长久以来，我们习惯用原子钟、分秒刻度衡量时间。但你有没有想过：时间不一定是绝对不变的。科学家打造出一座特殊时钟，跟着阿拉斯加河流的流速走，河流变快，时间就加快；河流放缓，时间也随之慢下来。这不仅仅是新奇发明，更是提醒我们：人类的时间，本就和地球生态紧紧相连。
（选自北师大实验中学2027届高三英语开学摸底考试D篇）
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 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 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 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, 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.
五世纪早期的哲学家圣奥古斯丁有句名言：没人问起时间是什么的时候，我心知肚明；一旦有人发问，我反倒答不上来了。阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦又增添了一层新的见解，他提出理论：时间的流逝速率会随测量位置的不同而改变。如今最先进的原子钟已经证实了爱因斯坦的理论。即便是前沿物理学也无法一锤定音地解释时间的本质，因为答案取决于我们提出的具体问题。
别再把时间看作绝对不变的事物。倘若我们不再从天文学角度定义时间，转而将时间和生态挂钩，会怎么样？倘若让环境状况来设定人类生活的节奏，会怎么样？我们愈发意识到，仅靠工程技术无法操控地球生态系统，也明白若想与自然和谐共生，就必须约束自身行为。如果我们对时间的定义能够体现这一理念，又会如何？
最近，我构思出了一种全新计时方式：它与地球的环境状况绑定，而这些环境条件会因全球变暖发生改变。我们正在安克雷奇博物馆打造一座时钟，它能够反映阿拉斯加数条主要河流的总径流量，这些河流对区域及全球环境变化十分敏感。我们给时钟设定了程序：如果河道流速保持现状，时钟时间就和原子钟保持同步；未来河流平均流速加快，这座时钟的时间就会快于标准时间；如果流速放缓，则会出现相反的结果。
这座时钟既能记录河流水文的短期波动，也能捕捉长期变化趋势。它相当于一座观测站，从河流自身的时间维度展现水流状态，我们也可以通过智能手表、手机查看这些变化。选择遵循“阿拉斯加河流标准时间”生活的人，将以和地球和谐共处的方式生活；当人们把河流时间和原子时间对照、发现巨大偏差时，就会主动做出改变：减少燃料消耗，或是支持环保政策，来平衡这种偏差。
尽管这套计时方法的细节设计十分新颖，但早期农业社会早已有过把时间和自然现象绑定的做法。比如在古典时代之前的希腊，人们会前后调整官方历法的日期，来适配季节更迭。将时间和环境联动，是当时人类生存的关键。同理，我们正在研发的河流计时以及其他计时体系，也有望提升人们的环保意识。
圣奥古斯丁坦言无法给时间下定义时，也点明了时间最显著的一个特质：只有置于特定语境之下，时间才有意义。任何计时体系都具备其合理性，只要契合设立初衷，就都值得肯定。
