2026届上海市高三英语一模专题汇编系列：阅读理解C篇

👉👉PAGE1页共171.2026COverthepastfewyears,areasinEastAsia,NorthAmericaandnorthernEuropehavebeencolderthannormalduringsomeperiodsofwinter.ThishasleftmanydebatingwhetherEarthisexperiencingglobalwarmingornot,butscientistshaveshownthatEarth'swarmingtrendsareresponsible.WhenpeopleintheNorthernHemispherehearNorthPoleorArcticregion,theyautomaticallythinkofthehemisphere'snorthernmostarea,thehomeofextremelycoldweatherduringlatefallandwinter.Duringthistime,verylittle,ifany,sunlightreachestheArctic'sstratosphere,onelayerofEarth'satmospherethatexistssixto20kilometersaboveEarth'ssurface.Tobalancethetemperaturedifferencewiththatofthewarmequatorialregion,anareaoflowpressurecalledthepolarvortex(涡流)formsandflowsinacompletecirclearoundthepole.Thisoccursinsidethestratosphereabout10kilometersabovetheEarth'ssurface.Whilethisbeltofstrongwindsisusuallystableandabletokeepthecoldaircontained,itcanbedestroyedbylossofseaice,duetoglobalwarming.Thisresultsinsurfacetemperatureschanging,changeswhichmakethemlessstable.Ifthishappens,thepolarvortexmayshift,slippingofftheNorthPoleandmovingsouth,oritcanseparateintotwoorthreeringsthatforminmultipleplacesfarsouthofthepole.Thisstretchingordistortion扭曲)ofthepolarvortexalsomakesinfluenceonthepathofthepolarjetwhichisresponsibleforEarth'sweather.Thisjetstream,alongwiththreeotherprimaryjetstreamsindifferentpartsoftheworld,islocatedinthetroposphere(对流层),theatmosphericlayerjustbelowthestratosphere.Thepolarjetstream'saircurrentsblowfrom177kilometersanhourtoover400kilometersanhourandfromwesttoeastbetween50degreesand60degreeslatitude―thinkfromFrancetoNorway.Thedifferencesincoldpolarairandwarmmid-latitudeairformthepolarjetstream,anditsmovementprolongsperiodsofcoldorwarmweatherindifferentLargetemperaturedifferencesbetweentheArcticandmid-latitudescausethepolarjetstreamtobestrongandmovestraight,keepingthecoldinthenorth.BecausetheArcticiswarmingatafastpace,thetemperaturedifferencebetweenitandmid-latitudesisdecreasing,makingthepolarjetstreamslowerandweaker.That,inturn,makesthestreammorelikelytobendnorthandsouth.Whenitbendsfarenough,thebarrierbetweenArcticandmid-latitudeaircandivedowntoMexico,takingArctictemperaturesalongfortheride.Althoughheatandcoldareconsideredopposites,inthecaseofclimate,theformercancausetheTheword"prolong"(para6)isclosestinmeaningtoA. B. C. D.WhatissuggestedintheHeatandcoldareoppositebuttheycanchangeeachTheairlayersabovetheearthareresponsibleforclimateTheextremecoldinsomeareasoriginatedfromotherareas'TheWarmingEarthisactuallycausedbytheColderWhatcanbeinferredfromtheThestreamsintheNorthernHemispherehavetomovetotheItiscertainthattheEarthwillbecomewarmerandThetemperaturedifferencebetweendayandnightwillThecolderareasmightgraduallybecomelargerandlargerintheWhatisthemainfocusoftheTheRelationshipbetweenWarmingEarthandColderTheStrangePhenomenonofWarmingEarthwithColderTheTemperatureDifferencesbetweentheArcticandMid-latitudeThePotentialReasonsforEarthBecomingWarmerand2.2026CWhenyouwereakid,youmostlikelyhadmorefriendsthanyoudonow.Asyougrewup,yourfriendshipcirclemostlikelygrewsmaller.Younowhavejustafewreallyimportantfriendships.Oneideasuggeststhatwebecomemoreselectiveaboutourfriendsbecausewebecomeincreasinglyawareofourownmortality(生命的有限).Inotherwords,wehavefuture-orientedcognition(认知).However,arecentstudysuggeststhatourfriendshipsmaynotactuallybetiedtothinkingaboutthefuture.Inthisstudy,ateamofresearchersanalyzed78,000hoursofobservationsof21malechimpanzees(黑猩猩)madebetween1995and2016Auniquefeatureofthisstudyisthevaluethatexistsinthelong-termcollectionofdata.Likehumans,asthesechimpanzeesgrewolder,theyincreasedthenumberofmutualfriendshipsanddecreasedthenumberofone-sidedfriendships.Inthesemutualfriendships,agedchimpanzeesweremorelikelytogroom(理毛)eachotherandtheyengagedingroomingforlongerwhichsuggeststhesefriendshipswereofhighvaluetothechimpanzees.Theseresultsquestionsomeaspectsofthesocioemotionalselectivitytheory.WhilehumanshaveasenseofmortalityitiswidelybelievedthatchimpanzeesdonotBecausewearesocloselyrelatedtochimpanzees,thesefindingsinthewildchimpsmightalsoapplytopeople.Butiffuture-orientatedcognitionisn’tthesourceofthisshiftinbehaviorseeninbothhumansandchimpanzees,whatis?Now,theresearchersareusingthesamedatasettoinvestigatewhetherchangesinemotionalreactivityexplaintherecentfindingsfromthemalechimpanzees.JoanSilk,aprofessornotinvolvedinthestudy,explainedthatitcouldbeemotionalreactivity,butthat’sjustapossibleexplanation,distinctfromacompleteexplanationofhowsomethingworks.Doesemotionalreactivityalsoexplainhumanshiftsinfriendshipselection?Thesearequestionsthatdeservefurtherstudy.Anyway,thenewstudygivesvaluableinsightintohownaturalselectionshapessocialrelationshipstrategiesasweage,anditisalsostimulatingbecauseitmakesonereconsiderthenatureofhowhumansthinkandbehave.Answeringquestionslikethisisdifficultbecausehumanslivesuchalongtime,butwhat’simportantaboutthisstudyisthatitprovideslong-termdataonknownindividualsthatlivealongtime.Bystudyingourevolutionarycousins,wecanlearnmoreaboutourownbehavior.WhatsocialchangeoccursinbothhumansandchimpanzeesastheyTheyavoidallformsofsocialTheirfriendshipcirclesexpandTheyprioritizequantityoverqualityinTheyfocusonfewerbutdeepermutualThechimpanzeestudychallengesthesocioemotionalselectivitytheorybecause youngchimpanzeesexhibitedstrongerfuture-orientedhumanfriendshipswereprovenunrelatedtoemotionalchimpanzeeswerefoundtohaveahuman-likeunderstandingofthesocialshiftoccursinchimpanzeesdespitetheirlackofmortalityWhatdidJoanSilkimplyaboutthechimpanzeeItsapproachis B.ItsfindingsremainC.Itsexplanationis D.ItsconclusionsareWhichofthefollowingisthebesttitlefortheAgingandFriendship:ANewInsightfromFuture-OrientedCognition:TheKeytoTheEmotionalReactivityofMaleHowMortalityShapesHuman3.20263.2026C👉👉PAGE3页共17On27September1825,RobertStephensonandCo’sLocomotionNo.1arrivedinStockton,England.Asthefirstrailvehicletocarrypassengers,itwasgreetedwithaseven-gunsaluteandanastonishedcrowd.“Itwasfoundtobequiteimpossibletocontaintheenthusiasmofthecrowd,”reportedajournalist.Thisweekendthecelebrationsarelikelytobeslightlylesswild,asthe200thanniversaryofthepioneeringStocktonandDarlingtonrailwayline(S&DR)ismarked.Buttheywillundoubtedlybeheartfelt.Areplica复制品)ofthepioneeringengineistorecreatetheoriginaljourney,withviewingticketssoldoutalongtherouteandabigscreenfollowingitsprogressinthetowncentre.Asetofstampsinmemoryoftheeventisbeingissued,whichfeelsappropriatelyoldschool.ThebusinessmenwhoinvestedintheS&DRbackinthe19thcenturyweremotivatedbythefunctionalbenefitsoftransportingcoalmoreefficiently.Buttheirprojecteventuallyunlockedfarwiderhumanpossibilities,transformingthesenseofdistanceandchangingthewaythenationlived.TrainscarriedVictorianworking-classfamiliestotheseasideandback,andreunitedloversonwindsweptplatforms.Crowded20th-centurypassengertrainsranregularlybetweensatellitetownsandcities.Arailwaystationbecamepartoftheidentityofaplace,aswellasapointofdeparturefromit.Thesedaystherailwaysarejourneyingwithdifficultytowardsanewera.Theshort-sightedrailwaycutsofthe1960s,andtheneedless,failedprivatisation(私有化)ofthe1990s,wereavoidablepoliticalerrorswhoselegacyisstillfelttoday.Extremelyhighticketpricesandlong-termmismanagementinthenorth,wherethestorybegan,harmthecontemporarynetwork.Asthegovernmentgraduallytakesmoretrainoperatorsbackunderpublicownership,amuch-neededstrategicresetisrequired.Therailindustryshouldbecomeakeyforceofgreensustainablegrowth.Sadly,plansforhigh-speedrailinnorthernEnglandaretobedelayedagain.Thisdoesnotinspireconfidence.Fortrainloversthough,thisweekendisaboutthepastnotthefuture.LocomotionNo.1launchedajourneythatmeantfarmorethantravellingfromAtoB.FromENesbit’sdescriptionofaruralchildhoodtoWHAuden’spoem,thetriphasleftalastingmarkonourliterature.CarnforthinLancashirestillcelebratesitsstation’sroleinthecinemaclassicBriefEncounter,whereatragicromanceisbroughttoaclosebyaguard’swhistle,andtherhythmicsoundofwheelsbeginningtomoveontrack.Accordingtothepassage,LocomotionNo.1referredto A.aprojectfoundedbybusinessmenintheVictorianB.areplicabuilttocelebratetherailway’s200thC.amachinededicatedtocarryingcoaloutmoreD.avehiclemarkingthebeginningofpassengertransportbyItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheraildevelopment holdsculturalsignificancebeyondbeingameansofhasundergoneasuccessfultransitiontomeetmodern-dayisfocusingontheconstructionandexpansionofhigh-speedrailhassufferedadeclineduetotheriseofmoresustainabletransportTheunderlinedsentenceinParagraph4mostprobablymeans decisionsintendedforreformshaveledtolong-lastingincreasesinticketpriceweremeantforapotentialservicerailwaycutsinthe1960soncethoughtshort-sightedprovepoliticalerrorsinthepasthaveendedtherailwaynetworkforWhat’stheauthor’sattitudetowardsthechangesintherailwayoverthepasttwo disappointedbut B.hatefuland respectfulyet D.confidentand4.20264.2026C👉👉PAGE4页共17Hollywoodwritersscoredamajorvictorylastmonthintheirbattleoverhowartificialintelligencecanbeusedinfuturefilmandtelevisionprojects.ExpertssaythecontractguidelinesbetweentheWritersGuildofAmerica(WGA)andtheAllianceofMotionPictureandTelevisionProducers(AMPTP)couldofferamodelforworkersinHollywoodandotherindustries.Thewriters’contractdoesnotoutlawtheuseofAItoolsinthewritingprocess,butitsetsupprotectionstomakesurethetechnologystaysinthecontrolofworkers,ratherthanbeingusedbytheirbossestoreplacethem.Thenewrulesguardagainstseveraloccasionsthatwritershadfeared,comedianAdamConover,amemberoftheWGAnegotiatingcommittee,said.OnesuchsituationwasstudiosbeingallowedtogenerateafullscriptusingAIandthendemandingthatahumanwritercompletethewritingprocess.Underthenewterms,studios“cannotuseAItowritescriptsortoeditscriptsthathavealreadybeenwrittenbyawriter”,Conoversaid.ThecontractalsopreventsstudiosfromtreatingAI-generatedcontentas“sourcematerial”,likeanoveloraplaythatscreenwriterscouldbeassignedtoadaptforalowerfeeandlesscreditthananoriginalscript.Forinstance,ifthestudioswereallowedtouseChatGPTtogeneratea100,000-wordnovelandthenaskwriterstoadaptit,“Thatwouldbealoophole(漏洞)forthemtoreducethewagesofscreenwriters,”hesaid.