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1、精選優(yōu)質(zhì)文檔-----傾情為你奉上 江蘇省南京市2015屆高三第三次模擬考試 英語 2015. 05 第一部分 聽力（共兩節(jié)，滿分20分） 做題時，現(xiàn)將答案標在試卷上。錄音內(nèi)容結(jié)束后，你將有兩分鐘的時間將試卷上的答案轉(zhuǎn)涂到答題紙上。 第一節(jié) (共5小題； 每小題1分，滿分5分） 聽下面5段對話，每段對話后有一個小題，從題中所給的A \B\C三個選項中選出最佳選項，并標在試卷的相應(yīng)位置。聽完每段對話后，你都有10秒鐘的時間來回答有關(guān)小題和閱讀下一小題。每段對話僅讀一遍。 1. What is the woman probably doing? A. Preparing a

2、speech. B Listening to loud music. C Talking loudly on the telephone. 2. How does the woman like the canteen food? A. She is fond of it. B She is tired of it. C. She can’t have enough of it. 3. Why does the man want to wear his new suit? A. At the woman’s request. B. For an importa

3、nt occasion. C. To look more professional. 4. Where does this conversation probably take place? A. At the man’s house B. At a hotel C. In a cafe. 5. What time is it when the conversation is on? A. 8:30 B. 8:45 C. 9:15 第二節(jié)（共15小題,每小題1分，滿分15分） 聽下面5段對話或獨白

4、。每段對話或獨白后有幾個小題， 從題中所給的A、B、C三個選項中選出最佳選項，并標在試卷的相應(yīng)位置。聽每段對話或獨白前，你將有時間閱讀各個小題，每小題5秒鐘；聽完后，各小題將給出5秒鐘的作答時間。 每段對話或獨白讀兩遍。 聽第6段材料，回答第6、7題。 6. Why do they have no chance for the horror movie? A. The theater is too far. B. The tickets are sold out. C. The man didn’t read the paper. 7. Which cinema are they

5、going tonight? A. The Bayside B. The Capitol C. The Golden. 聽第7段材料，回答第8至10題。 8. What is true about the woman’s Danish friend? A. She worked at a bank. B. She used to live in London. C. She was the woman’s roommate. 9. How long will the woman be in Copenhagen? A. Two week

6、s. B. Seven days. C. Three days. 10. What has the woman heard about Copenhagen? A. It’s big but relaxing. B. People there are quite busy. C. It has good-quality desserts. 聽第8段材料，回答第11至13題。 11. What is the woman doing? A. Hosting an evening TV program. B. Having her bicycle

7、repaired. C. Lecturing on business management. 12. Why did the man take over the bicycle shop? A. He wanted to be his own boss. B. He found it more interesting. C. He wanted to win a bike race. 13. What do we learn about the people working in the shop? A. They are volunteers. B. They are all

8、 the man’s friends. C. They work five days a week. 聽第9段材料，回答第14至16題。 14. Why is the woman calling? A. She has an appointment with the man. B. She is checking if Mike still wants the desk. C. She wants to make sure if she could deliver the desk. 15. What probably is the man who answered the ca

9、ll? A. A colleague of Mike’s. B. A relative of Mike’s C. A neighbor of Mike’s 16. What happened to the manager? A. He is on sick leave. B. He is busy with something. C. He is just not being around. 聽第10段材料，回答第17至20題。 17. What is the presentation mainly about? A. The sales of the mo

10、tor car. B. The popularity of the motor car. C. The development of the motor car. 18. What used to restrict the use of electric vehicles? A. The driving ranger and cost. B. Recharging points and safety. C. The driving range and recharging points. 19. What does the speaker say about electric v

11、ehicles of today? A. They are able to receive email. B. They can do all the driving for users. C. They are comparatively environmental-friendly. 20 What do you learn about a conventional car in the future? A. It will be powered by vegetable oil. B. It will be challenged by other new-energy car

