Of a11 the characteristics that man has used to distinguish himself from“l(fā)ower”animals，the desire to explore the unknown may be the most enduring.As the Norwegian polar explorer and oceanographer Fridtjof Nansen observed，“Man wants to know，and when he ceases to do so，he is no longer man.”

　　The annual migrations of wildfowl and many other animals certainly cannot be regarded as a form of exploration，because such movements are actually only shifts from one habitat to another for the purpose of avoiding seasonal climatic variations.4) Likewise，the gradual expansion by certain animals into new ranges is not exploratory but rather merely a shift to a 1ess crowded or more favourable environmental setting.To be sure，mankind also has been involved in movements of this sort when subjected to population and other pressures.Then，too，economic and military considerations have frequently been major driving factors in human expansion into new realms.5)Nonetheless，in numerous instances，man‘s attempts at exploration have been marked by imaginative leaps across hostile stretches，sometimes at great risks， to reach something undefined simply for its own sake.

　　Much of the history of exploration—certainly of modern geographical exploration—has been European.6) Such has been the case not because Europeans possessed superior curiosity or some other internal force but because whatever events channeled their societies toward an advanced level of technology allowed them to expend more energy on exploration.The rapid growth and consolidation of their kingdoms provided them with an opportunity to exploit new discoveries fully.By contrast，the great Asian kingdoms，though no less capable，turned inward and erected walls between themselves and the“barbarians”of the outside world.

　　The 20th century has witnessed the last stages of exploration of the Earth‘s surface and the initial attempts to explore the deep sea and space.Scientific attention today is primarily directed toward these new frontiers.In addition to this emphasis on undersea and space exploration，efforts are also being made to investigate the interior of the Earth，knowledge of which still remains relatively limited.

　　1. What Nansen said means that____.

　　[A]a man never stops exploring the unknown until he dies

　　[B]exploration of the unknown is a characteristic of man

　　[C]ignorant people are no more than “l(fā)ower” animals

　　[D]a man is not a brave man unless he shows curiosity about the unknown

　　2. According to the author，true exploration is marked by____.

　　[A]migrating from a familiar area to a new one

　　[B]moving into a less crowded and favourable environmental setting

　　[C]venturing into an unknown，sometimes risky，world

　　[D]gradually expanding into new ranges

　　3. The Europeans were often the pioneers in exploration because____.

　　[A]they had daring spirits and were more curious about the unknown

　　[B]social development offered them the means to explore the world

　　[C]they had more internal driving forces to urge them in such attempts

　　[D]they were more capable of such activities than the Asians

　　4. In the last sentence of Paragraph 3，the word“barbarians”probably refers to____.

　　[A]the fiercest enemies

　　[B]savage and uncivilized people

　　[C]hostile neighboring countries

　　[D]ambitious Europeans powers

　　5. The 20th century explorers are similar to the earlier explorers in their curiosity about____.

　　[A]the deep sea [B]the space

　　[C]the interior of the Earth [D]the surface of the Earth

　　參考答案：

　　1. [B] 意為：對(duì)未知領(lǐng)域進(jìn)行探索是人類(lèi)的特性。在第一段，Nansen所說(shuō)的意思是：人類(lèi)總是想去認(rèn)識(shí)事物，如果他們失去這種欲望，他們就無(wú)所謂人了。

　　2. [C] 意為：敢于冒險(xiǎn)進(jìn)人未知的——有時(shí)是危險(xiǎn)的區(qū)域。參閱第二段最后一句，本句中stretches應(yīng)理解為“區(qū)域(或地段)”，undefined應(yīng)根據(jù)上下文理解為“未知的”。本段否定了幾種做法，認(rèn)為這些做法都稱(chēng)不上是探險(xiǎn);在作者看來(lái)，只有最后一句提到的情況才算得上是探險(xiǎn)活動(dòng)。

　　3. [B] 根據(jù)第三段第二句，探險(xiǎn)者多為歐洲人，這并不是因?yàn)樗麄兒闷嫘膹?qiáng)或內(nèi)在的動(dòng)力大，而是因?yàn)闅v史將他們的社會(huì)推向了更高的技術(shù)水平，這使得他們可以花更多的精力來(lái)從事冒險(xiǎn)活動(dòng)。

　　4. [B] 意為：野蠻而未開(kāi)化的人。該詞意為“野蠻人”，是文明社會(huì)對(duì)未開(kāi)化民族帶有偏見(jiàn)的稱(chēng)呼。

　　5. [D] 第四段第一句提到，20世紀(jì)進(jìn)入探索地球表面的最后階段，而開(kāi)始了對(duì)深海區(qū)域和太空的探索。由此可以看出，對(duì)地球表面的探索在20世紀(jì)還在繼續(xù)。

　　編輯推薦：

　　2015年考研網(wǎng)上正式報(bào)名入口已開(kāi)通 點(diǎn)擊進(jìn)入

　　考試吧提醒：2015年考研十月大事記

　　2015年考研政治十大重要考點(diǎn)預(yù)測(cè)

　　2015考研英語(yǔ)閱讀理解模擬題及答案匯總

　　考試吧考研題庫(kù)(新增數(shù)學(xué)三) 智能做題首選 立即體驗(yàn)!