TEXTO PARA AS QUESTÕES DE 73 A 75
What time is it? That simple question probably is asked more often today than ever. In our clock-studded, cell-phone society, the answer is never more than a glance away, and so we can blissfully partition our days into ever smaller increments for ever more tightly scheduled tasks, confident that we will always know it is 7:03 P.M.
Modern scientific revelations about time, however, make the question endlessly frustrating. If we seek a precise knowledge of the time, the elusive infinitesimal of “now” dissolves into a scattering flock of nanoseconds. Bound by the speed of light and the velocity of nerve impulses, our perceptions of the present sketch the world as it was an instant ago—for all that our consciousness pretends otherwise, we can never catch up.
Even in principle, perfect synchronicity escapes us. Relativity dictates that, like a strange syrup, time flows slower on moving trains than in the stations and faster in the mountains than in the valleys. The time for our wristwatch or digital screen is not exactly the same as the time for our head.
Our intuitions are deeply paradoxical. Time heals all wounds, but it is also the great destroyer. Time is relative but also relentless. There is time for every purpose under heaven, but there is never enough.
Scientific American, October 24, 2014. Adaptado.
No texto, a expressão que melhor representa o caráter supostamente exato do tempo é:
“In our clock-studded, cell-phone society” (L. 2).
“never more than a glance away” (L. 3).
“confident that we will always know it is 7:03 P.M.” (L. 5-6).
“Bound by the speed of light” (L. 10-11).
“like a strange syrup” (L. 16).
Resolução
A expressão “confident that we will always know it is 7:03 P.M.” significa “confiantes de que sempre saberemos que são 19h03”. Ela representa a crença de que podemos conhecer o horário com exatidão: a indicação de horas e minutos transmite precisão, enquanto “confident” (confiantes) e “always” (sempre) reforçam a certeza de que essa informação estará disponível.
No primeiro parágrafo, essa confiança está associada à presença constante de relógios e celulares. Como basta olhar para esses aparelhos para consultar as horas, acreditamos poder dividir o dia em intervalos cada vez menores e organizar nossas tarefas com precisão.
O enunciado usa “supostamente exato” porque o restante do texto questiona essa certeza. A palavra “however” (porém), no segundo parágrafo, introduz o contraste: nossa percepção do presente tem um pequeno atraso e, segundo a relatividade mencionada no texto, o tempo não passa exatamente da mesma maneira em diferentes condições de movimento e localização. Assim, a precisão cotidiana dos relógios não equivale a um conhecimento perfeito e universal do tempo.