12、s. C. It will still play an important role on the market. 第二部分：英語知識運用(共兩節(jié)，滿分35分) 第1節(jié) ：單項填空(共15小題；每小題l分，滿分l5分) 【答案】D 【解析】考查形容詞的用法。 句意：---你的論點是平淡無奇。我不會讓你通過的。---你在開玩笑吧。Sound合情合理的；rational可選擇的；liberal自由的；plain平淡無奇的。根據(jù)句意選D。 【答案】B 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 句意：國際基金會已經(jīng)得到關(guān)于它促進金融穩(wěn)定、制止危機、促進貿(mào)易和減少貧困方面的努力而得到批評和贊譽

13、。worship尊重；credit贊揚；arguement爭執(zhí)；privilege特權(quán)。故選B。 【答案】C 【解析】考查副詞的用法。 句意：女觀眾對票房的推動達到前所未有的高度。Really真地；frequently頻繁地；rarely幾乎不，簡直不；never從不。根據(jù)題干中的if ever，seen before判斷是“幾乎沒有的一種高度”。故選C。 【答案】A 【解析】考查非謂語動詞的用法。 句意：接受不喜歡的狀況。它是關(guān)于接受所有已經(jīng)失去的和學(xué)會如何和那種丟失一起生活。題干中acknowledging和learning做about的并列賓語，故選A。 25. Som

14、e tourists visiting Tian’anmen Square during the holiday left a ________ of litter everywhere they went. A. trail B. dot C. chain D. track 【答案】A 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 句意：一些游覽北京天安門的顧客在假期期間邊走邊扔垃圾。 trail痕跡，一縷；dot小圓點；chain鏈子，連鎖店；track痕跡。a trail of一串串、一縷縷、一堆堆。故選A。 26. ---

15、-There won’t be anywhere to park. ----Oh, _______. Let’s try the subway. A. that’s a real bargain B. that’s a good point C. that’s really something D. that’s all settled 【答案】B 【解析】考查交際英語的用法。 句意：----沒有地方停車。---哦，有道理。我們就試試地下通道吧。---A. that’s a real bargain那是真正的便宜貨；B. that’s a good point說得

16、好，很有道理；C. that’s really something 太了不起了；D. that’s all settled一切都解決了。故選B。 27. How did it come about ________ a quiet person should appear so wild today? A. whether B. that C. if D. What 【答案】B 【解析】考查主語從句的用法。 句意：一個安靜的人今天竟然如此瘋狂，這事是怎么產(chǎn)生的。It是形式主語，that引導(dǎo)的主語從句，在從句中不做成分，僅起連接作用。故選B。 28. You never reall

17、y understand a person _______ you consider things from his point of view. A. if B. once C. as D. until 【答案】D 【解析】考查狀語從句的用法。 句意：直到你能從他的觀點角度上思考問題你才能真正了解一個人。If如果；once一旦；as由于；until直到。故選D。 29. ---Kingsman: The Secret Service is a spy action comedy film. Wants to come with me? ---I’d love to, but my

18、 best friend is getting married, and I won’t _______ it for anything. A. overlook B. trade C. miss D. forget 【答案】C 【解析】考查交際英語的用法。 句意：---《王牌特工:特工學(xué)院》是一種間諜動作喜劇電影。想和我一起去看嗎？----我愿意去，但是我最好的朋友就要結(jié)婚了，并且我不想錯過任何東西。overlook忽視； B. trade貿(mào)易；miss錯過；forget忘記。根據(jù)題意選C。 30. ---________ I say something to you? You w

19、ere really, really something back there. Incredible! ---Are you talking to ---me? Whoa! A. Must B. Can C. Need D. Should 【答案】B 【解析】考查情態(tài)動詞的用法。 句意：----我能和你說點事嗎？你真地、真地回到那里了。不可思議！----您在和我說話嗎？喔。Must必須；can能，可能；need必須；should應(yīng)該，竟然。故選B。 31. The guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and we spent a lo

20、vely evening wandering into places which we ________ straight past otherwise. A. had walked B. were walking C. would have walked D. must have walked 【答案】C 【解析】考查虛擬語氣的用法。 句意：向?qū)Ш軣嵝牟⑶抑R豐富，我們在我們要不然徑直走過的地方閑逛度過了一個美好夜晚。根據(jù)題干中的otherwise判斷，那晚上我們沒有徑直走過，應(yīng)是與過去事實相反，應(yīng)用would +have + 過去分詞。

