科幻小说真的能拯救世界吗？ Can science fiction save the world?

Hello I’m Finn and welcome to 6 Minute English. Rob’s here today. Hi Rob.
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语节目。我是Finn，今天嘉宾是Rob，你好Rob。
Hello Finn – are you well?
你好呀，最近怎么样？
Very well, thanks. Rob, tell me – do you have a favourite science-fiction movie?
还不错，Rob，你有没有最爱的科幻电影？
Ahh, science fiction – stories about an imagined future …well my favourite was and always will be ET: Extra Terrestrial, and you Finn?
额，科幻描绘的是想象中的未来世界，恩，我最爱的是《E.T.外星人》， 你呢？
Mine would probably be Blade Runner – the movie with Harrison Ford set in a dark, scary Los Angeles where he hunts robots called replicants. You know the one?
我的最爱是《银翼杀手》，就是那部，背景地是黑暗恐怖的洛杉矶，哈里森·福特主演的追踪消灭复制人的那部电影，你知道么？
I do – and come to think of it, lots of movies and stories about the future are quite dark and negative …
我懂。我发现，很多关于未来的电影都是黑暗负面的，
But perhaps this might change. A new project wants to use the power of science fiction to do something very different: to inspire people to create a better future. It sounds very grand. We’ll be discussing the project and learning some language to talk about the future in this programme.
这种趋势可能会有所改变。最近有个项目，希望通过科幻故事来改变世界：希望科幻能够激励人们创作更好的未来。听起来很厉害，今天我们就来讨论一下这个项目，介绍一些关于描述未来的词语。
But before we get too far into the future, I’m sure you have a question for me, Finn?
在我们开始讨论未来之前，来听听问题吧，Finn你肯定准备了对吧？
Yes indeed. It’s about the film Blade Runner. It’s set in the future – but in which year?a) 2000b) 2019c) 2056
是的，是关于《银翼杀手》的问题，这部电影描述的未来是哪一年呢？a）2000年b)2019年c）2059年
I think I’m gonna go for the far future, c) 2056.
我觉得选个最远的好了，C,2056年。
Well I’ll tell you if you’re right or wrong later in the not-too-distant future.
好的，我会在不远的未来告诉你你有没有猜对。
Very good. So, as we were saying: lots of science fiction is negative.
好啊，刚才我们说到，很多关于未来的科幻故事都是消极的。
Yes, there’s a word to describe the kind of future world which often appears in science fiction: dystopian.The noun ’dystopia’ means an imagined place where things are unpleasant or bad. The opposite is utopia and utopian.
是的，有一个词常常用来表述科幻故事中的未来世界：dystopian。这个词dystopian指的是非常糟糕的想象世界，反义词是utopia、utopia，（乌托邦，意指美好的未来世界）。
But why is so much science fiction dystopian? Dr Braden Allenby from Arizona State University.
为什么这么多科幻故事都是反乌托邦呢？来自美国亚利桑那州立大学的Braden Allenby博士为我们带来答案。
【Braden Allenby, Professor of Engineering and Ethics, Arizona State University】The downside of both of science fiction and movies is that they tend to be dystopian, they tend to be very negative, they tend to be very noir. Dystopian is easier to do. It’s easier to write a dystopian story than it is to write an optimistic story.
【Braden Allenby，工程伦理学博士，美国亚利桑那州立大学】科幻小说电影的缺点在于立意的反乌托邦，未来通常是黑暗消极的。写反乌托邦要比写乐观故事的乌托邦容易得多。
He says dystopian stories are easier to write. I can see that – there’s more conflict in a world which has problems – and good stories often have a lot of conflict and problems to resolve.
他说反乌托邦的故事更好写，我认为，在问题世界里冲突矛盾会有很多，而在一个正面故事里需要解决这些冲突和矛盾。
Yes, but Braden thinks being negative is the downside of science fiction. A downside is a disadvantage, a bad point. He would prefer to see more optimistic science fiction.
