Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas“Theapplicationofallsciencestothestudyofthesea”.Beforethenineteenthcenturyscientistswithaninterestintheseawerefew.

Formostpeopletheseawasremoteandwiththeexceptionofearlyintercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearnedalivingfromtheseatherewaslittlereasontoaskmanyquestionsaboutitletalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththesurface.Thefirsttimethatthequestion'Whatisatthebottomoftheoceans?'hadtobeansweredwithanycommercialconsequencewaswhenthelayingofatelegraphcablefromEuropetoAmericawasproposed.Theengineershadtoknowthedepthprofile(起伏形状)oftheroutetoestimatethelengthofcablethathadtobemanufactured.

ItwastoMauryoftheUSNavythattheAtlanticTelegraphCompanyturnedin1853forinformationonthismatter.Inthe1840sMauryhadbeenresponsibleforencouragingvoyagesduringwhichsoundings(测深)weretakentoinvestigatethedepthsoftheNorthAtlanticandPacificOceans.LatersomeofhisfindingsarousedmuchpopularinterestinhisbookThePhysicalGeographyoftheSea.

Thecablewaslaidbutnotuntil1866wastheconnectionmadepermanentandreliable.Attheearlyattemptsthecablefailedandwhenitwastakenoutforrepairsitwasfoundtobecoveredinlivinggrowthsafactwhichdefiedcontemporaryscientificopinionthattherewasnolifeinthedeeperpartsofthesea.

Withinafewyearsoceanographywasunderway.In1872Thomsonledascientificexpeditionwhichlastedforfouryearsandbroughthomethousandsofsamplesfromthesea.Theirclassificationandanalysisoccupiedscientistsforyearsandledtoafive-volumereportthelastvolumebeingpublishedin1895.

　68.Thepassageimpliesthatthetelegraphcablewasbuiltmainly_________.

　A)foroceanographicstudies

　B)formilitarypurposes

C)forbusinessconsiderations

　D)forinvestigatingthedepthsoftheoceans

69.TheaimofvoyagesMauryencouragedinthe1840swas__________.

　A)tomakesomesoundexperimentsintheoceans

　B)tocollectsamplesofseaplantsandanimals

　C)toestimatethelengthofcablethatwastobemade

　D)tomeasurethedepthsoftwooceans

70.'Defie