21、故選C。 32. Loneliness is a feeling _______ people experience a powerful rush of emptiness and solitude. A. which B. where C. that D. how 【答案】B 【解析】考查定語從句的用法。 句意：孤獨是一種感覺，在那里人們經(jīng)歷了空虛和寂寞的巨大沖擊。先行詞是feeling，定語從句中缺少地點狀語，應(yīng)用where引導(dǎo)定語從句。故選B。 33. Halfway through the chapter _______ I hadn’t taken anything i

22、n. A. did I realize B. had I realized C. I realized D. I would realize 【答案】C 【解析】考查倒裝句的用法。 句意：這一章我讀到一半才意識到我根本沒有看懂。題干中的介詞短語是為了強調(diào)放在句首，該短語不含有否定意味，句子不倒裝。根據(jù)題干中的從句是過去完成時，主句應(yīng)用一般過去時。故選C。 34. If Kate had known what was _______ for her, she would not have married Tom. A. in response B. in return C. in

23、 reaction D. in store 【答案】D 【解析】考查介詞短語的用法。 句意：如果Kate知道為她準備著什么，她就不會和Tom結(jié)婚了。A. in response反應(yīng)； B. in return作為回報； C. in reaction回應(yīng)；D. in store必將到來，準備著。故選D。 【舉一反三】in + 名詞/形容詞短語匯總 in a way / sense (從某種意義上說) , in a / one word (總而言之), in advance（提前；事先）， in addition（除此之外） , in all （總共）, in case (of)（

24、以防萬一）, in charge（掌管；負責(zé)）, in common with（與……有共同之處）, in (great) demand 需要量很大，in need在危難中，在困難中，in detail （詳細地）, in effect / fact / reality（實際上）, in general（一般地）, in hand （在手頭上，在控制中）, in harmony (with )（與……和諧）, in nature （在自然中）, in no way / in no case / in no time (決不), in order（按順序） , in other words（換句

25、話說） , in person（親自） , in place （在合適的位置）, in public（公開地）, in return （作為回報）, in short （總而言之）, in store（必將到來；快要發(fā)生） , in surprise（驚奇地）,in the wild（在野外）, in the way（擋路）, in turn （依次地；倒過來）, in time （及時；遲早）, in face of （面臨著）, in honour of（紀念……）, in favour of （贊成；支持） 35. He started school the same day as I

26、 did and ________ to it like a duck to water. A. appealed B. took C. catered D. saw 【答案】B 【解析】考查動詞辨析。 句意：他和我同一天開始上學(xué)，就像鴨子喜歡水一樣喜歡上學(xué)。appeal to對……吸引力；took to開始喜歡；cater for迎合，顧及；see to注意。根據(jù)題干中的like判斷，故選B。 第二節(jié) 完形填空（共20小題；每小題1分，滿分20分） 40 the busy, bustling ways of modern

27、life. Can you 41 William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens skipping through a 42 door? There are double doors, sliding doors, stage doors and glass doors. The 43 and mystery of a door lies in its quality of being hidden. A glass door is not a door at all, but a window. The meaning of a door

28、 is to 44 what lies inside; to keep the heart in suspense. Also, there are many ways of opening doors. There is the cheery 45 of elbow with which the waiter opens the kitchen door. There is the sympathetic and awful 46 of the dentist’s maid who opens the door into the operating room and

29、, without speaking, 47 that the doctor is ready for you. The opening of doors has in it some flavor of the 48 , some sense of moving into a new moment. Even in 49 , the opening of a door may bring relief. But the closing of doors could be 50 , A door closed brings 51 to an end. A

30、nd there are degrees of sadness in the closing of doors. A door slammed is a confession of weakness. A door 52 shut may often be the most tragic gesture in life. The opening and closing of doors is a part of the serious fluency of life. Life will not stay 53 and let us alone. We are 54

31、opening doors with hope, closing them with despair. Life 55 not much longer than a pipe of tobacco, and destiny knocks us out like the ashes. 【文章解讀】這是關(guān)于美國作家莫利的哲學(xué)散文《門》的讀后感：門像一種淡然的眼神，與世無爭。爭斗喧鬧的是人。門外擁擠不堪。還有什么比門，更能象征人生？ 36. A. mystery B. relief C. scenery D. pleasure 【答案】A 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本

