英语听力精选进阶版 6431
时间：2019-02-21 作者：英语课 分类：英语听力精选进阶版
I loved action movies when I was a kid. And I nagged 1 my mum to allow me to go to bed late so that I could watch the ones broadcast after the watershed 2. They were more interesting. She didn't want me feeling sleepy the following day but she always relented.
A new piece of research suggests that my erratic 3 bedtimes might be behind not only my non-stop yawning 4 at school but also a couple of bad results in tests. A UK study of more than 11,000 seven-year-olds concluded that there is a link between sleep patterns and brain power.
The analysis showed that youngsters 5 who had no regular bedtime or who went to bed later than 21:00 had lower scores for reading and maths.
The reason? Scientists, led by Prof Amanda Sacker from University College London, think that lack of sleep may disturb natural body rhythms 7 and impair 8 how well the brain learns new information.
According to the researchers, by the age of seven more than half the children had a regular bedtime of between 19:30 and 20:30. Maybe much earlier than you and me.
I'm not sure if my mother would agree with this study's results. A reader using the name 'ClaireyBeary77' wrote to the website to say that her five-year-old son goes to sleep around 22:00. After having dinner, doing his homework, playing and watching TV with her, he goes to bed late and does well at school.
Another mother, 'Lisa337', blamed the teachers. She wrote: "I wish someone would tell teachers that plenty of sleep is more important than homework for small children!"
It got me thinking how difficult it must be for kids to hit the sack 6 today when there are so many interesting things to do. Who can go to bed early and miss hours of excitement with computer games? I would have played all night! And what about your friends on social media? You can't sleep when they are awake somewhere on the other side of the world!
What time did you go to bed when you were a child? Did it cause you any problems?
Quiz 测验
1. Why did the article's author go to bed late?
Because he watched action movies after the watershed.
2. Who did worse on tests presented by the scientists?
Children who went to bed after 21:00 or who didn't have a regular bedtime.
3. How many children in the study went to bed between 19:30 and 20:30?
More than half.
4. In how many activities did the son of 'ClaireyBeary77' engage before going to sleep?
Four: having dinner, doing homework, playing, watching TV.
5. Which expression means 'young people'?
Youngsters.
Glossary 词汇表
to nag 纠缠不休
the watershed 分水岭时间 （在晚9点后才能播出的电视节目）
sleepy 困乏的
to relent 让步
erratic 不规则的
bedtime 就寝时间
to yawn 打哈欠
sleep pattern 睡眠模式
brain power 脑力
the score （考试）分数
lack of sleep 睡眠不足
natural body rhythms 自然的身体节律
to impair 妨碍、削弱
to blame 指责、责怪
to hit the sack 睡觉
awake 醒着的
- The old woman nagged (at) her daughter-in-law all day long. 那老太婆一天到晚地挑剔儿媳妇的不是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She nagged him all day long. 她一天到晚地说他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
- It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。
- The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
- The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
- Yawning is often contagious. 打哈欠常易于感染。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- I felt so sleepy I couldn' t stop yawning. 我感到很困，止不住地打呵欠。 来自辞典例句
- We followed the youngsters at a more sedate pace. 我们跟在年轻人后面，步子稍慢一点。
- The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14. 这次夏令营是为8至14岁的少年儿童安排的。
- They made him pay for his offence by giving him the sack.他们解雇了他，从而使他因自己的过错而受到了惩罚。
- If you're late again tomorrow,you'll get the sack!如果你明天再迟到，那就卷铺盖走吧！
- Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
- Stylistically, the term implies loose, rapid painthandling, large rhythms and broken colour. 从风格上来说，这个名称意味着松散而迅速的绘画笔触，奔放的格调，使用强烈配色。