2021年大学英语四级考试阅读理解模拟题及答案

2021年大学英语四级考试阅读理解模拟题及答案

1.动物世界

Naturally,magroupofanimalsasdiverseasthesnakes,

andwithsomanyvariedenemies,therearenumerousdefensive

reactionsanddevices.Thereis.however,onegeneralpattern

ofbehavior.Inthepresenceofsuspectedenemythefirst

reactionistotrytoescapeobservation;ifthisfails,the

nextresortistheflightcosomeinaccessibleretreat,butif

thisisnotpossible,oriscircumvented.variouskindsof

intimidatorygesturesandwarningdevicesarebrought

intoplay;inthelastresortthesnakeattacks.This

patternvaneswiththecircumstances:somestagesmaybe

omittedorcombinedunpredictablywhilstallsomenotoriously

irasciblespeciesmaydispensewithallthepreliminariesand

attackalmostatonce,thoughseldomorneverwithoutsome

provocation.

Amongstthefactorsthatincreaseaggressivenessare

hunger,thematingseasonandsurprise,withthelastmentioned

thecommonest;whenhuntingforfoodorformate,activityand

theaggressiveinstinctarebothattheirpeak.Owingtotheir

poorsenseofhearingsnakesareveryliabletobe,quite

literally,caughtnappingandasimilarsituationarisesduring

theirperiodsoftemporaryblindnessjustbeforesloughing(蜕

皮)begins.Byfarthegreatestnumberofsnake-bitaccidents

resultfromtheunwittingdisturbanceofrestingsnakes,and

thishazardismuchincreasedwithspeciesthatarewell

disguisedandwhosenaturalinstinctistotrusttothis

concealmentastheirprincipaldefense.Aswellasdifferences

inaggressivenessbetweenindividualsofthesamespecies

accordingtothecircumstancesandconditions,therearealso

notabledifferencesbetweenspecies,evencloselyallied

species;andthereportsofthosewhohavebeenattackedmay

understandablybelackinginobjectivity.Soitisimpossible

toforecast,eveninoutline,howanyencounterwilldevelop.

TheHamadryad,forexample,isusuallycreditedwithbeing

amongstthemostaggressiveofsnakes.andtherearemany

accountsofunprovokedattacks,yetononeoccasionfourteenmen

andsevendogspassedandreturnedwithintwoyardsfromanest

andnosnakewasseenalthoughthefemale,whichguardsthenest,

couldnothavebeenfaraway.

1.Whenasnakemeetsapotentialenemy,itsprimarydevice

is.

A)avoidinganyobservation

B)Findingasafeshelter

C)givingawarningthreat

D)startingaquickattack

2.Theunderlinedphrase"dispensewithallthe

preliminaries"inParagraphImostprobably

means.

A)thesnakescombineallthepreviousthreesteps

B)thesnakesgiveupallthepreviousthreesteps

C)chesnakesfollowallthepreviousstepsonebyone

D)thesnakesreversetheorderofalltheprevioussteps

3.Asnakeismostaggressivewhen.

A)itmeetsapossibleenemy

B)itiscaughtwhenitissleepingorsloughing

C)itisdisturbedunknowingly

D)itseeksapartnerinchematingseason

4.Itisdifficulttopredictwhatwouldhappenwhenasnake

meetsamanbecause.

