It was when I was attending high school that I first read Asimov’s stories. At the time, a few SF magazines began to introduce this author and translate a few pieces from his “Robot Series”. Of Asimov’s works, the one that left the deepest impression on me was Pebble in the Sky. This novel directly influenced my early SF writing.

Asimov was one of the leading writers of Western science fiction’s Golden Age, so although his writing may not have a direct influence on writers of today, his underlying （潜在的） influence on many levels is undeniable — the famous Three Laws of Robotics, and many classic writing techniques, for example. Of course, his influence is related to the atmosphere that existed in the Golden Age; a science fiction writer today has a hard time reaching that level no matter how outstanding he or she is. Asimov’s novels are marked by a fully integrated logical system, and his stories are a pleasure to read — this is the reason his novels still attract readers today. Naturally, Western science fiction has few people these days who follow Asimov’s creative methods; instead they are closely connected to mainstream artistic trends, employing large amounts of postmodern techniques. This type of science fiction has a hard time blossoming on Chinese soil. The majority of Chinese SF readers would rather read the classic works of Asimov. This is an important question that faces today’s Chinese science fiction writers.

Compared with the “Robot Series”, Asimov’s “Foundation Series” is a little less well-known in China. This is mostly due to the large influence of the Three Laws, and moreover, the Foundation novels have never been completely introduced here. In fact, the Foundation series creates an entire world, even grander than that of the “Robot Series”; this science fiction epic（史诗） had a direct influence on later Western science fiction, the most famous example being Star Wars.

61. We can know from the passage that the author is a _______ .

A. science fiction writer           B. science fiction publisher

C. high school student            D. novel translator

62. The Three Laws of Robotics are most probably        .

A. stories written by Asimov       B. writing techniques employed by Asimov

C. techniques to build robots      D. characters in Asimov’s science fiction

63. The main purpose of the passage is to        .

A. compare Asimov with other science fiction writers

B. attract people to read Asimov’s stories

C. introduce Asimov’s influence on SF writing

D. explain why Asimov is popular in China

64. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. “Foundation Series” were translated into Chinese earlier than “Robot Series”

B. Science fiction of postmodern style is not popular with Chinese readers

C. Asimov is the greatest science fiction writer in Western countries

D. The writing techniques by Asimov are better than the postmodern ones

65. In the writer’s opinion, Asimov’s “Foundation Series”       .

A. were not as successful as his “Robot Series”

B. are better known to Chinese readers than his “Robot Series”

C. were more logically organized than his “Robot Series”

D. were written better than his “Robot Series” in some ways

It was when I was attending high school that I first read Asimov’s stories. At the time, a few SF magazines began to introduce this author and translate a few pieces from his “Robot Series”. Of Asimov’s works, the one that left the deepest impression on me was Pebble in the Sky. This novel directly influenced my early SF writing.

Asimov was one of the leading writers of Western science fiction’s Golden Age, so although his writing may not have a direct influence on writers of today, his underlying （潜在的） influence on many levels is undeniable — the famous Three Laws of Robotics, and many classic writing techniques, for example. Of course, his influence is related to the atmosphere that existed in the Golden Age; a science fiction writer today has a hard time reaching that level no matter how outstanding he or she is. Asimov’s novels are marked by a fully integrated logical system, and his stories are a pleasure to read — this is the reason his novels still attract readers today. Naturally, Western science fiction has few people these days who follow Asimov’s creative methods; instead they are closely connected to mainstream artistic trends, employing large amounts of postmodern techniques. This type of science fiction has a hard time blossoming on Chinese soil. The majority of Chinese SF readers would rather read the classic works of Asimov. This is an important question that faces today’s Chinese science fiction writers.

Compared with the “Robot Series”, Asimov’s “Foundation Series” is a little less well-known in China. This is mostly due to the large influence of the Three Laws, and moreover, the Foundation novels have never been completely introduced here. In fact, the Foundation series creates an entire world, even grander than that of the “Robot Series”; this science fiction epic（史诗） had a direct influence on later Western science fiction, the most famous example being Star Wars.