32、含義的辨析。A. mystery迷；B. relief釋放，緩解；C. scenery風(fēng)景；D.pleasure高興?！伴T悠悠的背后，隱藏著何等樣的奧秘？”故選A。 37. A. So B. Still C. Even D. Also 【答案】C 【解析】考查副詞的用法。 本空考查副詞基本含義的辨析。A. So因此；B. Still仍然；C. Even 甚至；D. Also也。根據(jù)前文的no man knows和下文的the most familiar room判斷應(yīng)填even。故選C。 38. A. wishes B. puzzles C. surprises D. changes

33、 【答案】C 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。A. wishes愿望； B. puzzles困惑；C. surprises吃驚； D. changes改變?？涨暗膭釉~harbour窩藏，庇護，根據(jù)前文的at dust應(yīng)是藏有令人驚奇的事情，讓人好奇。故選C。 39. A. checked B. fixed C. wrapped D. removed 【答案】B 【解析】考查動詞的用法。 本空考查動詞基本含義的辨析。A. checked檢查； B. fixed修理，安裝； C. rapped包裹； D. removed移除。根據(jù)下文的the leaking p

34、ipe判斷應(yīng)是“維修”。故選B。 40. A. essential to B. different from C. consistent with D. typical of 【答案】D 【解析】考查形容詞的用法。 本空考查形容詞基本含義的辨析。 A. essential to對……是重要的；B. different from不同于；C. consistent with與……一致；D. typical of典型的。這些具有典型的現(xiàn)代繁忙、忙碌的生活方式特點。故選D。 41. A. imagine B. suggest C. catch D. notice 【答案】A 【解析】考查

35、動詞的用法。 本空考查動詞基本含義的辨析。A. imagine想象；B. suggest建議；C. catch抓??；D. notice注意。根據(jù)下文的William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens skipping判斷應(yīng)是想象。故選A。 42. A. stage B. sliding C. glass D. revolving 【答案】D 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。A. stage階段，舞臺；B. sliding滑動；C. glass玻璃；D. revolving旋轉(zhuǎn)，循環(huán)，細講。根據(jù)前文William Shakespeare

36、 or Charles Dickens skipping應(yīng)是通過一個旋轉(zhuǎn)的門。故選D。 43. A. symbol B. miracle C. sign D. mark 【答案】A 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。A. symbol 象征；B. miracle奇跡；C. sign簽字； D. mark標記。根據(jù)下文的quality與mystery相對應(yīng)，故選A。 44. A. busy B. hide C. discover D. exhibit 【

37、答案】B 【解析】考查形容詞或動詞的用法。 本空考查形容詞基本含義的辨析。A. busy繁忙的；B. hide隱藏；C. discover發(fā)現(xiàn)；D. exhibit展覽。與下文的inside相對應(yīng)，故選B。 【答案】C 【解析】考查動詞的用法。 本空考查動詞基本含義的辨析。knock敲；bump蹦；push推；touch觸及。根據(jù)下文的elbow和open判斷。故選C。 【答案】A 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。silence沉默；noise噪音；voice,聲音；peace和平。根據(jù)下文without speaking與前文的sympathet

38、ic判斷，故選A。 【答案】C 【解析】考查動詞的用法。 本空考查動詞基本含義的辨析。announce宣布；admits承認；.implies暗示；expects期待。與前文的opens作并列謂語，故選C。 【答案】D 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。darkness黑暗；certainty一定；possibility可能性；unknown未知。與下文的some sense of moving對應(yīng)，故選D。 【答案】C 【解析】考查名詞的用法。 本空考查名詞基本含義的辨析。vain徒勞；hope希望；sadness悲傷；happiness幸福

39、。 與下文的relief對應(yīng)。故選C。 【答案】B 【解析】考查形容詞的用法。 本空考查形容詞基本含義的辨析。Easy容易的；terrible可怕的；dull枯燥的；interesting有趣的。與下文的end對應(yīng)。故選B。 【答案】D 【解析】考查不定代詞的用法。 本空考查不定代詞基本含義的辨析。Nothing什么也沒有，沒有事；eveything一切事情；anything任何事情；something某些事情?！耙簧汝P(guān)上的門意味著某種事情的結(jié)束。”故選D。 【答案】C 【解析】考查副詞的用法。 本空考查副詞基本含義的辨析。Heavily重重地，嚴重地；hurr

