(1) The natural environment has, of course, always conditioned technology. For example, the nature of an environment (polar, desert, jungle) engenders the development of technologies appropriate to that environment to enable man to adapt successfully to it. Further, emerging scarcity of some technological resource may ignite a research for, and gradual transition to, a new technology using resources present in the environment in greater abundance, as, for example, in the case of the gradual change from wood-based to coal-based technology in England that began in Elizabeth times and stretched until the end of the eighteenth century.
(2) In modern Western society, environment has begun to condition technology in new ways, although admittedly more indirectly. The safety and quality of the environment and public perceptions of it have begun to translate into presidential politics and congressional mandates to regulatory agencies to protect or enhance environmental quality or safety, occasionally even at the cost of some perturbation of the tech-economic status-quo. In France, Italy, and recently the United States, political parties have been formed, organized around a complex of technology/ environment issues. In general, in the last fifteen years, the gradual development of broad-based environmental awareness, the lobbying and litigious activities of environmental interest groups, and guidelines issued and reinforced by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in response to congressional mandates have markedly increased the heed paid to the environment by many corporations in going about their technology activities. Both research a development priorities and capital investment programs of the corporations have been affected by this.
41. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
42. We can infer from the article that in the 1800s England was probably rich in（ ）.
43. In modern Western society, the environmental problem has（ ）.
44. The underlined word “heed” in the last but one sentence of the passage means（ ）.
45. What is the best topic for the passage?
问题1选项
A.Environment enables man to adapt successfully to new technology.
B.Technologies enable man to adapt successfully to his environment.
C.The development of the technologies depends solely on the natural environment.
D.Lack of technologies to cope with the environment is caused by lack of natural resources.
问题2选项
A.wood resources
B.technological resources
C.natural resources
D.coal resource
问题3选项
A.received great attention from the governments
B.caused some serious disorders in technology and economy
C.affected modern technologies more directly than before
D.become more important but received less and less attention
问题4选项
A.lawsuit
B.interest
C.attention
D.expense
问题5选项
A.What can nature contribute to technology?
B.Environment can sometimes block the progress of technology.
C.Technologies of all kinds should serve the natural environment.
D.Environment deserves the most attention in the development of technology.
第1题:B
第2题:D
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:D
41.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】细节事实题。题干意思是“下列哪一项是正确的？”。根据第一段第二句the nature of an environment (polar, desert, jungle) engenders the development of technologies appropriate to that environment to enable man to adapt successfully to it.（一个环境（极地、沙漠、丛林）的本质导致了适合该环境的技术的发展，使人们能够成功地适应环境。）可知，技术可以使人成功适应环境，所以B项“技术使人能够成功地适应环境”正确。A项“环境使人能够成功地适应新技术”，内容与原文相反；C项“技术的发展完全依赖于自然环境”，没有过分强调技术的发展依赖与环境，C选项太绝对；D项“缺乏应对环境问题的技术是由于缺乏自然资源造成的”偷换概念，D项错误。故该题选B。
42.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】细节推理题。题干意思是“从这篇文章中我们可以推断出，在19世纪，英国可能在……是富有的”。根据第一段最后一句in the case of the gradual change from wood-based to coal-based technology in England that began in Elizabeth times and stretched until the end of the eighteenth century.（英国从以木材为基础的技术到以煤为基础的技术的逐步转变始于伊丽莎白时代，一直持续到18世纪末。）可知，18世纪的煤炭资源很丰富，才能进行基于煤炭的科技。因此D项“煤炭资源”正确。A项“木材资源”，文中提到英国已经从木材为基础的技术转变为了煤炭为基础的技术，所以A项不选；B项“技术资源”过于笼统；C项“自然资源”文章没有提到。故该题选D。
43.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】细节推理题。题干意思是“在现代西方社会，环境问题已经……”。第二段第四句提到In general, in the last fifteen years, the gradual development of broad-based environmental awareness, the lobbying and litigious activities of environmental interest groups, and guidelines issued and reinforced by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in response to congressional mandates have markedly increased the heed paid to the environment by many corporations in going about their technology activities. （总的来说，近15年来，广泛的环境意识的逐渐发展，环境利益集团的游说和诉讼活动和环境保护署为了响应国会的授权而发布和加强的指导方针显著地增加了许多公司在从事其技术活动时对环境的重视。）由此可知，政府，机构和企业对环境越来越重视，所以A项“受到政府的高度重视”符合题意。B项“在技术和经济上造成了严重的混乱”和C项“比以前更直接地影响了现代技术”没有提到；D项“变得越来越重要，但得到的关注却越来越少”，内容与原文相反。故该题选A。
44.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】词义推测题。题干意思是“文章最后一个句子中划线的单词‘heed’的意思是……”。A项“诉讼”，B项“利益”，C项“注意”，D项“损失，代价”。根据heed可以定位到第二段have markedly increased the heed paid to the environment by many corporations in going about their technology activities.（显著地增加了许多公司在从事其技术活动时对环境的重视）可知，heed在原文中的意思是“注意”，选项中只有attention符合，故该题选C。
45.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】主旨大意题。题干意思是“这篇文章最好的标题是什么”。根据文章的中心句The natural environment has, of course, always conditioned technology.（当然，自然环境总是制约着技术。）和后文论述的环境与科技的关系，可知科技发展的同时要重视环境，所以D项“在技术的发展中，环境是最值得重视的”符合题意。A项“自然能对技术做出什么贡献？”，B项“环境有时会阻碍技术的进步”，内容与原文不符；C项“各种技术都应该为自然环境服务”，该项太绝对。故该题选D。
