THE ROLE OF SCIENCE FICTION科幻小说的作用
The year 1972 was marked by publication of a controversial book, The Limits to Growth.
1972年因为《增长的极限》一书的出版而受人瞩目。这是一本有争议的书。
this study of the world's future,
visit的用法对世界未来的研究，
done by a team of MIT scientists with the aid of computer "models" of the future of our society,
是麻省理工学院的一群科学家利用我们社会未来的电脑模型来完成的。
forecast a planetwide disaster unless humankind sharply limits its population growth and consumption of natural resources.
这项研究预测，除非人类极大地控制人口增长和自然资源的消耗，否则就会遭受世界性的灾难。
上海乐宁教育Most people were caught by surpri when the book came out.
该书出版时大多数人为之一惊。
Many refud to believe that disaster is possible, probable,
许多人拒绝相信那个灾难的发生是可能的，甚至极有可能，
inevitable --- if we don't change our mode of running Spaceship Earth.
甚至是不可避免的。如果我们不改变操作“地球飞船”的方式。
But science fiction people were neither surprid nor outraged.
而科幻小说家对此既不惊讶也不恼怒。
The study was really old news to them.
这项研究对他们来说的确是老生常谈。
They'd been making their own "models" of tomorrow and testing them all their lives.
他们一辈子都在制作和试验自己的未来世界的“模型”。
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.
科学家们借助于电脑模型所尝试的事与科幻小说作家及其读者几十年来所做的事很相似。
Instead of using a computer to "model" a future world society,
所不同的是，科幻小说作家并不是用电脑来“模拟”一个未来社会，
science fiction writers have ud their human imaginations.
而是运用他们的想象力。
This gives the writers some enormous advantages.
这给予作家极大的便利。
One of the advantages is flexibility.
灵活性是有利条件之一。
zoyaScience fiction writers are not in the business of predicting the future.
预测未来不是科幻小说作家的职责，
They do something much more important.
他们所做的更为重要一些。
They try to show the many possible futures that lie open to us.
他们要竭力在我们面前展现很多可能会出现的未来。
For there is not simply a future, a time to come that's inevitable.
因为不可避免地不止一种未来、一种时代要出现的。
Our future is built, bit ty bit,
我们的未来是点点滴滴，
怜悯的意思
minute by minute ,by the actions of human beings.
分分秒秒的人类活动造就的。
One vital role of science fiction is to show what kinds of future might result from certain kinds of human actions.
科幻小说的一个重要作用，是要表明某种人类行动会产生什么种类的未来。
To commuicate the ideas, the fears and hopes,
美少女的谎言要表达它们的观点，恐惧和希望
the shape and feel of all the infinite possible futures,
所有无穷个可能的社会形式和感受
science fiction writers lean heavily on another of their advantages: the art of fiction.
nmr科幻小产家大力依靠另一便利条件：虚构艺术。
For while a scientist's job has largely ended when he's reduced his data to tabular or graph form,
科学家的主要工作完成于资料被转换为表格或图表之时，
the work of a science fiction writer is just beginning.
而这对科幻小说家来说，工作只是刚开始。
His task is to convey the human story:
他的任务是要讲述人类的历史，
the scientific basis for the possible future of his story is merely the background.
故事中可能会出现的那个未来所涉及的科学依据，仅仅是个背景。
Perhaps "merely" is too limiting a word.
也许“仅仅”是个局限性太大的词。
Much of science fiction consists of precious little except the background,
许多科幻小说除了背景情况，基本构思和别致的新东西之外，
be basic idea, the gimmick.
几乎别无内容。
But the best of science fiction,
但是最好的科幻小说，
the stories that make a lasting impact on generations of readers, are stories about people.
就是那些能对几代读者产生久远影响的作品，都是有关人的故事。
The people may be nonhuman.
书中描写的人物也行不是人类，
google image archThey may be robots or other types of machines.
可能是机器人或是其他类型的机器。
But they will be people, in the n that human readers can feel for them,
但是他们应该算是人，在人们读到他们时会表现出同情。
share their joys and sorrows, their dangers and their ultimate success.
与它们共甘苦，分担它们身处危险的忧愁，分享它们最后成功的喜悦。
广州留学The art of fiction has not changed much since prehistoric times.
科幻小说的虚构艺术自史前时期以来并无多大变化。
The formula for telling a powerful story has remained the same:
有声读物在线收听
讲述一个扣人心弦的故事的模式一直都没变过：
create a strong character, a person of great strengths,
塑造一个坚强的人物，一个勇猛无比、
capable of deep emotions and decisive action.
感情丰富、行为果断的人。
Give him a weakness.
给他加上一个弱点，
Set him in conflict with another powerful character --- or perhaps with nature.
让他与另一位强大的人物——或是自然，发生冲突。
Let his exterior conflict be the mirror of the protagonist's own interior conflict,
让主人公的外部冲突像一面镜子反映出自己的内心冲突，
the clash of his desires, his own strength against his own weakness.
反映各种理想之间的冲突，反映自身优、缺点之间的冲突。
And there you have a story.
就这样，你的故事成了。
Whether it's Abraham offering his only son to God,
concentrate不管故事讲述的是亚拍拉罕献祭独子给上帝，
or Paris bringing ruin to Troy over a woman,
还是帕里斯因女人而毁灭特洛伊，
