Flying through space

I have been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation over the last several weeks. This is a show I loved very much as a child, but over the years my memory faded. Before I chose to watch the show again, my memories were only vignettes of episodes I loved very much. Now, I have a more complete idea of what those images were, and an understanding of what the creator, Gene Roddenberry, wanted to to tell us in the seven years that the show was made.

Roddenberry's idea of the future of Earth is a utopia. In the future, there will be no poverty, no hunger, and no war on Earth. All of the world's countries will be united into a single stable government. People will think of others before themselves, and use their intelligence and craftsmanship to improve our planet and our way of life. There will be no need for money on our planet. Work will be done to better ourselves and the lives of those around us.

In the future, we will travel through our galaxy, exploring the wonders of space. We might meet new races and share our cultures to form new bonds. We can continue our exploration with them as a unified group. We will watch new societies evolve. We will cure diseases that threaten entire populations. We will enjoy the music and art and food of a multitude of different peoples. We will learn more about what it means to be human through the eyes of pointy-eared comrades and yellow-eyed androids than we could ever learn alone.

I think the future will be a wonderful place.


Vocabulary:

faded - to lose color or clarity (past tense)
vignette - a brief image or scene that fades
utopia - a place where society and government have achieved a state of perfection
unite - to form one whole thing from many smaller things
crafsmanship - showing advanced ability to create things by hand
unified - to come together into a whole (past tense)
evolve - a change that occurs over time, specifically to living things
comrades - close friends or associates
androids - a mobile robot with human form


Activity:

I believe Earth will become a ________, free of war and human suffering.

Scientists believe that all life will ________ into more advanced forms.

C3PO is a famous ________, a human-like robot, from Star Wars.

I saw a dozen small ________ in an art museum, some of which became larger and more elaborate paintings.

None of us could move the heavy boulder alone, but when we became a ________ force, we could move it together.

My jeans ________ in the washing machine.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has many pieces showing incredible ________ from ancient cultures.

My ________ and I were in the Army together, and now share a special bond of friendship.

I believe that in the future all cultures will ________ and we will experience everlasting peace.


Grammar Point

Talking about the future is easy! Using the word "will" before a verb indicates that the action will happen in the future, and is one way to express simple future tense.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

Want to watch Star Trek? You can, free, on the internet!

http://www.startrekstreaming.info/