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 between. Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings, but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work.
For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers 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 under 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 to America was proposed. The engineer had to know the depth profile 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 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 Physical 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 expedition, 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 five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.
1. The passage implies that the telegraph cable was built mainly ________.
2. It was ________ that asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies.
3. The aim of voyages Maury encouraged in the 1840s was ________.
4. “Defied” in the 5th paragraph probably means ________.
5. This passage is mainly about ________.
问题1选项
A.for business considerations
B.for investigating the depths of the oceans
C.for oceanographic studies
D.for military purposes
问题2选项
A.those who earned a living from the sea
B.the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable
C.the American Navy
D.some early intercontinental travelers
问题3选项
A.to estimate the length of cable that was to be made
B.to measure the depths of two oceans
C.to make some sound experiments in the oceans
D.to collect samples of sea plants and animals
问题4选项
A.“challenged”
B.“agreed to”
C.“doubted”
D.“gave proof to”
问题5选项
A.the Investigation of ocean depths
B.the early intercontinental communications
C.the beginnings of oceanography
D.the laying of the first undersea cable
第1题:A
第2题:B
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:C
1.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据第三段第二句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 to America was proposed.（当提出要铺设一条从欧洲到美洲的海底电报电缆时，出于商业动机，人们第一次不得不尽可能以商业结果为导向来回答“海底是什么？”的问题。），可知铺设电报电缆主要考虑的是商业上带来的利益，根据利益来看是否要铺设，A选项“出于商业考虑”正确，B选项“为了考查海洋的深度”和C选项“用于海洋学研究”错误。D选项“出于军事目的”：文中没有提到。因此A选项正确。
2.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】事实细节题。根据第四段第一句It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter.（1853年，大西洋电报公司向美国海军的莫里寻求有关此事的信息。），可知B选项“建议铺设海底电缆的公司”正确。A选项“靠海洋为生的人”，C选项“美国海军”和D选项“一些早期的洲际旅行者”不符合题意。因此B选项正确。
3.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】事实细节题。根据第四段第二句In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.（在19世纪40年代，莫里曾负责推动进行海上航行，以此来勘测北大西洋和太平洋的深度。），可知B选项“测量两个大洋的深度”正确。A选项“估计将要制作的电缆的长度”，C选项“在海洋中做一些声音实验”和D选项“收集海洋植物和动物的样本”不符合题意。因此B选项正确。
4.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】语义推测题。defied的意思是“违抗；向……挑战”。根据文章第五段最后一句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.（早期铺设光缆的尝试以失败告终，当取出光缆来维修时，人们发现上面覆盖有生物，这_____了当时科学界认为深海没有生命的理论。），可知之前认为深海没有生物，取出电缆后发现原来深海里有生物，让人们开始怀疑原有理论的真实性，A选项“质疑（质疑事情的真实性）”正确。B选项“同意”，C选项“不相信，不信任（不确定事情是否真实并且没有证据）”和D选项“提供证据”不符合题意。因此A选项正确。
5.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】主旨大意题。文章第一段对海洋学进行定义，第二段介绍19世纪以前对海洋学的研究情况，第三、四、五段讲海洋学的由来，第六段讲19世纪末人们在海洋学的初步研究成果，C选项“海洋学的起源”正确。A选项“调查海洋深度”，B选项“早期的洲际通讯”和D选项“铺设第一条海底电缆”不足以概括全文。因此C选项正确。
