节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-12-31
难易度:High
关键字:miraculous, innovation, foreshadow, visualize, envision, weaponry
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today and studying with us.
We certainly appreciate that.
My name is Steve.
Well, today we find ourselves at the end of another year.
It's a good time to stop and reflect on the successes of the past and make a few
predictions about the future.
And that's what we'll be doing today, but with a little twist.
Today we'll look back in time at some successful methods, mechanisms and devices
that were predicted in science fiction novels years before they became a
reality.
In other words, instances in history when fiction became nonfiction.
Let's open our magazines now to page 52 and start reading Science (Non)fiction.
Science (Non)fiction.
Way-out dreams sometimes become reality.
Many technologies that seem commonplace today appeared miraculous when they
first appeared on the scene.
The creative minds behind these amazing inventions were not only scientists,
however.
In many cases, they were writers of science fiction.
These literary masters conceived of some incredible innovations way before their
time.
Examples of current technologies that were once science fiction are not hard to
find.
Cellphones are now everywhere.
Long before they became an indispensable communications device,
they were foreshadowed by the "communicator" (which look like a flip phone) on
the TV show Star Trek in the 1960s.
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us right here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
And my name is Ryan.
Now friends, we are looking at a SCIENCE FICTION article today.
And so first, let's talk about what science fiction is.
Well, science fiction is a genre that we consider to be a futuristic.
It's coming from the future.
And it's made-up things, maybe things we don't think will exist.
Yeah. But we try to make it look like they could.
But this article today is called Science (Non)fiction.
Now nonfiction, when you put "non" in front of it, it means it's real.
It's no longer fictional.
So this is real science.
Today we're looking at way-out dreams that sometimes become reality.
OK. If something is way-out, that means it probably couldn't happen.
Now many technologies that seem commonplace today actually appeared miraculous
when they first appeared on the scene.
That's true.
Technology today is incredible.
And we think of it just being commonplace.
"Commonplace" meaning it's part of everyday life; it's not special.
Exactly. But before they are now commonplace, they were seemingly miraculous.
And something that is "miraculous" means it happens through a miracle.
It's performed or involving something that needs an extra power.
That's right. It's supernatural or amazing.
Now something you didn't think could exist, it's miraculous.
Well, the creative minds behind these amazing inventions where not only
scientists.
That's right.
We usually think that all of our technology, it comes from scientists.
But in many cases, the ideas for these came from writers of science fiction.
Now these literary masters conceived some of the most incredible innovations way
before their time.
All right.
Now we're calling them literary masters.
The word "literary" means writing.
That's right.
They were amazing.
And they "conceived" - they thought of these new, incredible, fantastic
innovations long before they ever existed.
All right.
Now you've heard the word "invention." That is something new that people make.
An "innovation" is something new that is very different that is introduced.
That's right.
These are things that they had never thought of before.
And these writers created them, thinking "Wow! Where did these coming from?"
They came from someone's imagination.
So basically, Kaylah, we're talking about things like smartphones and computers.
All of this used to not exist and was just a dream in science fiction.
Well, we're going to look at some examples because it goes even beyond just our
modern technology,
examples of current technologies that were once only science fictions are not
hard to find.
OK, so. There are some technologies that were just science fiction, and now
they're everywhere.
They are not hard to find.
That's right.
There are many different ones that were thought to be just made up.
For example, cellphones.
They're now everywhere.
That's right.
Cellphones used to not exist.
And even when the were just beginning, they were very expensive and rare.
But now they're everywhere.
Well, long before they became an indispensable communication... communication
device...
"indispensable" means something we could not live without.
Now we think of them as we have to have them.
Before that, they were actually foreshadowed by the communicator.
That's right.
And the communicator comes from Star Trek.
Now they foreshadowed this device, they foreshadowed cellphones.
Now to "foreshadow" means to show or indicate that something will happen.
So the communicator, which was... looked kind of like a flip phone, was on the
TV show Star Trek.
It looks just like a phone.
It was kind of what might become in the future.
And now that we've... have the cellphone, we see it was foreshadowed.
Exactly.
Now this show Star Trek came out in the 1960s with the communicator which looked
kind of like a flip phone.
Now in the 60s is when this came out.
Cellphones weren't popular until the 90s.
That's right.
And even then, they were still expensive.
So this was a foreshadowing, something that came from science fiction that we
use every day now.
Well, there's plenty more examples to look at, so join us after we visit the
Chat Room.
Hi, Ken.
Anything good in the news today?
Oh, I'm not reading the news.
I'm doing some research on the web after reading this book.
Hmm, The History of Rap Music?
I didn't know you liked rap music.
Well, it's not my favorite style, but the history seems interesting.
Hmm. So what exactly are you looking up then?
Actually, I have an English question.
And since you're here, I can just ask you.
OK. Shoot.
Well, the author begins by saying "Ever since rap music first came on the
scene," but I'm confused, which scene is he talking about?
Oh. In that sentence, he's talking about the music scene.
But "being on the scene" can simply refer to somebody arriving at a certain
place.
OK. So can you tell me where the music scene is?
It's not a specific place, Ken, but it's a particular area of activity - music -
and all of the musicians and things associated with it.
Within the overall music scene, you would have the rap scene, the pop scene, and
many others.
Oh. That makes sense.
But you said "scenes" can refer to places, right?
It's true.
A scene can be a place, but it's usually a place where something bad has
happened, like a crime scene or a disaster scene.
Oh, really?
Well, in that case, I like a change of scene.
Hey, nice use of the idiom, Ken.
If somebody wants a change of scene, they're bored with their current life and
want to try something new.
That's funny. I didn't know that idiom.
But I suppose that's why I picked up this book on rap; I wanted to try something
new.
Why not?
Well, hey, let me know how you like it.
Will do.