Many objects in daily use have clearly been influenced by science,but their form and function,their dimensions and appearance,were determined by technologists,artisans,designers,inventors,and engineers &mdash using nonscientific modes of thought. Many features and qualities of the objects that a technologist thinks about cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptionsthey are dealt with in the mind by a visual,nonverbal process. In the development of Western technology,it has been nonverbal thinking,by and large,that has fixed the outlines and filled in the details of our material surroundings. Pyramids,cathedrals,and rockets exist not because of geometry or thermodynamics,but because they were first a picture in the minds of those who built them.

The creative shaping process of a technologist''s mind can be seen in nearly every artifact that exists. For example,in designing a diesel engine,a technologist might impress individual ways of nonverbal thinking on the machine by continually using an intuitive sense of rightness and fitness. What would be the shape of the combustion chamber? Where should be valves be placed? Should it have a long or short piston? Such questions have a range of answers that are supplied by experience,by physical requirements,by limitations of available space,and not least by a sense of form. Some decisions such as wall thickness and pin diameter,may depend on scientific calculations,but the nonscientific component of design remains primary.

4.Which of the following statements would best serve as an introduction to the text?

[A] The assumption that the knowledge incorporated in technological developments must be derived from science ignores the many nonscientific decisions made by technologists.

[B] Analytical thought is no longer a vital component in the success of technological development.

[C] As knowledge of technology has increased,the tendency has been to lose sight of the important role played by scientific thought in making decisions about form,arrangement,and texture.

[D] A movement in engineering colleges toward a technician''s degree reflects a demand for graduates who have the nonverbal reasoning ability that was once common among engineers.

「答案」A

「考点解析」这是一道中心主旨题。如果考生抓住了全文的中心主旨句(段的倒数第二句)以及每段的中心主旨句(例如第二段的倒数句)，就不难寻找出本题的正确选项A，因为该选项所强调的内容与这些中心主旨句所表达的内容是相互一致的。考生在破解中心主旨题型时一定要具备寻找和理解中心主旨句的能力。