Question

Oceanography has been defined as "The application of all sciences to the study of the sea".

Before the nineteenth century,scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far be?tween. Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings,but he was re?luctant to go to sea to further his work.

For most people the sea was remote,and with the exception of early intercontinental travel?ers or others who earned a living from the sea,there was little reason to ask many questions about it,let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that the question "What is at the bottom of the oceans?" had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe toAmericawas proposed. The engineer had to know the depth profile (起伏形状) of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.

It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned,in 1853,for information on this matter. In the 1840s,Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings (测深) were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later,some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Phys?ical Geography of the Sea.

The cable was laid,but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts,the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs,it was found to be covered in living growths,a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.

Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedi?tion (考察) ，which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a fivevolume report,the last volume being published in 1895.

(   ) 5. According to the passage,who asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies?

   A. The American Navy.

   B. Some early intercontinental travelers.

   C. Those who earned a living from the sea.

   D. The company which proposed to lay an undersea cable.

(   ) 6. The aim of the voyages Maury was responsible for in the 1840s was         .

   A. to make some sounding experiments in the oceans

   B. to collect samples of sea plants and animals

   C. to estimate the length of cable that was needed

   D. to measure the depths of the two oceans

(   ) 7. Which of these is closest in meaning to the underlined word "defied" in the 5th para?graph?

   A. Doubted. B. Gave proof to. C. Challenged. D. Agreed to.

(   ) 8. The main meaning of this passage is         

   A. the beginnings of oceanographic studies

   B. how to lay the first undersea cable in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

   C. the way to investigate the depths of the oceans

   D. before the nineteenth century very few scientists had an interest in the sea

Answer 1

 5-8 DDCA

海洋学的早期发展与应用。

5. D细节理解题。正是Atlantic Telegraph Company要铺设海底电缆，所以找Maury寻求帮助。

6. D细节理解题。量the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans的深度是这次出海的主要目的。

7. C词义猜测题。此处defy意为"挑战了" (其实是否定了) 深海没有生命的观点。

8. A全文归纳判断题。这是一篇关于海洋学起源的文章(也就是最初的发展过程) 。