“We’renotallowingthat.”Ifwritersadaptoutputfromlargelanguagemodels,itwillstillbeconsideredanoriginalscreenplay,headded.SimonJohnson,aneconomistattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologywhostudiestechnologicaltransformation,calledthenewtermsa“fantasticwinforwriters”andsaiditwouldlikelyresultin“betterqualityworkandastrongerindustryforlonger”.TheunionwinonAIisalsonotalossforthestudios,henoted,sincethey“willgetabetterproductfromthisarrangement”thantheymighthaveotherwise.WhatdoesthenewcontractbetweenWGAandAMPTPsayabouttheuseofAITheyarecompletelybannedfromthewritingTheycanbeusedbutmuststayunderwriters’TheyareencouragedtoreplacehumanwritersinTheycanbeusedonlyforeditingfinishedAccordingtothenewrules,whichofthefollowingpracticesisdisallowedUsingAItofinishorreviseascriptwrittenbyahumanAskingwriterstopolishscriptsoriginallywrittenbyLettingwritersadaptplaysornovelsintonewPreventingwritersfromusingAItoolsforbrainstormingItcanbeinferredthatthewritersviewAItechnologymainlyas A.atoolthatcanimproveefficiencyif B.along-termissuethatneedsfurtherC.anecessaryevilthatwouldeventuallybe D.athreatthatrequiresimmediateWhydoesSimonJohnsonthinkhighlyofthenewTheentertainmentindustryisforcedtofocusonwriters’TheyensuregreaterjobstabilityandfairertreatmentforTheadoptionofAItoolssavestimeandlowersthestudios’Theysecurewriters’rightsandsupportamoresustainable5.20265.2026C👉👉PAGE5页共17Ilovethewaycloudsfloatabovemyhead.Theseever-shiftingsculpturesofvapor蒸气)andlightareamongnature’sleastappreciatedmarvels.Howexactlycloudcoverwillshiftinawarmingworldisanyone’sguess.Cloudsdon’tjustlookdifferentfromoneanother;theyalsohaveverydifferenteffectsontemperaturesatthesurfaceofthelandorwaterbelow.Thesedifferenceshavetodowithhowmuchofthesun’sheattheyallowthroughandhowmuchofEarth’sheattheytrapin.Lowcloudstypicallyhaveacoolingeffect.Muchofthesun’sraysarereflectedofftheirwhitetopsbackupintospace.Andtheyareheavyenoughtocastshadows,coolingthesurfacebelow.Sincetheirwaterdropsarewarmer,they’reasgoodatgivingoffEarth’sheatupintospaceastheyareatabsorbingitfrombelow.Highcloudsdotheopposite,warmingEarth’ssurface.Contrarytocommonbelief,thisisbecausetheicecrystals(冰晶)inthesecloudsarecold.Highcloudsareoftennotasheavysotheycanletinmoreofthesun’srays.Butsincetheyarecold,theydon’tsendoutasmuchofEarth’sheatintospacemorelikeblanketsthanumbrellas,resultinginawarmingeffect.Themixofcloudtypesoverourplanetensurestheyhaveanoverallcoolingeffectbecausetheshadefromthelowcloudsoutweighsthewarmingeffectofthehighones.Yetastemperaturesrise,lowcloudsmaydeclinewhilehighcloudspersist,creatingaclimatefeedbackloop—aself-enhancingcyclesimilartoaclassicfeedbackmechanism.InarecentpaperinthejournalScience,reducedlowcloudcovercontributedabout0.2℃to2023’srecord-breakingaverageglobaltemperatures.Inotherwords,thereductioninEarth’slowcloudshelpedexplainsomeoftheextremeheatthatClimatefeedbackloopsbroughtonbycloudshavebeenidentifiedasoneofthelargestunknownsinprojectionsofwarming.Aswelearnmoreaboutthepotentialtippingpointsofourclimate—irreversiblechangesinthesystem—wemayfindourselvesapproachingonetooquicklyfordecarbonizationeffortsalonetopreventit.Someunderstandingofthelikelyeffectsofgeoengineeringprojectssuchascloudbrighteningwillthenbeinvaluable,nomatterhowmisguidedsuchinterventionsmightseem.