英語四級閱讀練習是提升英語能力不可或缺的環(huán)節(jié)。通過深入的閱讀練習，我們不僅能夠錘煉語言技巧，還能有效擴充四級考試的詞匯庫，進一步加深對語法知識的理解。這種綜合性的學習方式，無疑為全面提升英語水平打下了堅實的基礎(chǔ)。以下，我們將以一篇科學探究方法的文章為例，進行英語四級閱讀練習。
英文原文
Method of Scientific Inquiry
科學探究方法
Why the inductive and mathematical sciences, after their first rapid development at theculmination of Greek civilization, advanced so slowly for two thousand years—and why in thefollowing two hundred years a knowledge of natural and mathematical science hasaccumulated, which so vastly exceeds all that was previously known that these sciences maybe justly regarded as the products of our own times—are questions which have interested themodern philosopher not less than the objects with which these sciences are more immediatelyconversant. Was it the employment of a new method of research, or in the exercise of greatervirtue in the use of the old methods, that this singular modern phenomenon had its origin? Was the long period one of arrested development, and is the modern era one of normal growth? Or should we ascribe the characteristics of both periods to so-called historical accidents—tothe influence of conjunctions in circumstances of which no explanation is possible, save in theomnipotence and wisdom of a guiding Providence?
為什么歸納法和數(shù)理科學在希臘文明起源之初迅速發(fā)展之后，在兩千年里發(fā)展如此緩慢，為什么在隨后的兩百年里，自然科學和數(shù)理科學的知識積累如此之多，遠遠超過了以前所知道的一切，以至于這些科學可以名正言順地被視為我們這個時代的產(chǎn)物，這些問題引起了現(xiàn)代哲學家的興趣，其程度絲毫不亞于這些科學更直接涉及的對象。是采用了新的研究方法，還是在使用舊方法時發(fā)揮了更大的智慧，才產(chǎn)生了這一奇特的現(xiàn)代現(xiàn)象？漫長的時期是否是發(fā)展停滯的時期，而現(xiàn)代是否是正常發(fā)展的時期？或者，我們應(yīng)該把這兩個時期的特征歸因于所謂的歷史偶然事件--在無法解釋的情況下，只能歸因于天意的全能和智慧的影響？
The explanation which has become commonplace, that the ancients employed deductionchiefly in their scientific inquiries, while the moderns employ induction, proves to be toonarrow, and fails upon close examination to point with sufficient distinctness the contrastthat is evident between ancient and modern scientific doctrines and inquiries. For all knowledgeis founded on observation, and proceeds from this by analysis, by synthesis and analysis, by induction and deduction, and if possible by verification, or by new appeals toobservation under the guidance of deduction—by steps which are indeed correlative parts ofone method; and the ancient sciences afford examples of every one of these methods, or partsof one method, which have been generalized from the examples of science.
古人在科學探究中主要使用演繹法，而現(xiàn)代人則使用歸納法，這種解釋已成為司空見慣的說法，但事實證明，這種解釋過于狹窄，仔細研究也無法充分鮮明地指出古今科學學說和探究之間的明顯對比。因為所有的知識都建立在觀察的基礎(chǔ)上，然后通過分析、綜合和分析、歸納和演繹，如果可能的話，通過驗證，或者在演繹的指導(dǎo)下對觀察提出新的要求，這些步驟實際上是一種方法的相關(guān)部分；古代科學提供了這些方法中的每一種方法或一種方法的一部分的例子，這些例子是從科學的例子中概括出來的。
A failure to employ or to employ adequately any one of these partial methods, animperfection in the arts and resources of observation and experiment, carelessness inobservation, neglect of relevant facts, by appeal to experiment and observation—theseare the faults which cause all failures to ascertain truth, whether among the ancients or themoderns; but this statement does not explain why the modern is possessed of a greatervirtue, and by what means he attained his superiority. Much less does it explain the suddengrowth of science in recent times.
沒有使用或沒有充分使用這些部分方法中的任何一種，在觀察和實驗的藝術(shù)和資源方面不夠完善，在觀察中粗心大意，忽視相關(guān)的事實，訴諸實驗和觀察--這些都是導(dǎo)致查明真相的所有失敗的缺點，無論是在古人還是在現(xiàn)代人中間都是如此；但這種說法并不能解釋為什么現(xiàn)代人擁有一種偉大的美德，以及他是通過什么手段獲得這種優(yōu)越性的。更無法解釋近代科學的突然發(fā)展。
The attempt to discover the explanation of this phenomenon in the antithesis of “facts” and“theories” or “facts” and “ideas”—in the neglect among the ancients of the former, and theirtoo exclusive attention to the latter—proves also to be too narrow, as well as open to thecharge of vagueness. For in the first place, the antithesis is not complete. Facts and theoriesare not coordinate species. Theories, if true, are facts—a particular class of facts indeed, generally complex, and if a logical connection subsists between their constituents, have allthe positive attributes of theories.
