2.B 和 C 是竄段選項，A選項中的sound和文章中的sounding含義不同。

　　It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings (測深) were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea.

　　24. 'Defied' in the 5th paragraph probably means ________

　　A) 'doubted' B) 'gave proof to'

　　C) 'challenged' D) 'agreed to'

　　注：詞匯題。定位倒數(shù)第二段,defy 前后意思相反，可以推出24題答案為C

　　25. This passage is mainly about _________

　　A) the beginnings of oceanography

　　B) the laying of the first undersea cable

　　C) the investigation of ocean depths

　　D) the early intercontinental communications

　　注：主題題。主題關(guān)鍵詞為oceanography