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  3. Chemistry did not emerge as a science until after the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century and then only rather slow

Chemistry did not emerge as a science until after the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century and then only rather slow

admin2012-05-17  68
问题     Chemistry did not emerge as a science until after the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century and then only rather slowly and laboriously. But chemical knowledge is as old as history, being almost entirely concerned with the practical arts of living. Cooking is essentially a chemical process; so is the melting of metals and the administration of drugs and potions. This basic chemical knowledge, which was applied in most cases as a rule of thumb, was nevertheless dependent on previous experiment. It also served to stimulate a fundamental curiosity about the processes themselves. New information was always being gained as artisans improved techniques to gain better results.
    The development of a scientific approach to chemistry was, however, hampered by several factors. The most serious problem was the vast range of material available and the consequent difficulty of organizing it into some system. In addition, there were social and intellectual difficulties, chemistry is nothing if not practical; those who practice it must use their hands, they must have a certain practical flair. Yet in many ancient civilizations, practical tasks were primarily the province of a slave population. The thinker or philosopher stood apart from this mundane world, where the practical arts appeared to lack any intellectual content or interest.
    The final problem for early chemical science was the element of secrecy. Experts in specific trades had developed their own techniques and guarded their knowledge to prevent others from stealing their livelihood. Another factor that contributed to secrecy was the esoteric nature of the knowledge of alchemists, who were trying to transform base metals into gold or were concerned with the hunt for the elixir that would bestow the blessing of eternal life. In one sense, the second of these was the more serious impediment because the records of the chemical processes that early alchemists had discovered were often written down in symbolic language intelligible to very few or in symbols that were purposely obscure.
Which of the following statements best explains why "the second of these was the more serious impediment" (Lines 5-6 Para. 3)?
选项 A、Chemical knowledge was limited to a small number of people.
B、The symbolic language used was very imprecise.
C、Very few new discoveries were made by alchemists.
D、The records of the chemical processes were not based on experiments.
答案A
解析 细节题。第三段最后一句In one sense，the second of these was the more serious impediment becausethe records of the chemical processes that early alchemists had discovered were often written down insymbolic language intelligible to very few or in symbols that were purposely obscure．(在某种意义上说，第二个是更严重的阻碍，因为早期炼金术士发现的化学过程的记载是用符号语言写的，只有极少的人能理解，或者被特意用晦涩难懂的符号来记录。)因此选择A，化学知识仅限于少数人。选项B为符号语言非常不精确，选项C是说几乎没有什么新发现是由化学家们找到的，选项D则讲化学过程的记录并不是基于实验的，这些选项在文中并未提及。所以本题答案是A。
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