問題詳情：
For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript（手稿）consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious（神祕）as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it," she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen（工匠）who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eve problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how on object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared-something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together: She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
Back when science—then called “the new philosophy”—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering（修補）, as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
38．How did Smith, feel after reading the French manuscript?
A．Confused about the technical terms.
B．Impressed with its detailed instructions.
C．Discouraged by its complex structure.
D．Shocked for her own lack of hand skills.
39．According to Smith, the reconstruction work is done mainly to _____________.
A．restore old workshops B．understand the craftsmen
C．improve visual effects D．inspire the philosophers
40．Why does the author mention museums?
A．To reveal the beauty of ancient objects.
B．To present the findings of old science.
C．To highlight the importance of antiques.
D．To emphasise the values of hand skills.
41．Which would be the best title for this passage?
A．Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists
B．Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories
C．Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists
D．Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science
【回答】
38．D
39．B
40．D
41．C
【分析】
本文是一篇記敍文。主要講述科學家Paula Smith致力於對古代手工技能的研究，認為科學家如果能夠把古代的手工技能和現代的科學方法結合起來，就能夠創造更大成就。
38．細節理解題。根據文章第二段“But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it," she says.” 讓史密斯震驚的主要是，她並沒有真正掌握作者所描述的任何技能。她説:“你根本無法通過閲讀來了解這些手工作品。” 由此可知讀完這份法國手稿，這種手工技能讓史密斯感到震驚，故選D。
39．細節理解題。根據文章第三段“Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen（工匠）who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, ” 重建幾個世紀前工匠的作品，可以揭示他們如何看待世界，他們的家裏有什麼物件。由此可知，重建工作主要是為了瞭解工匠。故選B。
40．推理判斷題。根據文章第四段“The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how on object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down.” 史密斯説，這項工作也給博物館帶來了深刻的見解。為了保存它，一個人必須知道一件物品是如何製成的。更重要的是，重建可能是唯一的方法，以瞭解寶藏磨損之前的樣子。因此可知，博物館要想很好保存物品，必須要知道這件物品是如何製成的，也是在強調手工技能的價值，故選D。
41．主旨大意題。根據文章最後一段“If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors. ”史密斯説，如果我們能重新發現實踐經驗和工藝的價值，我們就能將現代的最好見解與我們祖先的靈巧結合起來。由此可知本文的中心思想就在於如果科學家能把古代的手工技巧同現代的理論結合起來，就能夠獲得更多的成就。C選項Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists工藝造就了更好的科學家，符合文章主題，適合做標題，故選C。
【點睛】
標題猜測題。屬於主旨大意題的一種，標題應位於文章之首，概括文章內容，點明文章主題。它可以是單詞，短語，或句子。確定文章標題，第一，標題要與主題密切相關；其次，看標題是否能概括全文內容，不能只概括短文中的某些事實或細節；第三，標題範圍不應太大或太小；最後，標題應新穎，概括*強並且精煉。小題4中C選項概括文中主旨大意，與主題密切相關，故選C。
知識點：科普知識與現代技術
題型：閲讀理解
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