单项选择题

The West has begun to take more notice of the East.
The fifth (1) of an enormous (2) reassessing the Chinese contribution to science and technology is to be published next year. The first volume, (3) was published twenty years ago, (4) the tone of the whole work. In it, evidence was given to show that many inventions which (5) , western historians had claimed for Europe, were made (6) in China. The attempt to rewrite the intellectual history of the world was not received (7) protest by some reputable historians. (8) , the evidence that has been presented so far in the first four volumes has persuaded many historians who were (9) at first. China’s invention of paper, printing, the magnetic compass and gunpowder (10) disputed, but this new history has added (11) bridge design, mechanical clocks, paddleboats and many (12) inventions to the list.
In the four volumes published so far no attempt has been made to explain (13) China has not kept up with the West in science and technology in modern (14) . It is probable that the answer (15) in the social and economic history of China, where a static society (16) a relatively benevolent regime of scholar-gentry (17) the potentially revolutionary and dynamic society of the West at the end of the Middle Ages. In recent years, the Chinese government has been making every effort to (18) the West again, and there is (19) doubt that the gap is being (20) year by year. But will China avoid the West’s mistake

15（）

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