A)noonebaseverclearlyknownhowhehimselfwasbit

B)mantendstobesubjectivewhenhedescribeshis

encounterwithasnake

C)theaggressivenessofthesnakesdiffersaccordingto

diversesituations

D)asnakedoesnotbegincoattackwithoutprovocation

B）蛇会放弃所有之前的三个步骤

C）蛇会依据之前的步骤一步一步进行

D）蛇会保留所有之前步骤的顺序

[B]首段最后一句中dispensewith的前面提到过somestages

maybeomittedorcombined,而下文提到attackalmostatonce,

这税明dispensewith应表示有些蛇不做前几个步骤，而立刻展开进

攻，因此它的意思应等同于omit“免除，省略”，也即选项B中的give

upo其他选项语法上都说得通，但是与下文的attackalmostatcnce

不一致，因此都不是正确答案。

3.蛇最有攻击性的时候是o

A）遇到了可能是敌人的动物

B）在睡觉或蜕皮的时候给提住

C）在其没有防备的情况下受到干扰

D）在交配季节求偶的时候

[D]第2段首句中第2个分句的mate一词与选项D同义，因此选

项D为本题答案。其他选项都在文中提到过，也是蛇会对敌人实施还

击的情况，但是这三个干扰项和正确选项之间的区别就在于，文中没

有提到在这些情况下“Asnakeismostaggressive（蛇最具有攻击

性）”，因此本题要紧扣第2段首句和其中的peak这个单词。

4.很难预测当蛇遇到人的时候会发生什么事情，因为o

A）从来就没有人知道是怎么被蛇攻击的

B）在形容与蛇遭遇的情形时，人们总是主观性较强

C）在不同的情况下蛇的攻击性程度都不一样

D）没有遭到挑衅的话，蛇是不会攻击人的

[C]第2段最后两句由So连接，显示倒数第2句是原因，最后一

句是结果。选项C是对倒数第2句的概括，为本题答案。选项A和选

项D与题干之间没什么关联，易排除；选项B虽然与该段倒数第2句

的后一个分句意思相符，但它只是作为附加信息以说明蛇的个体行为

差异很大，故也可排除。

5.在最后一个段落中，作者使用了例子来支持他的观点：

A）如果不受干扰的话，蛇是不会率先发起攻击行为的。

B）一些蛇更具攻击性，也更趋向随时进行攻击。

C）很难预测蛇是否会做出攻击，会怎洋做出攻击。

D）蛇主要的防卫方式就是隐藏自己。

[C]第3段开头就有forexample这个标志性的词组，表明这一

句是为了支持上文的例子。结合第2段末句可知，第3段是为了证明

其不可预测性的，故C正确。

2.读冲刺练习

Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas“Theapplicationofall

sciencestothestudyofthesea”.

Beforethenineteencentury,scientistswithaninterest

intheseawerefevzandfarbetween.CertainlyNewtonconsidered

sometheoreticalaspectsofitinhiswritings,buthewas

reluctanttogotoseatofurtherhiswork.

Formostpeopletheseawasremote,andwiththeexception

ofearlyintercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearneda

livingfromthesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmany

questionsaboutit,letalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththe

surface.Thefirsttimethatquestion“Whatisatthebottom

oftheoceans?”hadtobeansweredwithanycommercial

consequencewaswhenthelayingofatelegraphcablefromEurope

toAmericawasproposed.Thehadtoknowthedepthprofile（起

伏形状）oftheroutetoestimatethelengthofcablethathad

tobemanufactured,mote,andwiththeexceptionofearly

intercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearnedalivingfrom

thesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmanyquestionsabout

it,letalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththesurface.Thefirsttime

thatquestion“Whatisatthebottomoftheoceans?”hadto

beansweredwithanycommercialconsequencewaswhenthelaying

ofatelegraphcablefromEuropetoAmericawasproposed.The

engineershadtoknowthedepthprofile（起伏形状）oftheroute

toestimatethelengthofcablethathadtobemanufactured.

ItwastoMauryoftheUSNavythattheAtlanticTelegraph

Companyturned,in1853,forinformationonthismatter.Inthe

1840s,Mauryhadbeenresponsibleforencouragingvoyages

duringwhichsoundings（测身）weretakentoinvestigatethe

depthsoftheNorthAtlanticandPacificOceans.Later,some

ofhisfindingsarousedmuchpopularinterestinhisbookThe

PhysicalGeographyoftheSea.

Thecablewaslaid,butnotuntil1866wastheconnection

madepermanentandreliable.Attheearlyattempts,thecable

failedandwhenitwastakenoutforrepairsitwasfoundto

becoveredinlivinggrowths,afactwhichdefiedcontemporary

scientificopinionthattherewasnolifeinthedeeperparts

ofthesea.

