文章背景介绍

● Author

Stephen Leacock (1869–1944)

An English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist. In the early part of the 20th century he was the best-known humorist in the English-speaking world. He is known for his light humor along with criticisms of people's follies. The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humor was named in his honor.

• born in England in 1869.

• emigrated to Canada in 1876 with his family.

• studied modern and classical languages and earned his bachelor’s degree in the University of Toronto in 1891.

• started graduate studies at the university of Chicago in 1899.

• received a doctorate in political science and political economy, in 1903 and went back to Canada to teach at the McGill University.

• died in 1944 in Canada.

Stephen Leacock published over 40 books, more than half of which were on serious political matters but have mostly been forgotten.

Known as the best humorist in the English-speaking world in the early 20th century for his works of humor, Leacock was a social conservative. He opposed giving women the right to vote, disliked non-Anglo-Saxon immigration and supported the introduction of social welfare legislation.

He was a staunch champion of the British Empire and went on lecture tours to further the cause.

The story in the text was originally entitled The Man in Asbestos — An Allegory of the Future and was first published in a collection of short stories entitled Nonsense Novels in 1911.

● Fiction

Literary Lapses (1910)

Nonsense Novels (1911)

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912)

Behind the Beyond (1913)

Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich (1914)

Biography

Mark Twain (1932)

Charles Dickens: His Life and Work (1933)

Autobiography

The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946)

● Future World

1. Human influence

The consequences of a persistent biotic crisis have been predicted to last for at least five million years. It could result in a decline in biodiversity and homogenization of biota, accompanied by a proliferation of species that are opportunistic, such as pests and weeds. Novel species may also emerge; in particular taxa that prosper in human-dominated ecosystems may rapidly diversify into many new species.

Microbes are likely to benefit from the increase in nutrient-enriched environmental niches. However, no new species of existing large vertebrates are likely to arise and food chains will probably be shortened.

2. Random events

The energy released from the impact of an asteroid or comet with a diameter of 5–10 km or larger is sufficient to create a global environmental disaster and cause a statistically significant increase in the number of species extinctions. Among the deleterious effects resulting from a major impact event is a cloud of fine dust ejecta blanketing the planet, which lowers land temperatures by about 15 °C within a week and halts photosynthesis for several months.

The mean time between major impacts is estimated to be at least 100 million years. During the last 540 million years, simulations demonstrated that such an impact rate is sufficient to cause 5–6 mass extinctions and 20–30 lower severity events. This matches the geologic record of significant extinctions during the Phanerozoic Eon. Such events can be expected to continue into the future.

●Development of Technology

The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power and the development of machine tools. It also included the change from wood and other bio-fuels to coal.

It began in Great Britain and within a few decades had spread to Western Europe and the United States.

The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. In particular, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. For the first time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth.

The Second Industrial Revolution gradually grew to include the chemical industries, petroleum refining and distribution, electrical industries, and, in the 20th century, the automotive industries, and was marked by a transition of technological leadership from Britain to the United States and Germany.

By the 1890s, industrialization in these areas had created the first giant industrial corporations with burgeoning global interests, as companies like US Steel, General Electric, Standard Oil and Bayer AG joined the railroad companies on the world's stock markets.

Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement (resulting in asbestos cement) or woven into fabric or mats.

● Broadway

Broadway is a road in the U.S. state of New York. Perhaps best known for the boulevard portion that runs through the borough of Manhattan in New York City, it actually runs 21km through Manhattan and 3.2km through the Bronx, exiting north from the city to run an additional 29km through the municipalities of Yonkers, Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown and terminating north of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County.

It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in New York City, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement. The name Broadway is the English literal translation of the Dutch name, Breede weg. Broadway is known worldwide as the heart of the American theatre industry.

Broadway was originally the Wickquasgeck Trail, carved into the brush of Manhattan by its Native American inhabitants. This trail originally snaked through swamps and rocks along the length of Manhattan Island.

In the 18th century, Broadway ended at the town commons north of Wall Street, where traffic continued up the East Side of the island via Eastern Post Road and the West Side via Bloomingdale Road.

The western Bloomingdale Road would be widened and paved during the 19th century, and called "The Boulevard" north of Columbus Circle. On February 14, 1899. the name "Broadway" was extended to the entire Broadway Boulevard road.