40、iedly匆忙的；gently溫柔地；firmly堅定地。與tragic對應(yīng)，故選C。 【答案】A 【解析】考查形容詞的用法。 本空考查形容詞基本含義的辨析。still靜止不動的；calm平靜；silent沉默；simple簡單。stay still保持靜止不動。故選A。 【答案】B 【解析】考查副詞的用法。 本空考查副詞基本含義的辨析。naturally,自然地；continually連續(xù)地；obviously顯然地；possibly可能地。我們不停地開、關(guān)門。故選B。 【答案】D 【解析】考查動詞的用法。 本空考查動詞基本含義的辨析。measures測量；,m

41、atches相配；,reaches到達；,lasts持續(xù)。根據(jù)主語life和空后的longer判斷。故選D。 第三部分 閱讀理解 認真閱讀下列短語，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題紙上將該項涂黑。 A Dear Applicant, A We regret to inform you that your application to the stated establishment cannot be proces

42、sed at this time due to the fact that it does not exist. After consultation with out mythical advisors we have also determined that even if it didn’t exist, the course “wandology” would be highly in demand and hence require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects: Advanced Spellc

43、rafting Mystimatics Defence Against The Dark Arts History of the Occult Shaft Design Your hand written grade sheet claiming top marks in “waving a stick about”, “ waving a pointy hat” and “watching Paul Daniels TV specials” sadly is not suitable for submission, however by applying through clear

44、ing you may be suitable of Liberal Arts courses. Alternatively you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best. On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success. Yours sincerely, XXX Dear Duke University Admissions,

45、 B Thank you for your rejection letter of March 26, 2015. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission into the Fall 2015 freshman class at Duke. This year I have been fortunate enough to receive rejection letters from t

46、he best and the brightest universities in the country. With a pool of letters so diverse and accomplished I was unable to accept the rejection letters I would have been able to only several years ago. Therefore, I will be attending Duke University's 2015 Class. I look forward to seeing you then.

47、 Best, Siobhan O'Dell Dear Siobhan, C I understand how disappointed you are that we were unable to offer you a space in our incoming class, I want to be honest with you and let you know that it’s very rare that we learn somet

48、hing that leads us to change our decision, in the last ten years we’ve about 500 requests for a review… and changed the decision four times Wish you all the best~ XXX 【文章解讀】文章一共三封信件，主要是UCAS寫給Siobha申請人的和Duke大學(xué)回復(fù)給申請人Siobhan以及他回復(fù)給大學(xué)的信件。 56. Of the three letters, which is in response to which? A.

49、 A---B B. C---B C. C---A D. B----C 【答案】B 【解析】考查細節(jié)辨認題。 根據(jù)文章信件B的落款是Siobhan O'Dell和信件C的稱呼是Dear Siobhan判斷應(yīng)是C寫給B的，故選B。 57. Chances for Duke University to change its admission decision in history were_______. A. none B. big C. slim D. hard to tell 【答案】C 【解析】考查細節(jié)辨認題。

50、 根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞Chances for Duke University to change its admission decision知道的文章的對應(yīng)信件是C，其中的I want to be honest with you and let you know that it’s very rare that we learn something that leads us to change our decision, in the last ten years we’ve about 500 requests for a review… and changed the decision fo

51、ur times可知Duke大學(xué)500年來只有四次介紹被拒絕的學(xué)生再次申請成功，slim很少的。故選C。 58. What makes it impossible for the applicant to resubmit an application next year? A. Tying the letter to an owl and send it to UCAS B. Printing out grade sheet C. Applying for the Liberal Arts course as an option D. Improving his scor

52、es 【答案】A 【解析】考查細節(jié)辨認題。 根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞the applicant to resubmit an application next year找到文章對應(yīng)段落是信件A中的Alternatively you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best的關(guān)鍵詞next year，題干中的是this year，故選A。 59. What can we infer form the letter about college application?