Withinafewyearsoceanographywasunderway.Tn1872

Thomsonledascientificexpedition（考察），whichlastedfor

fouryearsandbroughthomethousandsofsamplesfromthesea.

Theirclassificationandanalysisoccupiedscientistsfor

yearsandledtoafive-volumereport,thelastvolumebeing

publishedin1895.

练习题：

Choosecorrectanswerstothequestion:

1.ThoproposaltolayatelegraphcablefromEuropeto

Americamadeoceanographicstudiestakeon.

A.anacademicaspect

B.amilitaryaspect

C.abusinessaspect

D.aninternationalaspect

2.ItwasthataskedMauryforhelpinoceanographic

studies.

A.theAmericanNavy

B.someearlyintercontinentaltravelers

C.thosewhoearnedalivingfromthesea

D.thecompanywhichproposedtolayanunderseacable

3.TheaimofthevoyagesMaurywasresponsibleforinthe

1840swas.

A.tomakesomesoundingexperimentsintheoceans

B.tocollectsamplesofseaplantsandanimals

C.toestimatethelengthofcablethatwasneeded

D.tomeasurethedepthsofthetwooceans

4.“Defied“inthe5thparagraphprobablymeans"______

A.doubted

B.gaveproofto

C.challenged

D.agreedto

5.Thispassageismainlyabout.

A.thebeginningsofoceanography

B.thelayingofthefirstunderseacable

C.theinvestigationofoceandepths

D.theearlyintercontinentalcommunications

答案：

1.[C]事实判断题。文章第3段第2句提到，这个问题的解答是

具有商业结果的。C中的business为原文中commercial同义改写，

故选Co

2.[D]细节题。文章第4段首句为一个强调句，强调的是宾语。

题干也是一个强调句型，但强调的是主语。如果把原文的强调句型改

为一般的句型，就知道向Maury寻求帮助的是theAtlantic

TelegraphCompany.故答案为D。A是Maury的工作单位，可以排除;

原文只提到对于一些早期的穿越洲际的旅行家和依靠海洋维持生计

的人，海洋并不遥远，故B、C与题意不符。

3.[D]事实判断题。文章第4段提到，19世纪40年代，Maury

负责推动进行测深工作的海上航行，以此来探测北大西洋与太平洋的

深度.故选D。

4.[C]词义推断题。当时的科学观点是海洋较深的地方不存在生

命，而事实上在电缆表面发现了活的生物.由此可知这一事实对当时

的科学观点提出质疑，故答案为C。

5.[A]主旨题。通读全文可知，oceanography（海洋学）是全文的

中心词，本文主要讲述海洋学是如何起步的，故答案为A。B、C只

表述了原文中个别细节，并非主题;D跟全文无关。

3.阅读理解：网络商业

InthefirstyearorsoofWebbusiness,mostoftheaction

hasrevolvedaroundeffortstoLaptheconsumermarket.More

recently,astheWebprovedtobemorethanafashion,companies

havestartedtobuyandsellproductsandserviceswith

oneanother.Suchbusiness-to-businesssalesmakesensebecause

businesspeopletypicallyknowwhatproductthey7relooking

for.

Nonetheless,manycompaniesstillhesitatetousetheWeb

becauseofdoubtsaboutitsreliability.''Businessesneedto

feeltheycantrustthepathwaybetweenthemandthesupplier,z，

sayssenioranalystBlaneErwinofForresterResearch.Some

companiesarelimitingtheriskbyconductingonline

transactionsonlywithestablishedbusinesspartnerswho

aregivenaccesstothecompany'sprivateintranet.

