Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible (or at least nonsupernatural) content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities. Exploring the consequences of scientific innovations is one purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas”. Continue reading in Culture Landmark 5.
A-F Choose the correct answer & fill in the blanks
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Doctor Who, the loooongest series ever
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called "the Doctor", an extraterrestrial being, to all appearances human. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Accompanied by a number of companions, the Doctor combats a variety of foes while working to save civilisations and help people in need. Read more...
Modern doctors in the series. Image from eonline.com
PART 1
Sci-fi authors and their predictions
Watch the video (beginning to 00:04:24) and answer the questions below. Feel free to activate subtitles if you need them.
Important vocabulary in the video
To do something at a cost of... = it costs ... to do something
To get something wrong = to make a mistake, misunderstand something or make an incorrect prediction
A degree in [biology, math...] = a diploma
By 2025, we will... = before 2025, we will...
No-one can hold a candle to someone = no-one is as good as that person
7. Sci-Fi trivia: Siri, Can you open the pod bay doors please” is a quote [Original: “Open the pod bay doors, please, HAL”] extracted from (1) , and HAL 9000 is the “superior form of ” supposedly used by Arthur C. Clarke in his predictions.
11. Some of his 1964 predictions became true in 2014, other didn’t. Give examples.
NOTE: to express something that was considered the future at some point in the past, use “would”, not “will”. Example: In 1980, people thought we would have flying cars.
a. Robots would still need improvement.
b. People would use (1) , but not (2) .
b. We (3) to drive our car ourselves (4) .
b. A robot (5) the surface of Mars (6) (= mission).
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PART 2
Sci-fi authors and their predictions
Watch the video (00:04:24 to the end) and answer the questions below. Feel free to activate subtitles if you need them.
D. Choose the correct answer. [Level = TRICKY]
PHILIP K. DICK
12. Fill in the transcript
Philip K. Dick is a decidedly more (1) predictor of the future, but he too was often (2) . Maybe it’s not all sunshine and roses out there. Minority (3) Precogs had been related by some to modern efforts to use (4) in the (5) , Total Recall-level memory implantation is nowhere close to being real, but (6) in (7) suggest that (8) to (9) neurolinkage is not complete fiction. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? predicts a world full of (10) engineering and human-like (11) , and in A Scanner Darkly he predicted a level of high-tech (12) government surveillance that I think we wish wasn’t fiction. But I love the NSA, the NSA is my friend...’
The (1) , automatic (2) doors (in 1899), the (3) in scary details and all the radioactive (4) (in 1914) down to the nuclear (5) involved, airborne warfare, (6) , (7) overpowering humans, (8) -materials, genetic (9) . He is called (10) "."