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementscorrectlydescribesLowcloudsarenotasheavyashighThickwhitecloudswarmthegroundbytrappingWarmwaterdropsofhighcloudsreleaseandabsorbheatCloudsdifferinhowtheyletinthesun’sheatandtrapEarth’sAccordingtothepassage,aclimatefeedbackloopisacyclethat speedsuptheverywarmingthatactivatedenhancescoolingbypromotinglowcloudreduceshighcloudcovertoboostsunlightbalanceswarmingandcoolingeffectsatthesameWhatcanbeinferredfromthepassageaboutthewriter’sDecarbonizationmayinfluencehowcloudsCloudsmayofferawaytoaddressglobalCloud-basedgeoengineeringprojectsmaybeStudyingcloudscantelluswhenthetippingpointWhatisthepassagemainlyActionableclimate B.ChangesinhowlowandhighcloudsC.Linksbetweencloudsandglobal D.Approachestoappreciatingcloud6.20266.2026C👉👉PAGE6页共17TheGeniusMythbyHelenLewisWhatmakesagenius?Wemightsayit’sacombinationofextraordinarytalentanddrive,oftenaccompaniedbymadness.ThomasEdison,AlbertEinsteinandPabloPicassoallmadepioneeringbreakthroughsintheirrespectivefieldswhilelivinglegendarylives.HelenLewis’sTheGeniusMyth,however,arguesthatsocietywronglyadmiresfigureslikethem.Sheclaimsthe“genius”labelexcusesimmoralbehaviours—alcoholism,abandonment,drugabuse.Butdoeshercriticismreallymakesense?Inherbook,Lewislinkstheideaofinnate(天生的)geniustotheharmfulhistoryofintelligencetestingThisstartedbyfigureslikeFrancisGalton,isconnectedtoracism.Shecriticiseshislaterfollowingthinkers,likeHansEysenckandWilliamShockley,fortheirignoringsocialfactorsaffectingsuccessforsupportingracialrankings.Forthem,shesuggests,“genius”becomesacoveronextremeorevenevilthinking,acharacteristicincreasinglyseeninsomeonlinefans.Hersolution?Stopadmiringindividuals.Callspecificworksgenius,notpeople.ButIquestionwhetherthepublicreallybelievesthis“geniusmyth”asdesperatelyasLewisinsists.Hersweepingstatementsabout“our”blindlovefor“troublesomeindividuals”feelforced—likeshe’sprojectingherownviewsontoeveryoneelse.Thebookhassignificantdrawbacks.Lewisessentiallyinventsaterm“weakmodelofgenius”todressupalong-knownobviouspoint—imperfectpeoplecanbetalented—asnewinsight.Itfeelslikeshe’ssellingacureforadiseasesheinvented.Besides,herattemptsatafriendlyTED-Talk-inspiredstylefeelawkwardratherthangenuine.Theheavyuseofitalics(斜体字)makesthewritingfeelstruggled,asifsheistryingtoohardtoconvincebothreadersandMoretroublingisthedisrespectfulattitudetowardscomplexartthatsurfacesinLewis’swriting.HerrudeviewonJoyce’sliterature(“what-ifnovels,buthardertoread”),herdislikeforpioneeringfilms,andherconfessionoffindingtheBeatlesmusic“boring”implythatherproblemwith“genius”mightpartlybeapersonalhatefordifficultartanditscreators.Worsestill,thesedislikesgowithoutstrongproof.HerunjustclaimthatPicassoisadmiredbecauseofhisimperfection,notdespitethem,readsmorelikeanangryopinionthanreasonedargument.Whilesomeonlinefansmightadmiresomesuperstarsuncritically,truefaithininnategeniushasbeenweakersincethe1960s.Lewisjumpsonatrainthatisalreadyslowing.AccordingtoTheGeniusMyth,HelenLewiswouldmostlikelyagreethat peoplelikePicassohavenevermadeanyrealsomefigures’evilbehaviorsareexcusedbythewordmanyso-calledgeniusescannotpassintelligencenothinginthisworldisworththegeniusWhatdoesthewriterthinkoftheGeniusItswritingstyleisengaging,sincereand“Theweakmodelofgenius”isaninnovativeItscriticismofthe“geniusmyth”lacksItfailstoexplaintherootcauseofpeople’spassionforWhatdoestheunderlinedsentenceinthelastparagraphLewisiscriticizinganideathatisnolongerLewis’sbookisthoughtfuldespitesomeLewis’scriticismisfreshbutfacesthepublic’sLewisisawarethatthepublic’sfaithingeniusisWhatisthemainideaoftheSociety’sadmirationforgeniusesisLewiscriticismof“thegeniusmyth”isThepublicshouldholdacriticalviewonSpecificworksinsteadofpeopleshouldbe7.20267.2026C👉👉PAGE7页共17InsomeWesternparts,childrenofhealthyweighthavelongbecometheexception