AnothermajorshiftinthemodelforInternetcommerce

concernsthetechnologyavailableformarketing.Untilrecently,

Internetmarketingactivitieshavefocusedonstrategiesto

〃pull〃customersintosites.Inthepastyear,however,

softwarecompanieshavedevelopedtoolschatallowcompaniesto

"push"informationdirectlyouttoconsumers,transmitting

marketingmessagesdirectlytotargetedcustomers,Mostnotably,

thePointcastNetworkusesascreensavertodelivera

continuallyupdatedstreamofnewsandadvertisementsto

subscribers，computermonitors.Subscriberscancustomizethe

informationtheywanttoreceiveandproceeddirectlytoa

company'sWebsite.CompaniessuchasVirtualVineyardsare

alreadystartingtousesimilartechnclogiestopushmessages

tocustomersaboutspecialsales,productoffering,orother

events.ButpushtechnologyhasearnedthecontemptofmanyWeb

users.Onlineculturethinkshighlyofthenotionthatthe

informationflowingontothescreencomestherebyspecific

request.Oncecommercialpromotionbeginstofillthescreen

uninvited,thedistinctionbetweentheWebandtelevisionfades.

Thar'saprospectthathorrifiesNetpurists.

ButitishardlyinevitablethatcompaniesontheWebwill

needtoresorttopushstrategiestoirakemoney,Theexamples

ofVirtualVineyards,Amazon,comandotherpioneersshowthat

aWebsitesellingtheright,kindofproductswiththeright

mixofinteractivity,hospitality,andsecuritywillattract

onlinecustomers,Andthecostofcomputingpowercontinuesto

freefall,whichisagoodsignforanyenterprisesettingup

shopmsilicon.Peoplelookingback5orlOyearsfromnowmay

wellwonderwhysofewcompaniestooktheonlineplunge.

1.WhatdowelearnaboutthepresentWebbusiness?

A)Webbusinessisnolongerinfashion.

B)Business-to-businesssalesarethetrend.

C)Webbusinessisprosperousintheconsumermarket.

D)ManycompaniesstilllackconfidenceinWebbusiness.

2.EstablishedbusinesspartnersarepreferredinWeb

businessbecause.

A)theyaremorecreditablethanothers

B)theyspecifytheproductstheywant

C)theyhaveaccesstothecompany'sprivateintranet

D)theyarecapableofconductingonlinetransactions

3.PointcastNetworkismostprobably.

A)acompanythatdevelopsthelatestpushsoftware

B)atoolthatpromotesacompany，sonlinemarketing

C)thefirs!companythatusedanonlinepushsoftware

D)themostpopularsoftwarethathelpsacompanypush

4.Netpuristsarcmostworriedthat.

A)onlytherequestedinformationcomestothescreen

B)theNetisfilledwithcommercialpromotion

C)thedifferencebetweentheWebandTVwillfade

D)pushtechnologywilldominatethescreenofthe

computers

5.Whatdoestheauthorintendtoexpressbymentioning

Amazon,com'?

A）Itssuccessisattributedtopushstrategies.

B）Itisprosperouswithoutpushstrategies.

C）Itishighlyconcernedaboutthecostofcomputingpower.

D）Itisagoodexampleoftheflourishingonlinebusiness.

