上海市中级口译笔试试题与详细答案解析(2007年(15)

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According to archaeologist Dr Linda Andrews, this technological development is of huge

significance. 'We now have the ability to map the sea bed as accurately as we can map dry land,' she says. She is, however, scathing about the scale of government funding for such projects.' We have better images of Mars and Venus than of two-thirds of our own planet! In view of the fact that Britain is a maritime nation, and the sea has had such a massive influence on us, it's an absolute scandal that we know so little about the area just off our shores!'

Once bathymetric techniques have identified sites where people might have built their homes and villages, divers could be sent down to investigate further. The idea of Britain as a natural island kingdom will be challenged by these findings: Britain has been inhabited for about 500,000 years, and for much of this time it has been linked on and off to continental Europe. It remains to be seen how far this new awareness is taken on board among our 'island' people.

In fact, the use of bathymetry scanners will not be limited to the study of lost landscapes and ancient settlements. It will also be vital in finding shipwrecks. Records show that there are about 44,000 shipwrecks off the shores of Britain, but there is good reason to believe that the real figure is much higher. In addition, commercial applications are a real possibility. Aggregates for the construction industry are becoming increasingly expensive, and bathymetry scanners could be used to identify suitable sites for quarrying this material. However, mapping the sea bed will also identify places where rare plants and shellfish have their homes. Government legislation may prevent digging at such sites, either to extract material for a profit or to make the water deeper: there are plans to dredge parts of the English Channel to provide deeper waterways for massive container ships.

26. We can learn from the passage that this particular area under the sea ______.

(A) was not previously thought to have been populated

(B) was created by the last Ice Age

(C) has yielded some archaeological artifacts

(D) has had many of its inhabitants drowned

27. What is the most important aspect of the new scanning technique?

(A) It can attract more government funding for mapping.

(B) It only requires the use of an echo sounder.

(C) It can measure the depth of the sea bed with accuracy.

(D) It reveals important details of underwater topography.

28. How does Dr. Andrews feel about the lack of accurate information about the waters around Britain?

(A) Outraged.

(B) Resigned.

(C) Astonished.