考向 3 主题语境人与自然之环境保护（真题+各地名校最新试卷）--备战2022年高考英语阅读理解专项突破（练习版）.docVIP

优点英语 备战2022年高考英语阅读理解专项突破 考向3 人与自然之环境保护 Passage 1 （2021·北京·高考真题） Early fifth-century philosopher St．Augustine famously wrote that he knew what time was unless someone asked him．Albert Einstein added another wrinkle when he theorized that time varies depending on where you measure it．Todays state-of-the-art atomic（原子的） clocks have proven Einstein right．Even advanced physics cant decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question youre asking． Forget about time as an absolute．What if，instead of considering time in terms of astronomy,we related time to ecology？What if we allowed environmental conditions to set the tempo（节奏） of human life？Were increasingly aware of the fact that we cant control Earth systems with engineering alone，and realizing that we need to moderate（调节）our actions if we hope to live in balance．What if our definition of time reflected that？ Recently，I conceptualized a new approach to timekeeping thats connected to circumstances on our planet，conditions that might change as a result of global warming．Were now building a clock at the Anchorage Museum that reflects the total flow of several major Alaskan rivers，which are sensitive to local and global environmental changes．Weve programmed it to match an atomic clock if the waterways continue to flow at their present rate．If the rivers run faster in the future on average，the clock will get ahead of standard time．If they run slower，youll see the opposite effect． The clock registers both short-term irregularities and long-term trends in river dynamics．Its a sort of observatory that reveals how the rivers are behaving from their own temporal frame（时间框架），and allows us to witness those changes on our smartwatches or phones．Anyone who opts to go on Alaska Mean River Time will live in harmony with the planet．Anyone who considers river time in relation to atomic time will encounter a major imbalance and may be motivated to counteract it by consuming less fuel or supporting greener policies