.
Being a hero was a good thing, but it took a lot of work to run from place to place, catching criminals and tying up bad guys. She was tired, and since she couldn’t see her reflection, she had no idea if she looked as bad as she was starting to feel.
The next morning, Misty woke up and saw her reflection in the mirror. She could see herself again. She knew it was the end to her days as a superhero, but it didn’t mean she had to stop helping people. That day, as she went into work, she held the door open for three people and helped two elderly people carry their groceries.
For sure, she wasn’t saving the world anymore, but it still felt good to help in any way she could!
1. Which of the following cartoon characters would Misty choose to dress up as on Halloween?A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．She had the ability of being invisible. |
| B．She was able to read people’s mind. |
| C．She could fly from place to place. |
| D．She had the power of disappearing. |
①Misty lost the superpower but still loved to help people.
②Misty had been busy catching criminals on the streets.
③Misty felt tired after being a superhero for a week.
④Misty looked into the mirror and found she became invisible.
| A．④②③① | B．②③①④ | C．④③①② | D．①②④③ |
| A．She no longer makes her own Halloween costumes. |
| B．She throws away all the mirrors in her house. |
| C．She doesn’t dare to keep her money in the bank. |
| D．She realizes she can help people even if she isn’t a superhero. |
Late last night, I felt very tired and tried to sleep, but I was woken up by a sudden sound and the sound didn’t stop. I couldn’t sleep then I got up to see where the sound came from. I went to the backyard of my house and saw a very bright light in the sky going towards the forest nearby. I felt worried and decided to see what it was. I took my bicycle and followed the light to the forest. Minutes later, I was in front of a huge spaceship.
I was amazed. When I touched it, a wave(冲击波) pushed me away. I could not move my body, but I could still see. I saw a human…no, a monster…Then, I lost consciousness (知觉).
When I woke up, I was in a large cage. I saw other men and women – in nearby cages. They had either passed out(昏倒) or perhaps died. I watched the cage and found a small dirty window. I cleared the window and saw through it. I saw space!
I also saw the earth getting smaller and smaller as we moved away from it. I didn’t know how I got here. Suddenly, a strange creature(生物) caught my attention. He was half-human and half-monster. For sure, he was not a person living on the earth— he was an alien!
The creature was looking at each cage. Suddenly, he appeared in front of my cage. He said something like, “Zoom zappa zew zhumu zam zeus.” I didn’t understand it, but then a loud sound came. It said, “Hello, New Human. We are the Grays.” It was probably the translation of the words that the creature had just said, I guessed.
I felt afraid. “What is the alien going to do to me?” I wondered.
根据短文内容, 回答下列问题。
1. Why couldn’t the writer fall asleep although he felt very tired that night?
2. Where did the writer probably find the spaceship?
3. How was the writer after he was pushed away by a wave?
4. What did the creature look like?
5. What might the alien do to the writer at last? (大胆发挥想象，句意表达准确。)
1. When did the speaker buy the book?
| A．Last Saturday. | B．Last Thursday. | C．Last Tuesday. |
| A．The Old Man and the Sea | B．Charlie Ninth | C．Harry Porter |
| A．70 yuan. | B．17 yuan. | C．7 yuan. |
| A．Parents. | B．Children. | C．Teachers. |
| A．How to learn English. |
| B．How to fight in the army. |
| C．How to defeat (战胜) the bad man. |
