不能告诉我们，这不是它的任务，也超出了它的能力。

    但有一点可以确定：从长远的时间尺度来看，在这无数可能的未来中，不管地球达到了怎样的繁荣，那些没有太空航行的未来都是暗淡的。

    我期待有那么一天，像那些曾经描写过信息时代的科幻小说一样，描写太空航行的科幻小说也变的平淡无奇了，那时的火星和小行星带都是乏味的地方，有无数的人在那里谋生；木星和它众多的卫星已成为旅游胜地，阻止人们去那里的唯一障碍就是昂贵的价格。

    但即使在这个时候，宇宙仍是一个大的无法想象的存在，距我们最近的恒星仍然遥不可及。浩瀚的星空永远能够承载我们无穷的想象力。

    谢谢大家。

    ladiesandgentlemen,

    goodevening!

    it’smygreathonortoreceivetheclarkeawardforimaginationinservicetosociety.thankyou.

    thisawardisarewardforimagination,acapabilitythatshouldhavebeenexclusivetogodbutwe,ashumanbeings,luckilyhave.anbrhemeaningoftheexistenceofimaginationisfarbeyondourimagination.ahistorianusebrosaythatthemainreasonwhyhumanbeingshavebeenabletosurpassotherspeciesonearthandbuildcivilizationsisthatweareabletocreatesomethinginourheadsthatdoesnotexistinreality.inthefuture,whenartificialintelligencebecomessmarterthanus,imaginationmaybetheonlyadvantagewehaveoverai.

    sciencefictionisaliterarygenrebasedonimagination.anbrhefirstsci-fiworkstheimpressedmewerethosebyarthurc.clarke.togetherwithjulesverneandgeorgewells,arthurclarkewasamongthefirstwesternmodernsci-fiwriterstoenterchina.intheearly1980s,thetwonovels2001:aspaceodysseyandrendezvouswithramawerepublishedinmycountry.atthattime,theculturalrevolutionjustcametoanend.whiletheoldlifeandfaithhadcollapsed,thenewoneshadnotyetbeenestablished.likeotheryoungpeople,ifeltlostduringthatperiod.thesetwobooks,forthefirsttime,however,broughtmyimaginationtolife.mymindopeneduplikeneverbefore.ifeltlikeanarrowstreamfinallyembracingthesea.atmidnightwhenifinishedreading2001:aspaceodyssey,iwalkedoutofthehouseandstaredatthestarrysky.iwasabletoseethegalaxy,thankstotheunpollutedskyofchinabackthen.thatnight,inmyeyes,thestarryskylookednothinglikebefore.forthefirsttimeinmylife,iwasawedbythemagnitudeandmysteryofouruniverse.thatfeelingwasreligious.lateron,rendezvouswithramastunnedmebyshowinghowimaginationcouldbuildalifelik