是的，Braden认为消极的世界是科幻小说的不足之处，这里他用到“downside”。“downside”指的是劣势，缺点。Braden希望可以看到正面积极的科幻小说。
Optimistic, more positive about the future, which is why Braden is taking part in something called Project Hieroglyph.
Braden参加名为“象形文字”的项目中，希望人们保持乐观的态度并且对未来有信心。
It brings together writers, scientists, engineers and artists to create optimistic stories about things which really could happen in the next 50 years.
这个项目汇集了作家、科学家、工程师、艺术家，一起努力创作积极的故事，展现可能发生的五十年内的美好未来。
So let’s talk about the kinds of things are happening in these stories?
那咱们来谈谈这些故事的内容吧？
Well, there’s one about a huge tower 20 km tall – going all the way into space. Apparently, building the tower is good for the US steel industry …and they invent a new kind of energy in the story too.
好的，其中一个是2万米高的巨塔，能够进入空间穿越，很显然，建造这样的塔需要美国钢铁行业的发展，故事里还有关于新能源的故事。
Sounds very interesting – but is it plausible – could it really happen? Could they really build a tower that big?
听起来不错，但这些似是而非的事情真的会发生么？人们真的能建造巨塔么？
Well, there’s another about environmentalists who fight to stop people building the first hotel in Antarctica.
恩，也有故事是关于环保主义者组织人们在南极建造第一家南极酒店的故事。
Environmentalists – people who care about the environment.Well there’s conflict there … and it’s plausible, so it could be a good story.But I can’t help thinking – will these stories actually change anything?
Environmentalists 指的是致力于保护环境的环保主义者。恩，这个故事确实有冲突矛盾，听起来可能发生又不确定，说不定这故事不错。我不禁想问，这些故事真的能改变人们吗?
Ed Finn, who edited a book of these stories, thinks so.He says: "A good science-fiction story can be very powerful". "It can inspire hundreds, thousands, millions of people to rally around something that they want to do."
这些故事的编辑Finn确实这样认为，他说，“积极的科幻故事会力量无穷，”“它能激励成千上万的人们聚集在一起努力。”
To rally around something means to come together in support of a cause.
rally around something这里指的是为了共同的目标事业聚集到一起。
And Braden Allenby says you can already see the influence of science fiction in modern research. Which item is being worked on right now?
Braden Allenby还说，在近代研究中，已经可以看到科幻小说的作用了。哪些科幻小说中出现的事情实现了呢？
【Braden Allenby, Professor of Engineering and Ethics, Arizona State University】"Why are people working on, for example, invisibility cloaks? Well, it’s Harry Potter, right? That’s where they saw it."
【Braden Allenby，工程伦理学博士，美国亚利桑那州立大学】“为什么有人致力于研究隐身斗篷？因为《哈利波特》啊，故事里人们第一次看到它。”
An invisibility cloak – a long coat which makes you invisible, in other words unable to be seen – which people first saw in one of the Harry Potter movies.
隐身斗篷指的是可以隐藏自己不被其他人看到的长大衣，最早出现在《哈利波特》的电影里。
Interesting … so will the stories from Project Hieroglyph inspire people to do and invent new things that can help others? Can they help create a bright future – that’s a good, positive future? Or will they just be good stories?
很有趣啊，那么“象形文字”的故事能不能激励人们发明研究出产品帮助人类呢？他们真的可以帮助建造美好未来么？还是这些积极的故事也仅仅是故事？
Time will tell – that means we’ll find out as time goes by. One thing that we’re going to find out right now is the answer to when the movie Blade Runner was set?
时间会给你答案，让时间来见证吧。现在，来看看关于《银翼杀手》到底设定在哪一年呢？
I said the answer was c) 2056.
我猜的是C 2056年。
And the answer was in fact b) 2019. A little bit earlier, Rob.
正确答案是b 2019年。比你的答案要早一些呢。
Quite soon, then?
离我们没几年了。
Yes, it’s in a couple of years. So, watch out LA. And that’s it for today’s programme. If you want to listen to more programmes like this one, visit bbclearningenglish.com.
是啊，一起期待吧。今天的节目就到这里，如果有意往期节目，可以来网站收听。
Bye.
再会。