《2025年天利38套五年高考真题汇编详解英语》

D
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. Today’s state - of - the - art atomic(原子的) clocks have proven Einstein right. Even advanced physics can’t decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you’re 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? We’re increasingly aware of the fact that we can’t 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 that’s connected to circumstances on our planet, conditions that might change as a result of global warming. We’re 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. We’ve 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, you’ll see the opposite effect.
The clock registers both short - term irregularities and long - term trends in river dynamics. It’s 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.
Even if this method of timekeeping is novel in its particulars, early agricultural societies also connected time to natural phenomena. In pre - Classical Greece, for instance, people “corrected” official calendars by shifting dates forward or backward to reflect the change of season. Temporal connection to the environment was vital to their survival. Likewise, river time and other timekeeping systems we’re developing may encourage environmental awareness.
When St. Augustine admitted his inability to define time, he highlighted one of time’s most noticeable qualities: Time becomes meaningful only in a defined context. Any timekeeping system is valid, and each is as praiseworthy as its purpose.
31. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A. Timekeeping is increasingly related to nature.
B. Everyone can define time on their own terms.
C. The qualities of time vary with how you measure it.
D. Time is a major concern of philosophers and scientists.
32. The author raises three questions in Paragraph 2 mainly to ________.
A. present an assumption
B. evaluate an argument
C. highlight an experiment
D. introduce an approach
33. What can we learn from this passage?
A. Those who do not go on river time will live an imbalanced life.
B. New ways of measuring time can help to control Earth systems.
C. Atomic time will get ahead of river time if the rivers run slower.
D. Modern technology may help to shape the rivers’ temporal frame.
34. What can we infer from this passage?
A. It is crucial to improve the definition of time.
B. A fixed frame will make time meaningless.
C. We should live in harmony with nature.
D. History is a mirror reflecting reality.

答案： 31.B 段落大意题 [定位句]Even advanced physics can't decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you're asking.(第一段最后一句)
译文:即使是高等物理也不能明确地告诉我们时间是什么，因为答案取决于你提出的问题。
[解析]根据第一段内容尤其是定位句可知，第一段主要介绍了每个人都可以用自己的方式来定义时间。故选B。
32.D 推理判断题 [定位句]①Forget 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? (第二段第一至三句)
译文:忘记时间是一种绝对真理。如果我们把时间与生态联系起来，而不是依据天文学来考虑时间，会怎么样呢？如果我们让环境条件来决定人类生活的节奏会怎么样？
②What if our definition of time reflected that? (第二段最后一句)
译文:如果我们对于时间的定义反映了这一点会怎么样？
[解析]根据定位句可推知，作者在第二段提出三个问题是为了介绍定义时间的方法。故选D。
33.C 细节理解题 [定位句]We've 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, you'll see the opposite effect.(第三段最后三句)
译文:如果水路继续以它们现在的速度流动，我们将它编入了与原子钟相匹配的程序。如果未来河流的平均流速更快，时钟就会走在标准时间之前。如果它们流得慢些，你就会看到相反的效果。
[解析]根据定位句可知，如果河流的流速变慢，原子时间就会走在河流时间之前。故选C。
34.C 推理判断题 [定位句]①Anyone who opts to go on Alaska Mean River Time will live in harmony with the planet.(第四段第三句)
译文:任何选择使用阿拉斯加平均河流时间的人将与地球和谐相处。
②Temporal connection to the environment was vital to their survival. Likewise, river time and other timekeeping systems we're developing may encourage environmental awareness.(第五段最后两句)
译文:与环境的短暂联系对它们的生存至关重要。同样，我们正在开发的河流时间和其他计时系统可能会激励环境（保护）意识。
[解析]根据定位句可推知，我们应该与自然和谐相处。故选C。