事业单位公共基础知识英语阅读理解练习

未来教育事业单位公共基础知识英语阅读理解练习阅读理解短文（70篇）Passage2Peoplecanbeaddictedtodifferentthings--e.g.,alcohol,drugs,certainfoods,oreventelevision.Peoplewhohavesuchanaddiction(癖好;瘾)arecompulsive(难以抑制的);i.e.,theyhaveaverypowerfulpsychologicalneedthattheyfeeltheymustsatisfy.Accordingtopsychologists,manypeoplearecompulsivespenders.Theyfeelthattheymustspendmoney.Thiscompulsion,likemostothers,isirrational--impossibletoexplainreasonably.Forcompulsivespenderswhobuyoncredit(赊购),chargeaccounts(赊购帐户)areevenmoreexcitingthanmoney.Inotherwords,compulsivespendersfeelthatwithcredit,theycandoanything.Theirpleasureinspendingenormousamountsisactuallygreaterthanthepleasurethattheygetfromthethingstheybuy.Thereisevenaspecialpsychologyofbargainhunting.Tosavemoney,ofcourse,mostpeoplelookforsales,lowprices,anddiscounts.Compulsivebargainhunters,however,oftenbuythingsthattheydon'tneedjustbecausetheyarecheap.Theywanttobelievethattheyarehelpingtheirbudgets,buttheyarereallyplayinganexcitinggame.Whentheycanbuysomethingforlessthanotherpeople,theyfeelthattheyarewinning.Mostpeople,expertsclaim,havetworeasonsfortheirbehavior:agoodreasonforthethingsthattheydoandtherealreason.Itisnotonlyscientists,ofcourse,whounderstandthepsychologyofspendinghabits,butalsobusinesspeople.Stores,companies,andadvertisersusepsychologytoincreasebusiness:Theyconsiderpeople'sneedsforlove,power,orinfluence,theirbasicvalues,theirbeliefsandopinions,andsoonintheiradvertisingandsalesmethods.Psychologistsoftenuseamethodcalled"behaviortherapy(疗法)"tohelpindividualssolvetheirpersonalityproblems.Inthesameway,theycanhelppeoplewhofeelthattheyhaveproblemswithmoney..Accordingtothepsychologists,acompulsivespenderisonewhospendslargeamountsofmoney .A)andtakesgreatpleasurefromwhatheorshebuysB)inordertosatisfyhisorherbasicneedsinlifeC)justtomeethisorherstrongpsychologicalneedD)entirelywithanirrationaleagerness.Accordingtothewriter,compulsivebargainhuntersareinconstantsearchofthelowestpossibleprices .A)becausetheywanttosavemoneytohelptheirbudgetsB)becausetheycanopenlyboastoftheirtriumphoverothersingettingthingsforlessC)andwillnothavemoneyproblemsiftheycankeeptotheirbudgetsD)buttheyseldomadmittheyfeelsatisfiediftheycangetthingsforlessthanothers3.Whichofthefollowingistrue?A)Allpeoplespendmoneyforexactlythesamereasonthattheyneedtobuythings.B)Businesspeopleandadvertiserscanusethepsychologyofmoneytoincreasesales.C)Businesspeopleunderstandthepsychologyofcompulsivebuyingbetterthanscientistsdo.D)compulsivebargainhuntersdonothaveproblemswithmoney..Thearticleismainlyabout .A)thepsychologyofmoney-spendinghabitsB)thepurchasinghabitsofcompulsivespendersC)aspecialpsychologyofbargainhuntingD)theuseofthepsychologyofspendinghabitsinbusiness.Fromthepassagewemaysafelyconcludethatcompulsivespendersorcompulsivebargainhunters .A)arereallyunreasonableB)needspecialtreatmentC)arereallybeyondremediesD)cannevergetanyhelptosolvetheirproblemswithmoneyPassage4In1838thepolicaleconomistMalthouspredictedthatintimemankindwouldfacestarvation,havingoutgrowntheavailablefoodsupplies.Today,acenturyandahalflater,therearestillexpertswhoforecastthesameglobaldisaster—unlessurgentmeasuresaretakentopreventit.Bytheendofthepresentcenturytheremaywellbeoverfivethousandmillionpeoplelivingonthisglobe,anincreaseofoverfiftypercentoftoday'5figure.Inordertokeeppacewiththisincreaseinmankindthefarmersoftheworldwouldhavetostepuptheirproductionoffoodbyatleasttwopercenteveryyear.Sucharateofincreasehasneverbeenmaintainedinanycountrybyconventionalmethodsofagriculture,despitemodernmechanizationandthewidespreaduseoffertilizer.Therearenolargeworthwhilereservesofpotentialfarmlandremaining,andgoodfertilelandiscontinuallybeingdivertedtoindustrialuse.Moreover,erosionofthesoiltakesaconstanttoll.Intensiveresearch,carriedoutovermanyyearsinallmannersofclimaticconditions,hasproducedarevolutionarymethodofgrowingcropswithoutusinganysoilatall.Hydroponics,asthistechniqueiscalled,maywellbetheanswertoallourfoodworries.Alreadyithasaccomplishedwondersinproducinghugecrops.Hydroponicswasonceacomplicatiedandexpensivebusiness;nowitiswelloutoftheexperimentalstage.Labourcostsarefarlowerthanwhenmethodsofagricultureareemployed.Infact,itisacompletelyautomaticsystem.Thereisnohardmanualwork,nodiggingorploughing,andnoweedingtospeakof.Yieldscanbefarhigherthantheyareinsoil..Whichofthefollowingbestsumsupthewholepassage'?A)Malthus'predictionhasbeenprovedtobecorrectbymodernexperts.B)Hydroponicsmaybetheanswertotheworldfoodshortageinthefuture.C)Hydroponicsisanewdevelopmentinagriculture.D)Conventionalmethodsofagricultureshouldbeimprovedsoastostepupfoodproductionbytwopercenteveryyear..Thephrase"havingoutgrowntheavailablefoodsupplies"inthefirstparagraphimpliesthat .A)theavailablefoodsupplieswillbeenoughtofeedworldpopulationB)theearthistooexhaustedtosupportitsincreasingpopulationC)worldpopulationwillgrowataratefasterthanfoodproductionD)foodsupplieswillbetoomuchavailableforwouldpopulation.3Accordingtotheauthor,whatisthemainreasonwhyanincreaseintheproductionoffoodisnotbeachieved？A)Conventionalmethodsofagriculturearestillprevailingallovertheworld.B)Modernmechanizationandtheuseoffertilizersarenotwellpopularizedintheworld.C)Therearenotenoughpotentialfarmalandreservesleft.D)Landisbeinglostthrougherosionandindustrialization..Whichofthefollwoingstatementsisnottrueofhydroponics?A)Hydroponicsisconsideredarevolutionarymethodofagriculture.B)Hydroponicsisstilltoocomplicatedandexpensiveforpracticaluse.C)Hydroponicshadcreatedwondersinagriculture.D)Hydroponicshadalreadybeenemployedinfoodproduction..Judgingfromthepassage,themostimportantadvantageofhydroponicsshouldbe________.A)higheryield B)lowerlabourcostsC)moreautomation D)lesshardmanualworkPassage6Attentiontodetailissomethingeveryonecanandshoulddo-especiallyinatightjobmarket.BobCrossley,ahuman-resourcesexpertnoticesthisinthejobapplicationsthatcomecrosshisdeskeveryday.amazinghowmanycandidateseliminatethemselves,”hesays.ésumés(简历)arrivewithstains.Somecandidatesdon'tbothertospellthecompany'snamecorrectly.OnceIseeamistake,Ieliminatethecandidate,"Crossleyconcludes."Iftheycannottakecareofthesedetails,whyshouldwetrustthemwithajob?"Canwepaytoomuchattentiontodetails?Absolutely.Perfectionistsstruggleoverlittlethingsatthecostofsomethinglargertheyworktoward."Tokeepfromlosingtheforestforthetrees,"saysCharlesGarfield,associateprofessorattheUniversityofCalifomia,SanFrancisco,wemustconstantlyaskourselveshowthedetailswe'reworkingonfitintothelargerpicture.Iftheydon't,weshoulddropthemandmovetosomethingelse."GarfieldcomparesthisprocesstohisworkasacomputerscientistatNASA."TheApolloIImoonlaunchwasslightlyoff-course90percentofthetime,"saysGarfield."Butasuccessfullandingwasstilllikelybecauseweknewtheexactcoordinatesofourgoal.Thisallowedustomakeadjustmentsasnecessary."Knowingwherewewanttogohelpsusjudgetheimportanceofeverytaskweundertake.Toooftenwebelievewhataccountsforothers'successissomespecialsecretoraluckybreak(机遇).Butrarelyissuccesssomysterious.Againandagain,weseethatbydoinglittlethingswithinourgraspwell,largerewardsfollow..Accordingtothepassage,somejobapplicantswererejected .A)becauseoftheircarelessnessasshownintheirfailuretopresentacleancopyofaresumeB)becauseoftheirinadequateeducationasshownintheirpoorspellinginwritingaresumeC)becausetheyfailedtogiveadetaileddescriptionoftheirbackgroundintheirapplicationsD)becausetheyeliminatedtheirnamesfromtheapplicantslistthemselves.Thewordperfectionists(Line1,para.3)referstothosewho________.A)demandotherstogeteverythingabsolutelyrightB)knowhowtoadjusttheirgoalsaccordingtothecircumstancesC)paytoomuchattentiontodetailsonlytolosetheirmajorobjectivesD)arecapableofachievingperfectresultsinwhatevertheydo.Whichofthefollowingistheauthor'sadvicetothereader?A)Althoughtoomuchattentiontodetailsmaybecostly,theyshouldnotbeoverlooked.B)Don'tforgetdetailswhendrawingpictures.C)Beawareoftheimportanceofataskbeforeundertakingit.D)Carelessapplicantsarenottobetrusted..TheexampleoftheApolloIImoonlaunchisgiventoillustratethat______.A)minormistakescanbeignoredinachievingmajorobjectivesB)failureisthemotherofsuccessC)adjustmentsarethekeytothesuccessfulcompletionofanyworkD)keepingone'sgoalinmindhelpsindecidingwhichdetailscanbeoverlooked5.Thebesttitleforthispassagewouldbe .A)Don'tBeaPerfectionistB)ImportanceofAdjustmentsC)DetailsandMajorObjectivesD)HardWorkPlusGoodLuckPassage7ThenamesofGalen,AndressVesalius,andWilliamfigureprominentlyinthehistoryofstudyofhisownbody.Galen,aGreekwhopracticedmedicineinRomeinthesecondcenturyA.D.,contributedimmeasurablytotheunderstandingofanatomy(解剖学).Hisdissections(解剖)werelimitedtoapes,hovevr,becauseRomanreligiousandphilosophicalattitudesmadeexperimentationonthehumanbodyunthinkable.Evenso,hisreputationwassooutstandingandhisconclusionsweresologicalthathiswritingsonanatomyandphysiologywereacceptedbymedicalmenformorethanathousandyears.Vesalius,acitizenofBelgium,whowenttoParistostudymedicinemadethefirstmajorsuccessfulchallengeoftheteachingsandthetheoriesofGalen.Vesaliusshockedhisprofessorsbyproposingthatknowledgeofhumananatomyshouldbelearnedfromhumanbodies.NoonetookhimseriouslybecausetherewasaFrenchlawprohibitingdissectionofthehunianbody.Vesalius,nevertheless,conductedresearchinsecret.Whenhepublishedhisbookonhumananatomyin1543,medicalscientistscriticizedhimfordaringtoattackthewritingsofGalen.Eighty-fiveyearslater,anEnglishphysiciannamedHarveypuhlishedabookthatdisprovedGalen'stheoryofbloodcirculation.AlthoughHarvey'sexplanationwasnotuniversallyacceptedatthetime,medicalmenoftodaycredithimwithoneofthegreatestadvancesinmedicalhistory.1.ThepassagemakesitclearthatGalen .A)wasregardedbymedicalmenformorethanathousandyearsB)lackedpropertrainingformedicalresearchC)wrotethefirstbookonanatomyD)usedhumanbodiesforhisexperiments.WhichstatementaboutVesaliusismostprobablyfalse?A)Heriskedbeingputintoprisonbydoingresearchonhumanbodies.B)HethoughthecouldgetgoodmedicaltraininginParis.C)Hewasverypopularwithhisprofessors.D)HerecognizedthelimitationsofGalenswork..Inthepassage,theauthordoesnotmentionanythingaboutHarvev's .A)nationality B)medicaltrainingC)fieldofresearch D)profession.Accordingtothepassage,wecanconcludethatGalen .A)taughtandpracticedmedicineinGreeceB)shockedthemedicalmenofhistimewithhisresearchC)madesomeincorrectstatementsaboutthehumanbodyD)refusedtoletRomanreligiousbeliefsinterferewithhisresearch5Thepassageismainlyconcernedwith_______.A)threeimportantcontributorstothescienceofanatomyB)thecirculationofbloodinthehuntanbodyC)thedifferencesbetweenanimalandhumananatomyD)restrictiononanatomicalresearchinmedicalhistorvPassage8TheoldestlivingthingsonEartharetrees.SomeofCalifornia'ssequoias(红杉木)haveforfourthousandyearslookeddownonthechangesinthelandscapeandthecomingsandgoingsofhumans.TheysproutedfromtinyseedsaboutthetimetheEgyptianpyramidswerebeingbuilt.Todaythesegiantpatriarchsseemasremoteandinaccessibleastherocksandmountaincliffson.which.thtygrow,likecathedralcolumnsholdingupthesky.Itishardtoimaginingplayinganypartinthelivesofrnerehumansorbeingin.anywayaffectedbythe.creaturesthatpassattheirfeet.Lessertrees,however,haveplayedanintimateroleinthelivesofpeoplesincetheyfirstappearedon.Earth..Treesfedthefiresthatwarmedhumans,theyprovidedshelter,foodandmedicine,andevenclothing.Theyalsoshapedpeople'sspiritualhorizons.Treesexpressedthegrandeur,andmysteryoflife,astheymovedthroughthecycleofseasons,fromlifetodeath.andbacktolifeagain.Treeswerethelargestlivingthingsaroundhumansandtheyknewthatsometreeshadbeenstandingonthesamespotintheirparents’andgrandparents'time,andwouldcontinuetostandlongaftertheyweregone.Nowonderthesetreesbecamesymbolsofstrength,fruitfulness,andeverlastinglife..PeoplehaveusedtreesfotthefollowinguseEXCEPT .A)Forfurniture B)ForfuelC)Forhousing D)Fornourishmnt.Whichofthefollowingisclosestinmeaningtothephrase"giantpatriarchs"inline4,paragraph1?A)Tinyseeds B)importantleadersC)toweringtrees D)Egyptianpyramids3.Inparagraph2,line2,theword"they"refersto .A)trees B)seasonsC)grandeurand.mystery D)people'sspiritualhorizons4.Thepassagesuggeststhat,comparedwithsequoias,othertreeshave________.A)beeninexistencelongerB)adaptedmoerreadilytotheirenvironrnentsC)beenaffectedmorebyanimalsD)hadacloserrelationshipwithpeople5.Whatisthepassagemainlyabout.?A)Treesgrowtogreatheights.B)Treeshavebeenimportanttopeoplethroughouthistory.C)Treesmakehumansseemsuperior.D)TreesthatgrowinCaliforniaareveryold..Passage9Mostlibrariesnowtakeadvantageofmicrofilmtostorenewspapersandothermaterialsthatwouldotherwisetakeupacresofvaluableshelfspace.Ifyouaren'tacquaintedwiththestuff,iftheprojectorinthereferenceroomhaslookedlikeanintimidatingmystery,youshouldgettoknowit,formarvelousresearchopportunitiesareavailabletoyouifyoudo.If,forinstance,youarewritingapaperonWorldWarII,wouldn'titbegreattoseethefrontpageofanewspaperforDecember8,1941,thedaytheU.S.Congressdeclaredwar?Ortoquotefromaneditorialpublishedonthatfatefulday?Microfilmissmallphotographicfilmthatcontainstheimagesofprintedpagesinreducedform.Awholeweek'sfileofdailynewspaperscanbepreservedonastripofmicrofilmtwoincheswideandsevenoreightfeetlong.Woundintoarollandstashedinasmall,labeledbox,themicrofilmcanbestoredinafewsquareinchesofspace.Microfilmsavesbooksthatotherwise'mightbelost:itcrumblesmoreslowlythanpaperdoes.Italsopermitsthepublicationofmonographsanddissertations(学位论文),whichhavesmallaudiences,forlesscostthanprinting.Completefilesofhistoricallyimportantmagazinesthatarenowpracticallyimpossibletoobtainarecurrentlyattheserviceofasmalllibrary.Inmanyreferencerooms,filesoftheNewYorkTimesandotherfrequentlyconsultednewspapersandperiodicalssitinmicrofilmboxesnexttoaviewingprojector.Themachinebearsinstructions,butifyouneedhelpgettingthethingtowork,askalibrarian.Onceyouhavethefilmonthemachine,youcrank(启动)tillyoucometotheverypageyouarelookingfor.Someprojectionmachineswillprintoutaphotocopyofanypage..Whichofthefollowingisnottheadvantageofmicrofilmmentainedinthepassage?A)Itcostslessthanprinting.B)Itdecaysmoreslowlythanpaper.C)Itismoreconvenientthanbooks.D)Ittakesuplessspacethanbooks.ThepurposeofcitingNewYorkTimesasanexampleis .A)toincreaseitspopularity.B)toadvisereaderstomakeuseofit.C)toprovideanexampleoffrequentlyconsultednewspaper.D)toasktheusertophotocopyitIfyouhavedifficultyinrunningtheprojector,whatshouldyoudo?A)consultotherpublicationinstead.B)putthefilmonthemachine.C)readtheinstructions.D)turntoalibrarian..Theword"fateful"inthefirstparagraphmeans .A)critical B)dead C)fatal D)urgent5.Thepassagedealsmainlywith______.A)modernfacilitiesinthelibraryB)microfilminthelibraryC)sourcesofinformationD)printingmaterialspreservedonmicrofilmPassage10Insciencethemeaningoftheword"explain"sufferswithcivilization'severystepinsearchofreality.Sciencecannotreallyexplainelectricity,magnetism,andgravitation;theireffectscanbemeasuredandpredicted,butoftheirnaturenomoreisknowntothemodernscientistthantoThaleswhofirstspeculated(设想)ontheelectrificationofamber(琥珀).Mostcontemporaryphysicistsrejectthenotionthatmancaneverdiscoverwhatthesemysteriousforces"really"are."Electricity",BertrandRussellsays,snotathing,likeSt.Paul'sCathedral;itisawayinwhichthingsbehave.Whenwehavetoldhowthingsbehavewhentheyareelectrified,andunderwhatcircumstancestheyareelectrified,wehavetoldallthereistotell.”Untilrecentlyscientistswouldhavedisapprovedofsuchanidea.Aristotle,forexample,whosenaturalsciencedominatedWesternthoughtfortwothousandyears,believedthatmancouldarriveatanunderstandingofrealitybyreasoningfromself-evidentprinciples.Hefelt,forexample,thatitisaself-evidentprinciplethateverythingintheuniversehasitsproperplace,henceonecandeducethatobjectsfalltothegroundbecausethat'swheretheybelong,andsmokegoesupbecausethat'swhereitbelongs.ThegoalofAristoteliansciencewastoexplainwhythingshappen.ModernsciencewasbornwhenGalileobegantryingtoexplainhowthingshappenandthusoriginatedthemethodofcontrolledexperimentwhichnowformsthebasisofscientificinvestigation..Thepurposeofthecontrolledexperimentis .A)toexplainwhythingshappenB)toexplainhowthingshappenC)toformsthebasisofscientificinvestigationD)toproveacceptedtheories.Fortwothousandyears,scientificthoughtwasmostinfluencedby .A)self-evidentprinciples.B)Thales'speculations.C)Aristotle'snaturalscience.D)Russell'stheoryonelectricity.WhichofthefollowingistrueofBertrandRussell'snotionaboutelectricity?A)ItisdisapprovedofbymostmodernscientistsB)ItisinagreementwitbAristotle'stheoryofself-evidentprinciplesC)ItisdisagreedbyGalileo'theoryD)Itissupportedbyscientificinvestigationsdirectedtoward"how"thingshappen.Accordingtothepassagethatuntilrecentlyscientistsdisagreedwiththeideathat_________.A)mancan'tdiscoverwhatforces"really"areB)therearemysteriousforcesintheuniverseC)thereareself-evidentprinciples?D)wecandiscoverwhythingsbehaveastheydo.Aristotlebelievedthefactthatobjectsfalltotheground .A)isaresultofreasoningB)couldbeexplainedfromself-evidentprinciplesC)isaninstanceofself-evidentprincipleD)couldbetestedbyexperiencePassage12Everysocietyisadynamicsystem,whichmightbechangedbyinternalorexternalfactors,orboth.Whentwodifferentculturesareconfrontedwitheachother,theremaycauseamuchdeeperdisruption(破坏)thanaclashbetweenthetwosocieties.Forinstance,atribalwarinMricaisnotverylikelytodestroyoneofthetwocultures.Butbymodernization,oneculturewasimposeduponanother,andthisoftenresultedinthelattergivingtheworstoftwoworlds.Oncethedamageisdone,itisdifficulttoimaginehowitcanbeundone.Therealityoftodayisthatveryfewculturesareunaffected.Itisarealitywehavetorecogrioe,sothatwecanstartbuildingupfromthereinsteadoftryingtoturnbacktheclock,orto"freeze"thingsastheyare.ConnectingtheWest,acleardistinctionmustbemadebetweenwesterncultureandthefreemarketsystem.Bothareobviousbyconnected,buttheyarenotoneandthesame.Infact,thefreemarketsystemsetsinmotionaseriesofchangesthatareescapingmoreandmorecontrolsfromnationalgovernments.Thefreemarkethasitsowndynamic.Forinstance,ifaheavyfinancialcrashoccurs,thereislittleroomforgovernmentstointervene(干涉).Theongoingglobalizationofnationaleconomiesmakesitmoreandmoredifficulttobeanislandinthisglobalstream.Evenwesterngovernmentscanonlywitnesshowoldvaluesarelost,withoutbeingreplacedbyclear-cutnewones.Thingsarenotonlychanging,itistherateofchangethatisincreasing,andinthesecircumstances,culturalenclaves(飞地)willbecomefewerandsmaller.Globaltrade,massmedia,cheaptransport,andinformationexplosion:howcananythingoranybodyresistthese?Intheforcesthatarereshapingtheworld,therewillalwaysbeawesterncomponent,butbasicallyweareallsubjectedtothefreemarketsystemwithitsglobalizedtradeandcommunication.Maybehereliesanopportunityforthosewhoarenotyetcapturedbyit,toexplorethepossibilitiesofusinggoodelementstotheiradvantage,andprotecttheirsocietiesagainstthenegativeaspectsofit..Accordingtothepassage,tribalwarinAferica .A)willprobablydestroytheculturesthereB)willdomoredamagetotheirculturesthantothetribesC)isaveryseriousconflictD)maydestroyoneoftheculturesofthetwotribes.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?A)Astrongcultureisabletoresisteitherinternalorexternalforce.B)Inafreemarketsystem,governmentshavefewercontrolsovertheeconomicactivity.C)Undercertaincircumstances,acountryisanislandintheglobalstream.D)Informationexplosionisathreattoeveryone..InParagraph3,"heavyfinancialcrash"means .A)governmentcorruptionB)governmentinterferenceC)violentconflicbetweentwocountriesD)seriouseconomiccrisis.Accordingtothefourthparagraph,whichofthefollowinggoesrapidly?A)Thedevelopmentofeconomy.B)Thechangeofthings.C)Thechangeofcultures.D)Thestepofglobalization..Theattitudetowardtheongoingglobalizationofnationaleconomiesmightbebestdescribedas .A)objective B)positive C)critical D)suspiciousPassage13Theearlyscientificstudyofchemistry,knownasalchemy,grewupinthefirstfewcenturiesA.D.atAlexandriainEgypt.Theretwoimportantthingscametogether:onewasthepracticalknowledgeoftheEgyptianworkersinmetals,potteryanddyes;theotherwasthelearningoftheearlierGreekphilosophers,suchasHippocratesandAristotle.AtthesametimealchemywasmuchinfluencedbyideasfromtheEastaboutmagicandastrology(占星术)—foretellingthefuturefromstars.Greekphilosophersregardeddebateaboutthenatureofmatterassuperiortoexperimentandsomeheldthatallmatterwasmadeupofthesamefourelements"—earth,fire,airandwater.Manypeoplethereforethoughtthatiftheseelementscouldberearranged,onesubstancecouldhechangedintoanother.Forinstance,abasemetalcouldperhapsbeturnedintogold.Thechiefaimofthealchemistswastofindawayofdoingthis.AlchemycameunderArabinfluencewhenthearmiesofIslamconquerredEgyptduringtheseventhcentury.TheArabscarrieditsstudyintoWesternEuropewhentheyadvanecintoSpain.ThegreatestArabalchemistwasJabiribnHayyan,possiblythesamepersonasGeber,authoroftwoimportantbooksonalchemyknownfromtheLatintranslationsofthethirteenthcentury.Jabirclaimedthatmercury(水银)andsulphur(硫磺)werelements”likethefourGreekones.Hesiadthatallmetalswerecomposedofmercuryandsulphurindifferentproportions.Tochangeabasemetalintogoldrequiredtheproportionstohechangedbytheactionofamysterioussubstancewhichcametobecalledphilosopher'sstoneAlchemistssearchedinvainforthissubstanceforseveralhundredyears.AlchemywasstudiedwidelyinEuropeduringthetwelfthandfollowingcenturies.andattractedtheattentionofmanylearnedmen.Thoughtheyweredoomedtofailintheirattemptstomakegold,theirworkledtothegrowthofagreatdealofnewchemicalknowledgeandofmethodsofmakingexperiments.Bythefirsthalfof