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 travellers 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 to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile of the route to estimate the length of the 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 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 ________.

　　A. for oceanography studies

　　B. for business considerations

　　C. for military purposes

　　D. for investigating the depths of the oceans

　　Best Answer:B

　　詳解：答案B。依據(jù)文章第三段的第二句：人們第一次從商業(yè)角度來回答“海底有什么”這個問題是因?yàn)橛腥颂嶙h鋪設(shè)從歐洲到美洲的電報電纜。工程師們需要知道電纜經(jīng)過的海洋深處的地形，以便估算出需要生產(chǎn)多長的電纜。故答案為B。

　　2. It was ________ that asked Maury for help in oceanography studies.

　　A. the American Navy

　　B. some early intercontinental travellers

　　C. those who earned a living from the sea

　　D. the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable

　　Best Answer:D

　　詳解：答案D。依據(jù)文章第四段的第一句：大西洋電報公司在1853年正式就在海底鋪設(shè)電纜一事咨詢了美國海軍部的莫雷。故答案為D。

　　3.The aim of voyages Maury encouraged in the 1840s was _______.

　　A. to make some sound experiments in the oceans

　　B. to collect samples of sea plants and animals

　　C. to estimate the length of the cable that was to be made

　　D. to measure the depths of the two oceans

　　Best Answer:D

　　詳解：答案D。依據(jù)文章第四段的第二句：在19世紀(jì)40年代，莫雷鼓勵航海，其間他要測量北大西洋和太平洋的海水深度。故答案為D。

　　4. Defied in the 5th paragraph probably means ________.

　　A. doubled

　　B. gave proof

　　C. challenged

　　D. agreed to

　　Best Answer:C

　　詳解：答案C。依據(jù)第五段的第二句，根據(jù)語境，可知答案為C。

　　5.This passage is mainly about ________.

　　A. the beginnings of oceanography

　　B. the laying of the first undersea cable

　　C. the investigation of ocean depths

　　D. the early intercontinental communications

　　Best Answer:A

　　詳解：答案A。依據(jù)全文：第一段介紹了海洋學(xué)的概念;第二段講了十九世紀(jì)前沒多少人對海洋學(xué)感興趣;第三段講了人們開始提議在兩大洲間鋪設(shè)海底電報電纜;第四段講了莫雷為了了解要用多長的電纜，開始測量海洋的深度;第五段講了當(dāng)海底電纜出現(xiàn)故障時，人們在把電纜打撈上來修理的時候發(fā)現(xiàn)海底有海洋生物，而在這之前這一點(diǎn)人們是從沒有認(rèn)識到的;最后一段講了一個科學(xué)探險隊從海底帶回了大量的海洋生物標(biāo)本，并著書立傳，把這一發(fā)現(xiàn)公諸于世。故答案為A。