Science Fiction

①Amongst the most popular books being written today are those which are usually classified a science fiction. Hundreds of titles are published every year and are read by all kinds of people. Furthermore, some of the most successful films of recent years have been based on science fiction stories.

②It is often thought that science fiction is a fairly new development in literature, but its ancestors can be found in books written hundreds of years ago, These books were often concerned with the presentation of some form of ideal society, a theme which is still often found in modern stories. Science fiction is a genre of fiction with imaginative but more or less plausible content such as settings in the future , futuristic science and technology , space travel , parallel universes , aliens , and paranormal abilities. Exploring the consequences of scientific innovations is one purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas". Science fiction has been used by authors as a device to discuss philosophical ideas such as identity, desire , morality and social structure.

③Most of the classics of science fiction , however, have been written within the last hundred years. Books by writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, to mention just two well-known authors , have been translated into many languages.

④Modern science fiction writers don't write about men from Mars or space adventure stories. They are more interested in predicting the results of technical developments on society and the human mind; or in imagining future worlds which are a reflection of the world which we live in now. Because of this their writing has obvious political undertones. Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possible worlds or futures. It is similar to, but differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). The settings for science fiction are often contrary to consensus reality, but most science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief, which is facilitated in the reader' s mind by potential scientific explanations or solutions to various fictional elements.

⑤In an age where science fact frequently overtakes science fiction, the writers may find it difficult to keep ahead of scientific advances. Those who are sufficiently clear-sighted to see the way we are going , however, may provide a valuable lesson on how to deal with the problems which society will inevitably face as it tries to master its new technology.

【第17题】Paragraph②____.A. Popularity of Science Fiction;B. Future Development;C. Classics of Science Fiction;D. Difficulty in Keeping Ahead of Scientific Advances;E. Its Origin/ Past;F. Themes of Modern Science Fiction