試圖從 “事實 ”與 “理論 ”或 “事實 ”與 “觀念 ”的對立中--從古人對前者的忽視和對后者過于專一的關(guān)注中--發(fā)現(xiàn)對這一現(xiàn)象的解釋，也顯得過于狹隘，而且容易招致含糊不清的指控。首先，對立面并不完整。事實與理論并不是相互協(xié)調(diào)的物種。理論如果是真實的，就是事實--確實是一類特殊的事實，一般來說是復(fù)雜的，而且如果其構(gòu)成要素之間存在邏輯聯(lián)系，就具有理論的所有積極屬性。
Nevertheless, this distinction, however inadequate it may be to explain the source of truemethod in science, is well founded, and connotes an important character in true method. A factis a proposition of simple. A theory, on the other hand, if true has all the characteristics of afact, except that its verification is possible only by indirect, remote, and difficult means. Toconvert theories into facts is to add simple verification, and the theory thus acquires the fullcharacteristics of a fact.
盡管如此，這種區(qū)分無論如何不足以解釋科學中真正方法的來源，但它是有根據(jù)的，并且包含了真正方法的一個重要特征。事實是一個簡單的命題。另一方面，理論如果是真實的，就具有事實的所有特征，只是其驗證只能通過間接、遙遠和困難的手段。將理論轉(zhuǎn)化為事實，就是增加了簡單的驗證，理論因此獲得了事實的全部特征。
問題
1.The title that best expresses the ideas of this passage is
A. Philosophy of mathematics.
B. The RecentGrowth in Science.
C. The Verification of Facts.
D. Methods of Scientific Inquiry.
2.According to the author, one possible reason for the growth of science during thedays of the ancient Greeks and in modern times is
A. the similarity between the two periods.
B. that it was an act of God.
C. that both tried to develop the inductive method.
D. due to the decline of the deductive method.
3.The difference between “fact” and “theory”
A. is that the latter needs confirmation.
B. rests on the simplicity of the former.
C. is the difference between the modern scientists and the ancient Greeks.
D. helps us to understand the deductive method.
4.According to the author, mathematics is
A. an inductive science.
B. in need of simple verification.
C. a deductive science.
D. based on fact and theory.
5.The statement “Theories are facts” may be called.
A. a metaphor.
B. a paradox.
C. an appraisal of the inductive and deductive methods.
D. a pun.
答案解析
1. D. 科學研究/探索的方法。文章一開始就提出問題，為什么從希臘文化頂峰時期后兩千年來歸納法和數(shù)學科學發(fā)展如此緩慢，而后的兩百年又超越了前人，是應(yīng)用新，舊方法關(guān)系還是其它。第二段講埃及古代在科學探索中運用了演繹推理法，而現(xiàn)在應(yīng)用了歸納法。這種解釋太狹隘，經(jīng)仔細審核，難以很清晰地點明古代和現(xiàn)代科學教義和探究上明顯的差別。因為一切知識都基于觀察，通過分析，綜合，或綜合分析，歸納演繹推理，有可能的話，經(jīng)過校正或經(jīng)由演繹指導(dǎo)下再觀察而向前推進。第三段進一步闡明不用這些方法觀察，實驗;忽略相關(guān)事實，推理不慎;不能答出理論的結(jié)論，再用實驗或觀察來檢驗等或用得不全，不論在古代還是現(xiàn)代都會失敗。但這不能說明為什么現(xiàn)代科學具有較高的功效，通過什么方式方法，超越了前人，更不用說說明最近科學突飛猛進的原因。第四，五段涉及事實和理論的關(guān)系。
2. B. 是上天的安排，這是作家在用方法論等失敗后得出的結(jié)論。見難句譯注4，第一段最后一句話。
3. A. 后者需要證實。答案在第四，五段，死段試圖在事實的對立面和理論，或事實和思想中發(fā)現(xiàn)上述現(xiàn)象的解釋看起來有餓太狹隘，也會因模糊不清遭批評。因為，對立面不全面，事實和理論不是同類的事物。理論，如果是真正的理論，就是事實——一種特殊類別的事實，一般復(fù)雜，但仍是事實。而事實，從詞的狹義來說，如果很復(fù)雜，如果各成分中存在著邏輯的聯(lián)系，就具有理論的一切主要特征。第五段第二句，事實是一個提議，通過運用知識的源泉和經(jīng)驗而證實的提議直接而又簡單。而理論，若是真理論，就有事實的一切特性(除非其證實只能通過非直接的，遙遠的和困難的方式方法)，把理論轉(zhuǎn)成事實必須用簡單的核實，理論因此具有事實的一切特性。
4. C. 是推理演繹科學，這個問題常識就能回答。
5. B. 是一個悖論。
以上就是英語四級閱讀練習：科學探究方法的文章示例，希望這些練習能夠成為你英語學習路上的得力助手，助你輕松應(yīng)對四級考試！
