2. 外语
  3. For me, scientific knowledge is divided into mathematical sciences, natural sciences dealing with the natural world (physical an

For me, scientific knowledge is divided into mathematical sciences, natural sciences dealing with the natural world (physical an

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问题   For me, scientific knowledge is divided into mathematical sciences, natural sciences dealing with the natural world (physical and biological), and sciences dealing with mankind (psychology, sociology, all the sciences of culture achievements, and every kind of historical knowledge). Apart from these sciences is philosophy, about which we will talk later. In the first place, all this is pure or theoretical knowledge, sought only for the purpose of understanding, in order to fulfill the need to understand what is intrinsic and consubstantial to man. What distinguishes man from animal is that he knows and needs to know. If man did not know that the world existed, and that the world was of a certain kind, that he was of a certain kind, he wouldn’t be man. The technical aspects or applications of knowledge are equally necessary for man and are of the greatest importance, because they also contribute to defining him as man and permit him to pursue a life increasingly more truly human.
  But even while enjoying the results of technical progress, he must defend the primacy and autonomy of pure knowledge. Knowledge sought directly for its practical applications will have immediate and foreseeable success, but not the kind of important result whose revolutionary scope is in large part unforeseen, except by the imagination of the Utopians. Let me recall a well-known example. If the Greek mathematicians had not applied themselves to investigation of conic sections, zealously and without the least suspicion that it might someday be useful, it would not have been possible centuries later to navigate far from shore. The first men to study the nature of electricity could not imagine that their experiments, carried on because of mere intellectual curiosity, would eventually lead to modern electrical technology, without which we can scarcely conceive of contemporary life. Pure knowledge is valuable for its own sake, because the human spirit cannot resign itself to ignorance. But, in addition, it is the foundation for practical results that would not have been reached if this knowledge had been sought disinterestedly.  
The author points out that the Greeks who studied conic sections ______.
选项 A、were mathematicians
B、were interested in navigation
C、were unaware of the value of their studies
D、worked with electricity
答案C
解析 这道题属推论题，目的是考查读者对文章中语句的理解程度。If the Greek mathematicians had not applied themselves to investigation of conic sections，zealously and without the least suspicion that it might someday be useful，it would not have been possible centuries later to navigate far from shore．这是一个虚拟语气的句子，如果能理解它的意思，作答此题就不难了。当时的数学家们认为他们的研究可能将来有用，但对于研究的具体价值却不太清楚。
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