Science fiction is a popular kind of writing, and many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer(律师), but when he was about twenty years old, Verne decided to become a writer. At first he wrote plays for the theater. Then, in 1863, he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon. The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories such as A Journey to the Center of the Earth(1864) and From the Earth to the Moon(1865).
In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. Jules Verne wrote about scientific subjects in his stories and, as a result, they were very popular. Verne’s writing included many predictions(预言) for the 20th century and many of them came true. He described space flight, movies, and air conditioning, a long time before they appeared. These books were very successful and they made Verne rich.
Jules Verne’s books have been the subjects for many movies. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a successful movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. Around the World in Eighty Days is another famous movie based on one of Verne’s books. The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time!
小题1:What does the phrase “the father of science fiction” mean?

A．The man who loves science and inventions.

B．The writer whose father wrote science fiction.

C．The man who first started writing science fiction successfully.

D．The man who first found science fiction

小题2:What encouraged Jules Verne to write more stories?

A．The success of Five Weeks in a Balloon.

B．The encouragement from his father.

C．The plays he wrote for the theater.

D．The encouragement from his friends.

小题3:Why were Jules Verne’s books very popular in the19th century?

A．Because his books made him rich and famous.

B．Because his books have been the subjects for many movies.

C．Because many people were interested in science and inventions.

D．Because people loved him.

小题4:Which of the following has the main character called Phileas Fogg?

A．From the Earth to the Moon

B．Around the World in Eighty Days.

C．A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

D．Five Weeks

小题5:20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a ______.

A．cartoon movie

B．movie to use real actors

C．book written by Walt Disney

D．story told by an old man

Science has told us so much about the moon that it is quite easy to form an idea of what it would be like to go there. It is certainly not a friendly place. As there is no air or water, there can be no life of any kind. Mile after mile there are only plains(平原) of dust with mountains around them. Above, the sun and stars shine in the black sky. If you step out of the mountains shadows, it will mean moving from terrible cold into great heat. The moon is also a very silent(安静的) world, for sound waves (声波)can only travel through air. But from the moon, you can see a friendly sight(景色). Our earth is shining more brightly than the stars. It looks like a large ball, coloured blue and green and brown.
(   ) 16.What kind of place is the moon?
A. It is a friendly place.             B. It is a lively place.
C. It is a nice place for man to live.    D. It is a lifeless place.
(    ) 17.Temperatures on the moon____.
A. are usually the same everywhere   B. Are always very low
C. can be very different              D. are usually very high
(    ) 18.The moon is a silent world because____.
A. there is no life there              B. there is no air there
C. there is no water there             D. there is not a green tree there
(   ) 19. When we look from the moon, the sky is ____.
blue          B. black         C. green           D. brown
(  ) 20. Mile after mile there are only plains of dust with mountains around them. The word “dust” means “___”.
A. dump (垃圾堆)    B. dry earth (泥土)    C. land       D. field