英语听力精选进阶版 8218

Whether you prefer burning the midnight oil or going to bed early so you can get up at the crack of dawn depends on your genes¹, according to experts.

I leap out of bed each morning, keen to start an active day. But I can hear my neighbour's alarm clock ringing non-stop every morning and I doubt he gets to work on time.

A lot of noise comes from his flat in the evening. He's happy to stay up watching telly till the wee small hours, while I turn in early and try to sleep.

Well, it might not be his fault after all. Neurogeneticist Dr Louis Ptacek of University of California would say I'm 'a lark²' and my neighbour is 'an owl³'. Families of 'extreme owls⁴', with Familial Delayed Sleep Phase syndrome⁵, were found to have a different mutation⁶ in the same genes.

We all have internal 'clocks' located in the part of the brain which controls all kinds of bodily functions and it is reset⁷ every day by light. These internal clocks run to a different schedule in 'larks⁸' and 'owls'. If you have a fast clock, you like to do things early, and if you have a slow clock, you like to do things late.

Because we live in a 24/7 world, scientists believe it's important to understand a person's 'chronotype' ? the time of the day when they function the best. It could help us lead a healthier life.

Prof Till Roenneberg of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich has studied sleeping patterns and thinks work times should be changed and made more individual to fit in with our chronotypes.

And he has advice for those who can't choose their work shifts: "If that's not possible, we should be more strategic about light exposure", says Prof Roenneberg. "You should try to go to work not in a covered vehicle but on a bike. The minute the sun sets we should use things that have no blue light, like computer screens and other electronic devices."

So what about you? Are you 'a lark' or 'an owl'?

1 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

3 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

4 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

7 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

8 larks   

n.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的名词复数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的第三人称单数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了

参考例句：

• Maybe if she heard the larks sing she'd write. 玛丽听到云雀的歌声也许会写信的。 来自名作英译部分
• But sure there are no larks in big cities. 可大城市里哪有云雀呢。” 来自名作英译部分