The brain function of very late risers and “morning larks(早睡早起的人)” during the hours of the working day is different, according to a study.
Researchers scanned the brains of night owls(夜猫子)with a bedtime of 02: 30 and awake time of 10: 15, along with early risers. The tests performed between 08 : 00 and 20 : 00 found night owls had less connectivity in brain areas linked to keeping consciousness. They were more likely to be scatterbrained and they also had slower reactions and increased sleepiness.
Scientists took 38 people who were either night owls or morning larks (people who went to bed just before 23 : 00 and woke at 06 : 30) and studied their brain function at rest. The volunteers then carried out a series of tasks at various times, from 08 : 00 to 20 : 00, and were asked to report on their levels of sleepiness.
Morning larks were least sleepy and had their fastest reaction time in the early morning tests. They were also found to perform significantly better at this time than night owls. In contrast, night owls were least sleepy and had their fastest reaction time at 20 : 00, although they did not do significantly better than the larks at this time.
The brain connectivity in the areas that predicted better performance and lower sleepiness was significantly higher in larks at all time points, suggesting connectivity in late risers is impaired(减弱的) throughout the whole working day, researchers said.
The lead researcher, Dr Elise Facer-Childs, of the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Human Brain Health, said the findings “could be partly driven by the fact that night owls tend to compromise throughout their lives.” He added, “Night owls during school have to get up earlier, then they go into work and they have to get up earlier, so they’re constantly in conflict.”
Therefore, Dr Facer Childs called for more researches to understand the effects of night owls performing on a work or school schedule to which they are not naturally suited.
17. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “scatterbrained” in Paragraph 2?
A.Unfocused. |
B.Satisfied. |
C.Recognized. |
D.Discovered. |
18. What conclusion did the researchers draw from the tests?
A.Morning larks were more tired in the morning. |
B.Night owls were more active in the morning. |
C.Morning larks perform better all day. |
D.Night owls perform better all day. |
19. According to Dr Facer-Childs, what should later research concerning night owls focus on?
A.The workings of their brain. |
B.The effects of their compromises. |
C.Whether they can turn into morning larks. |
D.How to help them adapt to the normal schedule. |
20. What is the purpose of the text?
A.To solve a problem. |
B.To give practical advice. |
C.To tell an interesting story. |
D.To present a research result. |