答案：

1.对于目前的网络商务我们知道什么。

A）网络商务不再时兴。

B）企业对企业电子商务是潮流。

C）网络商务在消费市场正兴旺。

D）许多公司对网络商务依然缺少自信。

[D]第2段开头的Nonetheless表明该句与首段提到的内容有转

折关系，而D与该句内容相同，为本题答案。

2.在网络商务中已建立关系的商业伙伴是优先的，因为o

A）他们比其他人更可信

B）他们能详细说明自己想要的产品

C）他们拥有进入公司专用内部网的权利

D）他们能够进行网上交易

[A]由第2段最后一句可知公司这样做的原因是为“控制风险”，

而再由上文中的reliability,trust等词可看出风险问题是源于“信

誉”问题，只有A与该段所说的核心意思相符，故选A。

3.PointcastNetwork最可能是。

A）研发最新推销软件的公司

B）促进公司网上营销的工具

C）第一家使用网上推销软件的公司

D）帮助公司进行推销的最流行软件

[A]第3段第4句开头的Mostnotably表明该句提及的Pointcast

Network是说明上一句观点的例子，由此可见，PointcastNetwork

应为一家开发软件的公司，因此A为本题答案。

4.网络纯粹主义者最担心o

A）只有被需求的信息显示在屏幕上

B）网络中满是商业促销

C）网络和电视的区别会淡化

D）网上推销技术将掌控屏幕

[D]第3段末句开头的That'saprospect表明前面提到的内容

就是使网络净化者觉得担忧的问题，上文说网络广告不应像电视那样

不请自来，由此可见，网络净化者最担心的是以后电脑屏幕会被不请

自来的广告占据，因此D为本题答案。

5.关于亚马逊我们能推断出什么？

A）其成功源于网上推销策略。

B）它没有采用推销策略，仍很繁荣。

C）它对计算能力的花费高度关注。

D）它是繁荣的网络商务的一个很好的例子。

[B]末段首句中的hardlyinevitable（不是不可避免）表明有些

公司不使用“推销”策略也可取得成功，第2句以Amazon.com为例

说明这个观点，由此可见,B正确而A错误。

4.阅读：英国托管协会

TheNationalTrustinBritainplaysanincreasingly

importantpartinthepreservationforpublicenjoymentofthe

bestthatisleftunspoiledoftheBritishcountryside.

AlthoughtheTrusthasreceivedpracticalandmoralsupportfrom

theGovernment,itisnotrichGovernmentdepartment.Itisa

charitywhichdependsforitsexistenceonvoluntarysupport

frommembersofthepublic.

Theattentionofthepublicwasfirstdrawntothedangers

threateningthegreatoldhousesandcastlesofBritainbythe

deathofLordLothian,wholefthisgreatseventeenth-century

housetotheTrusttogetherwiththe4,500-acreparkandestate

surroundingit.Thisgiftattractedwidepublicityandstarted

theTrust1s“CountryHouseScheme”.Underthisscheme,withthe

helpoftheGovernmentandthegeneralpublic,theTrusthas

beenabletosaveandopentothepublicaboutonehundredand

fiftyoftheseoldhouses.Lastycaraboutoneandthreequarters

ofamillionpeoplepaidtovisitthesehistorichouses,usually

ataverysmallcharge.

InadditiontocountryhousesandopenspacestheTrustnow

ownssomeexamplesofancientwindandwatermills,nature

reserves,fivehundredandfortyfarmsandnearlytwothousand

fivehundredcottagesorsmallvillagehouses,aswellassome

completevillages.Inthesevillagesnooneisallowedtobuild,

developordisturbtheoldvillageenvironmentinanywayand

allthehousesaremaintainedintheiroriginal

sixteenth-centurystyle.Overfourhundredthousandacresof

coastline,woodland,andhillcountryareprotectedbythe

Trustandnodevelopmentordisturbanceofanykindare

permitted.Thepublichasfreeaccesstotheseareasandisonly

askedtorespectthepeace,beautyandwildlife.

SoitisthatoverthepasteightyyearstheTrusthasbecome

abigimportantorganizationandanessentialandrespected

partofnationallife,preservingallthatisofgreatnatural

beautyandofhistoricalsignificancenotonlyforfuture

generationsofBritonsbutalsoforthemillionsoftourists

whoeachyearinvadeBritaininsearchofagreathistorical

andculturalheritage.

练习题：

Choosecorrectanswerstothequestion:

1.TheNationalTrustis.

A.arichgovernmentdepartment

B.acharitysupportedmainlybythepublic

C.agroupofareasofgreatnaturalbeauty

D.anorganizationsupportedbypublictaxes

2.The"CountryHouseScheme“wasstarted,

A.withthefoundingoftheNationalTrust

B.asthefirstprojectoftheNationalTrust

C.afterLordLothian，sdonation

D.toprotectLordLothian，shouse

3.LandprotectedbytheNationalTrust.

A.canbedevelopedandmodernized

B.includesnaturallyandhistoricallyvaluablesites

C.consistsofcountryhousesandnaturereserves

D.isprimarilyfortouriststoBritain

4.Theword"invade〃inthelastparagraphisusedto

emphasizethat.

