Initially this was （） at as farfetched conjecture, but gradually it has received grudging respect and empirical support.
A、scorned
B、scotched
C、scolded
D、scoffed
【正确答案】：D
【题目解析】：本题考查动词辨析。scorn：轻视，看不起；scotch：扑灭，切开；scold：责骂，斥责；scoff：嘲笑，嘲弄。由but可以看出前后两分句是转折关系。后一句中提到“”它得到了尊重和支持“，所以前一句应该是相反的意思，故D选项”嘲笑“最符合句意。句意：起初，这被嘲笑为一个牵强附会的猜想，但渐渐地，它得到了勉强的尊重和经验支持。
