a. ill-natured, ungracious

spouse

n. a wife or husband

scheme

n. a plan for doing sth.

visit

vt. inflict (punishment) for (wrongdoing); avenge 降罪于，惩罚

lifework

n. the work to which one's life is devoted; most important work of one's life

fanatically

ad. excessively

meticulous

n. extremely careful; with great attention to detail

double-check

n. the act of checking again; verifying

shrewd

a. clever in judgment, esp. of what is to one's own advantage

dissatisfy

vt. fail to satisfy; displease

greed

n. a selfish desire to get more and more of sth. 贪婪

greedy

a.

expand

v. make or become larger

grievance

n. a complaint or cause for complaint, esp. when one feels one has been unfairly treated

immature

a. not mature; not full-grown

frivolous

a. not serious or sensible in content, attitude or behaviour 不严肃的，轻浮的

foresee

vt. see or realize in advance

slip

n. a usu. slight mistake

elapse

vi. (of time) pass by

awesome

a. inspiring fear or dread

sweetheart

n. a person whom one loves

accusation

n. a statement that one has done sth. wrong

accuse

vt.

rumor

n. news or information which is passed from person to person but has not been proven to be true

freezer

n. a large fridge in which supplies of food can be stored at a very low temperature; deep freeze

mandatory

a. required by law; compulsory 依法的；强制性的

choke

vt. block or clog up (a passage, street, etc.)

transport

n. the act of carrying (goods or people) from place to place

congress

n. the elected law-making body, e.g. of the us 立法机构，如美国国会

warehouse

n. a house or building where merchandise is stored

dehydrate

vt. cause to lose water 使脱水

phrases & expressions

in brief

in short; to sum up

as far as

to the distance, point or degree that

for one

as the first of several possible examples

dry off

make or become dry

stop dead in one's tracks

stop very quickly or with great force

be bound up with

be closely connected with or related to

first and last

always and chiefly

put away

put in the right place or out of sight

die down

come slowly to an end; grow slowly less or weaker

on the track of

looking for, trying to find

earn/make a living

support oneself

at that

in addition; also

be caught in

be involved in

to the point where

to the extent that

play around

spend time playing, fooling or joking instead of being serious or working

settle down

marry; begin to live a stable life

take with a grain of salt

accept or believe only in part

go through

be approved or accepted

proper names

zeritsky

齐里斯基

ann griffith

安.格里菲斯

los angeles

洛杉机

fred c. graham

弗雷德.c.格雷厄姆

john a. monahan

约翰.a. 莫纳汉

unit eight

text

science fiction is definitely not pure science, but neither is it pure fiction. this literary genre, argues science fiction writer ben bova, stands as a bridge between science and fiction, between reason and emotion. moreover, science fiction is not mere entertainment, but has a more important role to play. believe it or not, it can help us to understand the ways in which our world may change and assist us in shaping the future in the manner that we wish.

the role of science fiction

ben bova

the year 1972 was marked by publication of a controversial book, the limits to growth, this study of the world's future, done by a team of mit scientists with the aid of computer "models" of the future of our society, forecast a planet wide disaster unless humankind sharply limits its population growth and consumption of natural resources.

most people were caught by surprise when the book came out. many refused to believe that disaster is possible, probable, inevitable -- if we don't change our mode of running spaceship earth. but science fiction people were neither surprised nor outraged. the study was really old news to them. they'd been making their own "models" of tomorrow and testing them all them all their lives.

for what the scientists attempted with their computer model is very much like the thing that science fiction writers and readers have been doing for decades. instead of using a computer to "model" a future world society, science fiction writers have used their human imaginations. this gives the writers some enormous advantages.

one of the advantages is flexibility.

science fiction writers are not in the business of predicting the future. they do something much more important. they try to show the many possible future that lie open to us.

for there is not simply a future, a time to come that's inevitable. our future is built, bit by bit, minute by minute, by the acti