61. We can know from the passage that the author is a _______ .

A. science fiction writer           B. science fiction publisher

C. high school student            D. novel translator

62. The Three Laws of Robotics are most probably        .

A. stories written by Asimov       B. writing techniques employed by Asimov

C. techniques to build robots      D. characters in Asimov’s science fiction

63. The main purpose of the passage is to        .

A. compare Asimov with other science fiction writers

B. attract people to read Asimov’s stories

C. introduce Asimov’s influence on SF writing

D. explain why Asimov is popular in China

64. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. “Foundation Series” were translated into Chinese earlier than “Robot Series”

B. Science fiction of postmodern style is not popular with Chinese readers

C. Asimov is the greatest science fiction writer in Western countries

D. The writing techniques by Asimov are better than the postmodern ones

65. In the writer’s opinion, Asimov’s “Foundation Series”       .

A. were not as successful as his “Robot Series”

B. are better known to Chinese readers than his “Robot Series”

C. were more logically organized than his “Robot Series”

D. were written better than his “Robot Series” in some ways

It was when I was attending high school that I first read Asimov’s stories. At the time, a few SF magazines began to introduce this author and translate a few pieces from his “Robot Series”. Of Asimov’s works, the one that left the deepest impression on me was Pebble in the Sky. This novel directly influenced my early SF writing.
Asimov was one of the leading writers of Western science fiction’s Golden Age, so although his writing may not have a direct influence on writers of today, his underlying （潜在的） influence on many levels is undeniable — the famous Three Laws of Robotics, and many classic writing techniques, for example. Of course, his influence is related to the atmosphere that existed in the Golden Age; a science fiction writer today has a hard time reaching that level no matter how outstanding he or she is. Asimov’s novels are marked by a fully integrated logical system, and his stories are a pleasure to read — this is the reason his novels still attract readers today. Naturally, Western science fiction has few people these days who follow Asimov’s creative methods; instead they are closely connected to mainstream artistic trends, employing large amounts of postmodern techniques. This type of science fiction has a hard time blossoming on Chinese soil. The majority of Chinese SF readers would rather read the classic works of Asimov. This is an important question that faces today’s Chinese science fiction writers.
Compared with the “Robot Series”, Asimov’s “Foundation Series” is a little less well-known in China. This is mostly due to the large influence of the Three Laws, and moreover, the Foundation novels have never been completely introduced here. In fact, the Foundation series creates an entire world, even grander than that of the “Robot Series”; this science fiction epic（史诗） had a direct influence on later Western science fiction, the most famous example being Star Wars.

1. 1.

   We can know from the passage that the author is a _______ .

   1. A.
      science fiction writer          
   2. B.
      science fiction publisher
   3. C.
      high school student           
   4. D.
      novel translator
2. 2.

   The Three Laws of Robotics are most probably        .

   1. A.
      stories written by Asimov      
   2. B.
      writing techniques employed by Asimov
   3. C.
      techniques to build robots     
   4. D.
      characters in Asimov’s science fiction
3. 3.

   The main purpose of the passage is to        .

   1. A.
      compare Asimov with other science fiction writers
   2. B.
      attract people to read Asimov’s stories
   3. C.
      introduce Asimov’s influence on SF writing
   4. D.
      explain why Asimov is popular in China
4. 4.

   What can be inferred from the passage?

   1. A.
      “Foundation Series” were translated into Chinese earlier than “Robot Series”
   2. B.
      Science fiction of postmodern style is not popular with Chinese readers
   3. C.
      Asimov is the greatest science fiction writer in Western countries
   4. D.
      The writing techniques by Asimov are better than the postmodern ones
5. 5.

   In the writer’s opinion, Asimov’s “Foundation Series”       .

   1. A.
      were not as successful as his “Robot Series”
   2. B.
      are better known to Chinese readers than his “Robot Series”
   3. C.
      were more logically organized than his “Robot Series”
   4. D.
      were written better than his “Robot Series” in some ways

Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good ,most would admit that their spoken English is poor .Whenever I speak to a Chinese student they always say, “My spoken English is poor.” However ,their spoken English does not have to remain “poor” ! I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.

        First ,they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary .Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However ,you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive .Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.

Second ,they are afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous .Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly .However ,in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across ,to talk to someone in English ,as quickly and as well as you can ,even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense ,but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances for any mistakes he hears.

       The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening .You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking.

       Fourth ,most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners .Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor .If you have this proactive outlook ,then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.

       If you do not use your English beyond the classroom you will forget what English you know .Remember : USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better by speaking English more.

60.What is most probably the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To improve your reading.                  B.To improve your spoken English.

C.To improve your listening.                 D.To improve your vocabulary.

61.It can be inferred from the third paragraph that         .

A.don’t be afraid of making mistakes .Just speak!      B.don’t be nervous ,don’t be shy .Just write!

C.don’t be fluency .Just be accuracy                D.don’t be shy ,don’t be fluency. Just listen and write!

62.The text is most probably taken from a        .

A．teacher’s diary         B．report on study     C．sports newspaper             D．movie magazine