Question

    The year 3700， Earth is far too hot for any human to call it home． On this planet at least， man is nothing more than a memory - if there is anything left to remember the"wise man"． But what about our wisdom -will any of it survive us？

The conventional answer is no． Knowledge requires a knower， and there will be no knowing minds around then． But if information survives， perhaps in books or hard drives， maybe the knowledge isn't quite dead but dormant （休眠）， ready to become alive with the help of other minds that develop over time or come to visit Earth in the distant future．

At first sight， that seems to be reasonable： after all， we have done similar things with past knowledge． For example， we saved an ancient computer from a ship destroyed at sea off the southern coast of Greece， and succeeded in finding the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字）． Careful work can bring previously lost wisdom back to life．

However， the key point is that there is a certain cultural continuity with those ancient times that allows us to reason and make progress in the dark： we know we are dealing with the legacy （遗赠） of other humans．

Without that link， the survival of objects and raw data doesn't guarantee the survival of knowledge．And a lack of continuity in language with any future intelligence would be a barrier． Knowledge is closely connected with language． When a language dies out， we can lose systems of reasoning that they contain． If that's lost， then it can't be recovered．

All this means that other minds might not be able to fully make human knowledge alive when we are gone． It is better to concentrate on not dying out in the first place．

1.What is the main purpose of Paragraph 1？ ______

A. To present an interesting idea．

B. To state a problem of the future．

C. To inform us of the earth in 3700．

D. To introduce the topic of the text．

2.What do the words"similar things"in Paragraph 3probably refer to？ ______

A. Developing the minds．

B. Remembering the wise man．

C. Making lost wisdom alive again．

D. Learning from the ancient civilization．

3.What plays the key part in getting cultural continuity according to the text？ ______

A. Language．    B. Intelligence．

C. Knowledge．    D. Information．

4.What can be the best title for the text？ ______

A. Can human beings live on？

B. Will our wisdom survive us？

C. How we can protect our culture

D. What the earth will be like in the future

Answer

1. D

2. C

3. A

4. B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。一架古希腊计算机在希腊南部海岸附近海域的沉船中被发现，向世人宣告了远古文明曾达到的惊人高度。如果我们不幸灭绝，后来的生命能否从我们的遗物中发现人类智慧的痕迹？

1.推理判断题。由第一段可知，3700年，地球极端炎热，人类已不能称其为家园。至少在这颗行星上，人类不过是一段记忆——如果这里还留有任何让人忆起“智人”的事物的话。但我们的智慧呢——会有一部分智慧能比我们存活得更长久吗？所以判断出第一段是为了引出话题，才有了第二段介绍传统看法“知识死亡论”和新看法“知识休眠论”。第三段，说明“知识休眠论”表面的合理性。第四段指出“知识休眠论”的缺陷所在。最后段总结主题得出结论。故D选项正确。

2.词义猜测题。由第三段“ For example, we saved an ancient computer from a ship destroyed at sea off the southern coast of Greece, and succeeded in finding the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Careful work can bring previously lost wisdom back to life.例如，我们从一艘在希腊南部海岸附近海域被摧毁的船只上拯救了一台古老的计算机，并成功地找到了埃及象形文字的含义。仔细的工作可以使先前失去的智慧复活。可知，“similar things”指的是“让失去的智慧复活”。故C选项正确。

3.推理判断题。由第四段“And a lack of continuity in language with any future intelligence would be a barrier. Knowledge is closely connected with language. When a language dies out, we can lose systems of reasoning that they contain. If that’s lost, then it can’t be recovered.”。与未来智慧生命缺少语言连续性也会成为障碍。知识与语言密切相关。当一种语言消亡时，我们就会失去它们所包含的思维体系。如果丢了，就找不到了。可知，语言在维系文化的持续性扮演着重要的作用。故A选项正确。

4.标题归纳题。通读全文可知，第二段介绍传统看法“知识死亡论”和新看法“知识休眠论”。第三段，说明“知识休眠论”表面的合理性。第四段指出“知识休眠论”的缺陷所在。最后段总结主题得出结论。这些都是围绕着“如果我们不幸灭绝，后来的生命能否从我们的遗物中发现人类智慧的痕迹？”这个主题展开的。故B选项正确。