.Noweveninpoorcountries,childhoodobesity肥胖)isspreadingfasterthaneverbefore.Theproblemisnotnew:thepercentageofoverweightchildrenaroundtheworldwentupinthe1980s,asjunkfoodbecameadietarystaple.ButthetrendtodayisalarmingAreportbyUNICEFfoundthatthenumberofschool-agedchildrenwhoareobeseis,forthefirsttime,higherthanthosewhodonotgetenoughfoodtostayhealthy.InNiueandtheCookIslands,nearly40%of5-19-year-oldsareobese—thehighestratesintheworld.ThesouthPacificalsohassomeoftheworstadultobesityrates,fueledbyshiftingdietsandaculturethatprizessize.Americaranksinthetop20countriesforchildhoodobesity,witharateof20%.InEurope,Hungaryleadswith15%.Poorcountriesareparticularlyill-equippedtotacklethisissue.Healthsystemstherewerebuilttofighthungernotobesity.Manybabiesarebornunderweightbecauseofpoordietswhentheirmothersareexpectingthem.Thatalterstheirmetabolism(新陈代谢)andmakesrapidweightgainandotherlong-termhealthproblemsmorelikelyinadulthood.InSouthAmericaandpartsofAfricaandtheMiddleEast,theshareofoverweightchildrenisalreadyhigherthaninwesternEuropeandisnearingthe45%seeninNorthAmerica.Thereasonissimple:cheap,heavilyprocessedfoodsaredominatingchildren’sdietsworldwide,crowdingoutfreshfruits,vegetablesandproteins.AUNICEFsurveyof20low-andmiddle-incomecountriesfoundthatmorethanhalfofbabiesaged6-23monthsin13countrieshadconsumedsweetdrinksorsugaryfoodsthepreviousday.EveninBritainmanyready-to-eatbabyfoodsmarketedashealthyarefarfromit.Incountrieswithlaxregulation,themealsareworse.AstudyofhundredsofbabyfoodssoldinsevenSouth-EastAsiancountriesfoundthathalfwereultra-processed.AthirdcontainedadditivesthatarenotpermittedundertheCodexAlimentarius,theUN’sfood-standardscode.Butchangingdietsishard.Ultra-processedfoodsareabout50%cheaperthanfreshorminimallyprocessedfoods,accordingtotheUN’sreportonfoodsystems.Aglobalsurveyofschoolmealsin2024foundthat25%ofschoolsservedprocessedmeats,21%servedsweets,19%serveddeep-friedfoodand14%providedsugar-sweeteneddrinks.Strongerrulesthatrestricttheadvertisingandsalesofunhealthyfoodscouldhelp.Socouldfinancialaidtomakegoodfoodcheaper.Whatchildreneatearlyshapestheirtastesforlife.Adultdietsarehabitsfixedinchildhood.Onceformed,thosetastesarehardtoshift.TheauthorcitesthespecificobesityratesofNiueandtheCookIslands,America,andHungaryinParagraph2primarily toarguethatEuropeanpoliciesarethemosttoshowtheproblemisglobal,affectingdiversetoranktheeconomicdevelopmentlevelsofthesetosuggesttheissueismostsevereinPacificIslandWhichofthefollowingisamajorconcernregardingchildhoodobesityinpoorcountriesaccordingtotheParentsarenotawareoftherisksofobesityatChildrenrefusetoeatanyfreshfruitsorThereisacompletelackofregulationsonfoodHealthsystemsarenotdesignedtodealwithsuchTheunderlinedword“lax”inParagraph4probablymeans A. B. C. D.WhatisthemainpurposeoftheTocriticizethefoodindustryforpromotingunhealthyTorecommendspecificlifestyleprogramsforobeseToanalyzetheglobaltrendandchallengesofchildhoodTocompareobesityratesbetweendevelopedandpoor8.20268.2026C👉👉PAGE8页共17Geology,thestudyofthestructureandformationoftheEarth,isthebabyofalltheothersciences.Untilcomparativelyrecently,scholarspaidlittleattentiontorocksandrockformations.Indeed,thewordgeologyonlyappearedintheEnglishlanguagein1735andtookanotherseventyorsoyearstoentergeneralusage.GeologymadeitsfirstappearanceintheEncyclopediaBritannica（大英百科全书）inthe1810editionDespitethisinclusionthescienceofgeologyremainedlargelyignoreduntilmuchlaterinthecentury.NowadaysthemysteryoftheEarthanditsformationfascinatesgeologistsacrosstheworld.However,fewpeopleknowthatthewholemoderndisciplineofgeologyandthewaywelookatourworldowesitsinspirationtoasinglemanwithanextraordinarypassionforlandscapeandrocks.ThatmanwasWilliamSmith,whowasbornin1769inthesmallvillageofChurchillinthesouthofEngland.Fromanearlyage,Williamshowedastronginterestintheworldabouthimandaskedquestionsaboutthelandscapethatnoonecouldproperlyanswer.AsayoungboyWilliampickedupstrange-lookingstonesthatlayinthefieldsaroundhishomeandfeltthatsomeofthemostcommonpatternsinthesestoneslookedlikeanimalsfoundlivinginthesea.Heaskedthemenofknowledgeandscienceinthedistricthowthesestonescametofindthemselveshere.Noone,itseemed,hadanswerstohisquestionsoreventhoughtitremotelyinterestingtoaskthequestionsinthefirstplace.AchancemeetingwithamancalledEdwardWebbledtoWilliambeingofferedapositiontoworkdownthemines.Hecametorealizethatdifferenttypesofrocklayatdifferentlevelsashewentdeeperunderground.ThisledWilliamtosuggestthatolderrockslaydeeperthannewerrocks.Armedwithhisnewfoundinsightintothebirthofrocks,WilliamwalkedthelengthandbreadthofGreatBritainwiththeintentionofsurveyingandcategorizingallthewonderfullydifferenttypesofrocksthathefound.IttookWilliammanyyearsoffrustrationandhardshiptodrawahugemapofGreatBritainbyhand.Themap,ondisplaytodayatBurlingtonHouseinLondon,usesbeautifulcolorstoshoweverylayerofrockbelowinthemostprecisedetail.Uniqueinitstime,William’smapgavebirthtoeverygeologicalsurveythatwetakeforgrantedintheworldtoday.Theauthormentionsthelateinclusionof“geology”intheEncyclopediaBritannicaprimarilyto questiontheaccuracyofearliereditionsofthehighlighttheslowacademicacceptanceofgeologyasaemphasizethepioneeringcontributionoftheEncyclopediaBritannicatoprovideaprecisebirthdatefortheformalstudyofEarth’sWilliamSmith’skeycontributiontogeologywastherealizationthat miningoperationswerecrucialforaccessingcompleterocktheentireBritishlandscapecouldberepresentedinadetailedfossilsprovidedtheonlyreliablemeansforclassifyingrocktheorderofrocklayerspreservedarecordofpastgeologicalWhatcanbeinferredfromthelastSmith’sextensivetravelswerethemostimportantpartofhisThemainvalueofSmith’smaptodayisasapieceofdisplayedSmith’sworklaidthefoundationformoderngeologicalSmith’smapwasimmediatelyrecognizedasamajorscientificWhichofthefollowingmightbethebesttitleforthisHowFossilPatternsRevealedAncientTheManWhoUncoveredtheEarth’sTheEncyclopediaBritannicaandtheRiseofWilliamSmith:FromMinertoMasterof9.20269.2026C👉👉PAGE9页共17Lotsofnameshavebeenproposedfortheworld’syoungestgeneration,bornroughlysince2010.Somearepredictable,suchas“iPadkids”and“GenerationAI”.Othersarepuzzling,aswith“Polars”,whichnodsbothtogrowingpolarisationandshrinkingicecaps.OnenamehascaughtonintheEnglish-speakingWest:“GenerationAlpha”.Itsymbolisesafreshchapter,saysMarkMcCrindle,theAustraliandemographer(人口学家)behindit.Heconsultedpeopleforideasnearly20yearsago;manysuggestedthename“GenA”.ButratherthangobacktothestartoftheLatinalphabet(字母表),heshiftedtotheGreekone.“Alpha”hasrecentlybecomeatrendyterm.Reportsandsurveyshavebeenpublishedabouttheseyoungsters,describingtheirpreferencesandpredictingtheirfuture.AnalystssuggestthatAlphaswillbecomethemostinnovativegeneration.Suchinsightsmakeforgoodheadlines.Butsocialscientistssayitistoosoontoidentifythedistinctivecharacteristicsofagroupthatincludestoddlers(学步儿童).Predictinghowtheywillgrowup“hasnomorevaluethanguessworksaysBobbyDuffyap