A.theBritishdonotliketourists

B.touriststoBritainareunfriendly

C.touristscometoBritaininlargenumbers

D.Britainisattackedbymassesoftourists

5.Themainpurposeofthispassageisto.

A.informthereadersabouttheNationalTrust

B.promotetheNationalTrust*smembership

C.makepeopleawareofthenaturalbeautyofBritain

D.letthegeneralpublicsharetheviewsoftheNaticnal

Trust

1.[B]事实细节题。从文章第1段末句可找到答案。选项A显

然与原文意思相反，选项C和D则无原文依据。

2.[C]推理判断题。第2段第2句表明洛锡安勋爵捐赠了他的

房产后，这个计划才启动起来，因此选项C正确，也由此可以否定选

项Ao根据第2段最后两句可知这个计划是为了保护具有历史价值的

房子,而不仅仅是为了保护洛锡安勋爵的房子，因此选项D不对。

3.[B]事实细节题。最后一段从preserving开始的部分指出了

本题的答案。第3段倒数第2句所说的“nodevelopmentor

disturbancesofanykindarepermitted”可帮助排除选项A;选

项C内容不完整;选项D中的限制词primarily使用不妥,无原文依

据。

4.[C]词义推断题。由invade所在的句子^forthemillions

oftouristswhoeachyearinvade.。”可知这是托管会保护自然

美景和历史胜地的原因所在。从而可以推断出invade强调来英国游

玩的游客之多，因比选项C为正确答案。

5.[A]主旨大意题。纵观全文可发现th。NationalTrust和

theTrust在文章开头以及文中反复出现,文章是一篇说明文，主要

目的是介绍theNationalTrust的机构性质及其功能，因此选项A

正确。文章未讨论托管会的成员问题，因此选项B不正确。最后两段

虽然提到英国的自然景色很美，但这并非文章的主题思想，因此选项

C不对。本题最具干扰性的是选项D,但是本文并不是一篇议论文，

其目的不是让读者认同其中的观点，文章更多的是用说明性的语言来

说明托管会的一些做法。

5.阅读冲刺练习

Happinesscanbedescribedasapositivemoodandapleasant

stateofmind.Accordingtorecentpolls（民意测验）sixtyto

seventypercentofAmericansconsiderthemselvestobe

moderatelyhappyandoneintwentypersonsfeelsveryunhappy.

Psychologistshavebeenstudyingthefactorsthatcontribute

tohappiness.Itisnotpredictablenorisapersoninan

apparentlyidealsituationnecessarilyhappy.Theideal

situationmayhavelittletodowithhisactualfeelings.

Agoodeducationandincomeareusuallyconsidered

necessaryforhappiness.Thoughbothmaycontribute,theyare

onlychieffactorsifthepersonisseriouslyundereducatedor

actuallysufferingfromlackofphysicalneeds.

Thericharenotlikelytobehappierthanthemiddle-income

grouporeventhosewithverylowincomes.Peoplewithcollege

educationsaresomewhathappierthanthosewhodidnotgraduate

fromhighschool,anditisbelievedthatthisismainlybecause

theyhavemoreopportunitytocontroltheirlives.Yetpeople

withahighincomeandacollegeeducationmaybelesshappy

thanthosewiththesameincomeandnocollegeeducation.

Poorhealthdoesnotruleouthappinessexceptforthe

severelydisabledorthoseinpain.Learningtocopewitha

healthproblemcancontributetohappiness.Thosewithagood

sexlifearehappieringeneral,butthosewhohavealoving,

affectionaterelationshiparehappierthanthosewhorelyon

sexalone.Lovehasahighercorrelationwithhappinessthan

anyotherfactor.

Itshouldbenotedthatpeoplequicklygetusedtowhatthey

have,andtheyarehappiestwhentheyfeeltheyareincreasing

theirlevelnomatterwhereitstandsatagiventime.

Childrenwhoseparentswerehappilymarriedhavehappier

childhoodsarenotnecessarilyhappieradults.

