“It’s raining. It’s pouring. The old man is snoring(打鼾). He bumped his head when he went to bed, and he couldn’t get up in the morning.” Why couldn’t the old man in the children’s song get up? (Let’s kindly suppose that he just didn’t want to get up) This was possibly because in the absence of sunlight, the body was still producing the hotmon(激素) melatonin(褪黑素), which makes people sleepy.
There are many ways that rainfall affects human behavior. But how much does rain really affect people’s moods and behavior?
In 2008, researchers from the University of Minnesota and Lanzhou University published a paper. They proposed that decreased rainfall was influential in social upheaval(社会动荡) and the downfall of the Tang, Yuan and Ming dynasties in ancient China. This is thought to be related to reduced rice cultivation.
But how might rain affect social behavior in the modern world? A 2009 New York Times investigation found that murder rates in New York drop significantly on rainy days. Meanwhile, in Britain, Dr Peter Langmead Jones of Greater Manchester police published a study in 2015 detailing an analysis of 6.6 million police records over one decade in Manchester. “The research showed that the heavier the rainfall, the lower the recorded crime,” he said.
Langmead Jones also found that there is a strong association between heavy rain and relatively few violent crimes recorded including domestic abuse(家庭暴力). This might be because heavy rain stops people from going out to buy alcohol and the reduced alcohol consumption results in fewer crimes.
It’s not all good news though. One study in 1997 concluded that the behavior of children can predict oncoming storms—they were observed to exhibit their worst behavior when barometric(气压的) pressure fell. Another study in 2012 found that women are much more likely to be affected psychologically by rain and that they report much lower levels of life satisfaction than men on rainy days.
For all the complaints about rain, it does have some characteristics that hold broad appeal. The sound of raindrops can be very comforting and often features in sleep- inducing relaxation apps. The theory behind this is that the pitter patter of raindrops is a form of “pink noise”. It can decrease brain activity and consequently improves the quality of sleep. So if it’s raining where you are, the best thing to do may be to have a nap.
1. The author uses the lyrics of a song in the first paragraph to ________.
A.introduce the interesting song to readers |
B.voice his understanding of why the old man couldn’t get u in the morning |
C.illustrate one way that wet weather influences human behavior |
D.explain why people often get up late on rainy days |
2. What is the meaning of the underlined word in the third paragraph?
A.Success. | B.Prosperity. | C.Failure. | D.Development. |
3. According to Dr Peter Langmead Jones, relatively few crimes are recorded on rainy days because ________.
A.people prefer to take a nap at home when it’s raining | B.most people are depressed on rainy days |
C.people are too lazy to go out when it’s raining | D.alcohol consumption is reduced due to wet weather |
4. According to the article, the influences that rainy days have on human behavior include ________.
①decreased grain output
②relatively few criminal records
③higher chance of feeling low in spirits
④more possibility of feeling sleepy