祖先能教给我们哪些睡眠知识？

What can our ancestors teach us about sleep?

常速 | 六级（易） | 412词| 2min47s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. What was a common sleep pattern in many parts of the world in past centuries?

A. Sleeping in two separate periods during the night.

B. Sleeping for short intervals throughout the day.

C. Sleeping for exactly eight continuous hours.

D. Sleeping only after midnight.

Q2. According to the passage, what greatly influences circadian rhythms?

A. The amount of exercise a person gets before bedtime.

B. The level of light a person is exposed to.

C. The kind of food consumed in the evening.

D. The number of hours spent working outdoors.

Q3. What did study participants begin to show when exposed to 14 hours of darkness per day?

A. Increased difficulty falling asleep.

B. A tendency to wake frequently during the night.

C. A biphasal or segmented sleeping pattern.

D. A complete shift to daytime sleeping.

Q4. What can be inferred about segmented sleep based on expert opinions?

A. It is the most efficient sleep pattern for modern workers.

B. It guarantees better memory performance for everyone.

C. It eliminates the need for regular sleep schedules.

D. Its risks and benefits remain unclear due to limited research.

Q5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Modern life has eliminated the need for natural sleep cycles.

B. Human sleep patterns may be influenced by both historical practices and modern lifestyles.

C. People should return to segmented sleep to improve health.

D. Electric light has created better sleep habits than those in the past.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

What can our ancestors teach us about sleep?

We’ve all heard advice about good sleep hygiene. No phones or caffeine before bed, and make sure that we get a good eight hours’ rest. But is this the best sleep pattern, or have we just been led to it by modern life?

Artificial light in our houses and streets means that we no longer have to go to bed at sundown. Having a job to go to at a set time in the morning can be the main determining factor on when we decide to rouse ourselves. In past centuries, the time of sunset and sunrise had a much bigger impact on people’s days. (Q1) Historical studies have shown that in many parts of the world it was common for people to sleep in two sections, from dusk until around 11 and then from one in the morning until sunrise. This segmented or biphasal sleep pattern is referred to as far back in history as ancient Greece.

biphasal sleep pattern 双相睡眠模式

So, if modern sleep patterns are in some part due to modern lifestyles and technologies, could segmented sleep patterns be more natural? Some studies suggest that they are. (Q2) The circadian rhythms that determine when we start to feel drowsy are greatly affected by light. (Q3) Study participants subjected to 14 hours of complete darkness a day started to develop a biphasal sleeping pattern. As recently as 2017, similar patterns have also been seen in some communities in rural Madagascar that do not have access to electric light.

circadian adj. 昼夜节律的；生理节奏的

drowsy adj. 昏昏欲睡的；困倦的

subject v. 使经受；使遭受

They may be more natural, but are these sleeping patterns healthier? (Q4) Experts caution that the small number of studies carried out means that the risks and benefits of segmented sleeping are not well understood. Nevertheless, some people have found it to be a useful way to find time to be creative. Psychologist Gregg Jacobs suggests that the period of time that people used to spend awake in past centuries could have been used to regulate stress. Other experts remind us that many people find that they wake in the night, and then get anxious at not being able to get back to sleep, which in itself exacerbates any sleeplessness.

exacerbate v. 使恶化；使加剧

Making use of the awake time to do something restful could help people improve their sleep. If you do want to try it, sleep researcher Mary Carskadon reminds us that we should stay away from bright lights to avoid disturbing our circadian rhythms. You also might want to check that it won’t disturb your work and social life too much.

Part III. KEY

Q1. A.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“Historical studies have shown that in many parts of the world it was common for people to sleep in two sections, from dusk until around 11 and then from one in the morning until sunrise.” 意为：“历史研究显示，在世界许多地区，人们通常采用两段式睡眠，即先从黄昏睡到大约11点，然后从凌晨一点睡到日出时分。” 根据这句话可以推理，常见的睡眠模式是分段睡眠，因此答案为 A。

Q2. B.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“The circadian rhythms that determine when we start to feel drowsy are greatly affected by light.” 意为：“决定我们何时开始感到困倦的昼夜节律受到光线的强烈影响。”根据这句话可以推理，光线是影响昼夜节律的主要因素，因此答案为 B。

Q3. C.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“Study participants subjected to 14 hours of complete darkness a day started to develop a biphasal sleeping pattern.” 意为：“每天处于14小时完全黑暗环境中的研究参与者开始形成双段式睡眠模式。” 因此答案为 C。

Q4. D.【解析】本题为推理题。题目出处为：“Experts caution that the small number of studies carried out means that the risks and benefits of segmented sleeping are not well understood.” 意为：“专家提醒，由于相关研究数量较少，分段睡眠的风险和益处尚未得到充分理解。” 因此答案为 D。

Q5. B.【解析】本题为主旨题。文章开头提出问题“是否现代生活使我们形成了现在的睡眠模式”，文中讨论了人造光源、固定工作时间、历史上的分段睡眠模式、昼夜节律研究等内容，并在结尾提醒人们要注意光线与睡眠模式之间的关系。根据全文内容可以推理，文章核心观点是现代生活和历史睡眠模式都可能影响我们的睡眠，因此答案为 B。

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