Thebestformulaforhappinessistobeabletodevelopthe

abilitytotoleratefrustration,tohaveapersonalinvolveir.ent

andcommitment,andtodevelopself-confidenceand

self-esteem.

1.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat.

A.happinessispredictable

B.apersoninanapparentlyidealsituationmustbehappy

C.thericharelikelytobehappierthanthemiddle-income

group

D.happinessisnotnecessarilyconnectedtoone's

situationinsociety

2.Peoplewithcollegeeducation______.

A.arenothappierthanthosewhchaveonlyaneducation

athighschool

B.aremuchhappierthanthosewhodidnotgraduatefrom

highschool

C.havelessopportunitytocontroltheirlives

D.havemoreopportunitytocontroltheirlives

3.Accordingtothearticle,happinessisgreatlydependent

upon.

A.ahappychildhood

B.greatwealth

C.afeelingthatconditionsarebecomingforthebetter

D.acollegedegree

4.Whichoftnefollowingismostlikelytocontributeto

happiness?A.Beingexceptionallygood-looking.

B.Havingaloving,affectionaterelationship.

C.Havingagoodpayingjob.

D.Meetinglotsofpeople.

5.Whichofthefollowingattitudesorfeelingsismost

likelytobefoundinhappypeople?

A.Havingself-esteem.

B.Beingsureofkeepingeverythingtheyalreadyhave.

C.Neverbeingjealous.

D.Knowinghowtobecharming.

答案：21.D22.D23.C24.B25.A

6.阅读冲刺练习

Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas“Theapplicationofall

sciencestothestudyofthesea”.

Beforethenineteencentury,scientistswithaninterest

intheseawerefewandfarbetween.CertainlyNewtonconsidered

sometheoreticalaspectsofitinhiswritings,buthewas

reluctanttogotoseatofurtherhiswork.

Formostpeopletheseawasremote,andwiththeexception

ofearlyintercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearneda

livingfromthesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmany

questionsaboutit,letalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththe

surface.Thefirsttimethatquestion“Whatisatthebottom

oftheoceans?”hadtobeansweredwithanycommercial

consequencewaswhenthelayingofatelegraphcablefromEurope

toAmericawasproposed.Thehadtoknowthedepthprofile（起

伏形状）oftheroutetoestimatethelengthofcablethathad

tobemanufactured,mote,andwiththeexceptionofearly

intercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearnedalivingfrom

thesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmanyquestionsabout

it,letalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththesurface.Thefirsttime

thatquestion“Whatisatthebottomoftheoceans?”hadto

beansweredwithanycommercialconsequencewaswhenthelaying

ofatelegraphcablefromEuropetoAmericawasproposed.The

engineershadtoknowthedepthprofile（起伏形状）oftheroute

toestimatethelengthofcablethathadtobemanufactured.

ItwastoMauryoftheUSNavythattheAtlanticTelegraph

Companyturned,in1853,forinformationonthismatter.Tnthe

1840s,Mauryhadbeenresponsibleforencouragingvoyages

duringwhichsoundings（测身）weretakentoinvestigatethe

depthsoftheNorthAtlanticandPacificOceans.Later,some

ofhisfindingsarousedmuchpopularinterestinhisbookThe

PhysicalGeographyoftheSea.

Thecablewaslaid,butnotuntil1866wastheconnection

madepermanentandreliable.Attheearlyattempts,thecable

failedandwhenitwastakenoutforrepairsitwasfoundto

becoveredinlivinggrowths,afactwhichdefiedcontemporary

scientificopinionthattherewasnolifeinthedeeperparts

ofthesea.

Withinafewyearsoceanographywasunderway.In1872

Thomsonledascientificexpedition（考察），whichlastedfor

fouryearsandbroughthomethousandsofsamplesfromthesea.

Theirclassificationandanalysisoccupiedscientistsfor

yearsandledtoafive-volumereport,thelastvolumebeing

publishedin1895.

练习题：

Choosecorrectanswerstothequestion:

1.TheproposaltolayatelegraphcablefromEuropeto

Americamadeoceanographicstudiestak