单选题
Is there something as truth? For a good many centuries "the search for truth" has been {{U}}(31) {{/U}} the noblest activity of the human mind, but the seekers after truth have come to such {{U}}(32) {{/U}} conclusions that it often seems that very little progress has been made. {{U}}(33) {{/U}},there are many people who reel that we are actually going backward. They {{U}}(34) {{/U}}; often contemptuously, that we have accumulated more "knowledge" than our ancestors, but they think we are farther from the truth than ever, or even that we have {{U}}(35) {{/U}} the truth that we once possessed.
If people look for anything long enough without finding it, the question naturally arises {{U}}(36) {{/U}} the thing is really there to find. You have seen a picture of an animal with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail—and maybe an eagle's wings for good {{U}}(37) {{/U}} There is plenty of evidence that each part of this animal {{U}}(38) {{/U}} --but there is no {{U}}(39) {{/U}} evidence that the parts ever occur in this combination. It is at least conceivable that the seekers after "truth" have made a similar mistake and invented an {{U}}(40) {{/U}} combination.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[注释] 只有considered的宾语后面可以直接跟形容词或名词做宾语补足语。本句为被动语态，意为“多少世纪以来，寻求真理被看做人类最高尚的思想活动”。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[注释] 连词词组such... that表示因果关系，其余选项都不合逻辑：illegal意为“不合法的，非法的”；identical意为“相同的，一模一样的”；profound意为“深刻的，渊博的，深远的”。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[注释] 本句“许多人认为我们实际上是在倒退”与上文为逻辑上的递进关系。 however(然而)和nevertheless(尽管如此，然而，不过)都表示转折；in contrast意为“与之相反”。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[注释] 本句主语“他们”(They)是不情愿地“承认我们比祖先知识多”这一事实的， confess主要用于对坏事、错误的承认，即“坦白”；realize(认识到，意识到)与reveal(揭露，暴露)均不合文义。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[注释] 定语从句表明我们已不再拥有那些真理，只有lost(丢失，失去)符合逻辑； found意为“找到，发现”；missed．意为“错过，未见到，遗漏”；maintained意为“保持，维持”。
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[注释] 此处如选连词while或when引导状语从句，则主句主语the question含义不明；that和whether都可以引导同位语从句：但此处其同位语是the question，故只有 whether是正确答案。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[注释] for good measure是固定词组，意为“此外，另外”；for good luck意为“为了好运”；reason(原因，理由)前要加冠词；sense(感官，意义)前介词一般不用for。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[注释] 本句意为“有大量证据表明这些动物的每一部分都实际存在着”，exists意为“存在”；endures意为“忍受，忍耐，持久”；prevails意为“流行，占优势”；emerges意为“出现，显露”。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[注释] reliable意为“可靠的”，在此符合文义。本句意为“但没有可靠的证据表明这些部分曾这样结合在一起”。appropriate意为“恰当的，合适的”；unique意为“唯一的，独特的”；dependent意为“附属的，依靠的”。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[注释] 上文讲人们凭想象拼凑出不存在的动物。imaginary意为“想象的，虚构的”； unbelievable意为“无法相信的，不可信的”；imitable意为“可模仿的”；idealized意为“理想化的”。