Unit 13 Mr. Imagination

What do you know about Jules Verne? Why does the author call him Mr. Imagination?

Jules Verne’s works

The father of science fiction ---he was “years ahead of the other visualizers of things to come ---the most prolific science fiction writer, having put out more than 100 books in his lifetime ---he wrote about the marvels of tomorrow with such precise, indisputable details that he inspires the later scientists

Is there any interesting point about Jules Verne Is there any interesting point about Jules Verne? What do you think is it? ( what is so unique about this writer? Was it a mere accident that Verne became the father of science fiction? What is the secret of his success?

Para 1-5 the writer vs the man One was _________, the other a _______. One was _____________________, the other __________________________. One ______________________, the other _________________________. ----contrast

An interesting point What did his books show? ---he must have traveled all over the world to know much about world geography ---he must have been experienced in hunting and fishing to be so familiar with the two sports ---he must have been a scientist-turned man of letters to have so much scientific knowledge

What kind of man is Jules Verne in real life? ---a stay-at-home who has spent less than one of his 77 years jij, and has never caught a fish or animal

The secret of Verne’s success He was born on an island at a time when the new railroads and steamers brought back hides, spices, all kinds of curiosities, as well as fascinating stories of far-away places The influence of Alexandre Dumas Persistent readings

Science fiction has the powerful effect on the imagination of human beings, especially when they are young. Einstein once said that he was no different from other children when he was young. The only difference was that he remained serious about his dreams when he grew up.

Einstein says: “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, but some scholars say “ Knowledge is more important than imagination”. What do you think of these two views?

Language points Year in, year out Day in, day out for many days/weeks Week in, week out continuously over a long period time

He had been wearing the same old suit, day in, day out, for 5 years.

Be crowded with : ---(of space or time) to be too full of The office was crowded with people applying for a visa. You’ve crowded your day with too many activities. My mind was crowded with fragrant memories as I wrote these lines.

Have sth/sb doing sth I had them all laughing at my jokes. In a few years, they had their land producing good crops of corn and wheat.

Take sb/sth seriously The town didn’t take the flood warning seriously, and consequently suffered heavy casualties. He was an earnest person who took life seriously.

Matter-of-fact (about sth) ---not showing feelings or emotions, esp. in a situation when emotion would be expected He sounded matter-of-fact and unemotional. They spoke in a very matter-of-fact way about their heroic deeds.

Be descended from sb/sth She claims to be descended from Confucius. Humans are descended from ape-like creatures.

Keep sth alive --- to keep sth in existence or continuing The media kept public interest in the scandal alive. Keep your dream alive in spite of the difficulties.

connection ---a train, bus, etc onto which one changes from another in the course of a journey As the local train was late, I missed the connection to London.

Time/money to spare ---time/money left over They arrived at the railway station with 10 minutes to spare. After paying the rent and utility bills(公用事业费用) , the family has enough money to spare.

Credit sb with ---to believe or admit that sb has done sth good She credits her success to her parents’ support. The patient credits his recovery to herb medicine.

No such…as There’s no such thing as ghosts. There’s no such thing as a job for life. Americans believe there’s no such thing as friendship between countries. It is the national interests that combine or divide nations.

Claim sb/sth as sth ---to state that sth is true even though it has not been proved They claim their company as the largest in the country. Both countries claim the islands as theirs.