53、 A. It is disappointing for sure. B. Rejection letters are better written than offers. C. It is no as fun as on imagines. D. There could be extra work beyond normal procedure. 【答案】D 【解析】考查判斷推理題。 通讀三封信件，可知Duke大學(xué)也可根據(jù)正常程序之外的額外工作而錄取學(xué)生，文中的Siobhan就是一例。故選D。 B Do I exist? Obviously! Until De

54、scartes came along in the seventeenth century, everyone assumed that we exited. Obviously. The fact seemed so mind-blowingly obvious that it wasn’t really discussed. We could see ourselves in the mirror, we could feel pain and pleasure, we could think thoughts for ourselves and, more importantly, pe

55、rhaps, all the world’s main religions assumed that we do exist. So we exist. No you don’t it! You don’t exist. That’s because it’s impossible to show once and for all that you do. There’s no proof. You might think you exist-that you are sitting at a table reading this book, for instance-but how

56、could you show with 100 percent certainty that this is true? There’s no experiment that could prove it. Although Descartes said just you could prove your own existence by the fact that you are able to think, this isn’t actually, according to the British philosopher A. J. Ayer. Just because we know t

57、hat we are thinking, this doesn’t mean that there is a “you” doing the thinking. It just shows that the thoughts are happening, not that anyone is having them. Thoughts exists, “You” don’t. _____________! What a waste of time this question is. Although you can argue until the end of time whether

58、 you exist or not, it doesn’t get you anywhere. Unless you forget about this unanswerable question, you’ll be stuck thinking about it forever, and that isn’t of any use to anyone. Move on. Think about something more important! This very roughly, is the view of almost all philosophers, who prefer to

59、answer other, apparently more useful, questions. Yes, but… You exist, but not in the way you might think. According to the great French philosopher Ren Descartes, you can’t show that anything exists—apart from your own self. The existence of the entire world can be doubted in one way or another,

60、 but the facts you’re having thoughts shows that there might be something (that’s you) having them. This let Descartes to write the famous philosophical phrase, “ I think before I am”. 【文章解讀】這是一篇議論文。文章主要論述了Do I exist這個問題，最后以笛卡爾的“我思故我在”來回扣主題。 60. Which of the following can be the missing heading?

61、A. Forget about it B. What a ridiculous point C. Think about it D. What a pointless question 【答案】D 【解析】考查主旨大意題。 根據(jù)文章該部分的內(nèi)容，特別是第一句話What a waste of time this question is可知這是一個無意義的問題，判斷選D。 61. This passage is anything but a(n)___________. A. comment B. discussion C

62、. argument D. debate 【答案】A 【解析】考查判斷推理題。 A. comment評論；B. discussion討論；C. argument爭論；D. debate爭論。根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞anything but絕不是，通讀全文，根據(jù)文章的這幾部分可知這是一場辯論性質(zhì)的議論文，不是評論。故選A。 62. The famous answer to the question “Do I exist?” is ___________. A. No, you don’t exist. B. I think, therefore, I am. C.

63、Yes, you do exist. D. It won’t get you anywhere 【答案】B 【解析】考查細節(jié)辨認題。 根據(jù)文章最后一段的This let Descartes to write the famous philosophical phrase, “ I think before I am”可知該問題“我存在嗎”的答案是我認為我存在，所有我是。故選B。 C Knots are the kind of stuff that even myths are made of. In the Greek legend of the Gordian

64、 knot, for example, Alexander the Great used his sword to slice through a knot that had failed all previous attempts to unite it. Knots, enjoy a long history of tales and fanciful names such as “Englishman’s tie, ” “and “cat’s paw. ” Knots became the subject of serious scientific investigation when

65、in the 1860s the English physicist William Thomson (known today as Lord Kelvin) proposed that atoms were in fact knotted tubes of ether（醚）. In order to be able to develop the equivalent of a periodic table of the elements, Thomson had to be able to classify knots — find out which different knots wer

66、e possible. This sparked a great interest in the mathematical theory of knots. A mathematical knot looks very much like a familiar knot in a string, only with the string’s ends joined. In Thomson’s theory, knots could, in principle at least, model atoms of increasing complexity, such as the hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms, respectively. For knots to be truly useful in a mathematical theory, however, mathematicians searched for some precise way of proving that what appeared to be different knots were rea