1 . Folk tales have saddled the moon with major responsibilities: moods, increases in crime and even mental disorders are blamed on the Earth's only constant natural satellite. But could the "lunar effect" disturb sleep?
Scientists have long understood that human activity is facilitated by light, be it sunlight, moonlight or artificial light. But a recent study suggests our ability to sleep is distinctly affected by the lunar cycle, even when taking into account artificial sources of light.
Using wrist monitors, researchers tracked sleep patterns in 98 individuals living in three local communities in Argentina over the course of one to two months. One rural community had no electricity access, a second rural community had limited access to electricity, while a third community was located in an urban setting and had full access to electricity.
Participants in all three communities showed the same pattern of sleep oscillations as the moon progressed through its 29.5-day cycle, with sleep duration changing by between 20 and more than 90 minutes, and bedtimes varying by 30 to 80 minutes.
In each community, the peak of participants sleeping less and staying up later occurred in the three-to-five-day period prior to full moon nights, and the opposite occurred on the nights before the new moon, the authors found.
Unsurprisingly, data showed the "lunar phase effect" on sleep appeared to be stronger the more limited access to electricity was.
“The result strongly suggests that human sleep is synchronized with lunar phases regardless of ethnic and socio-cultural background and of the level of urbanisation," the researchers wrote in the journal Science Advances.
De la Iglesia added: “We humans tend to believe that we managed to somehow control nature, and the use of artificial light is a great example of that. But it turns out that there are some forces of nature that we cannot get away from.”
Derk-Jan Dijk, a professor of sleep and physiology and the director of a sleep research centre at the University of Surrey, described the study as exciting but noted that the researchers had not addressed internal influences such as body clocks that could affect sleep patterns.
1. What is the recent study mainly about?| A．The harm of lunar effect. | B．The reliability of folk tales. |
| C．The function of artificial light. | D．The effect of the lunar cycle on sleep. |
| A．On the full moon night. | B．On the new moon night. |
| C．On the night after the new moon. | D．On the night before the full moon. |
| A．Controlling nature. | B．The level of urbanisation. |
| C．The escape from forces of nature. | D．Synchronizing with lunar phases. |
| A．Groundless. | B．Persuasive. | C．Incomplete. | D．Impressive. |
2 . Six weeks before his birthday, Giuseppe Paternò achieved the dream of a lifetime: He got a university degree.
Mr. Paternò's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has mainly drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has encouraged as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere faces extraordinary uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.
Born in Palermo in 1923, the first of seven children in a “very poor family,” Mr. Paternò began working soon after finishing elementary school. “The family was large, there was only one paycheck, we were under fascism, and times were tough,” he said.
Eventually, he ended up at a publishing house where an enlightened boss persuaded his father to send him back to school for a three-year vocational degree. Mr. Paternò then worked for an insurance agency while he took private classes to become a telegraph operator. He used skills from the operator job when he was drafted into the navy in World War II. The job also opened doors to the State Railways Company, where he worked for more than four decades.
It was only after he retired, in the mid-1980s, that he returned to his books, taking theology courses through the Archdiocese of Palermo after a chance meeting with a philosophy professor who urged him to follow his love.
Mr. Paterno's son, Ninni Paternò, said that the family had not expected all the attention. “It's unbelievable!” the vounger Paternò said of his father. “He achieved his goal, but he didn't mean to be famous in newspapers around the world.”
University officials are hoping that Mr. Paternò will continue his studies on waster's course. But he isn't so sure. “I have to admit that in this moment, I don't know whether I would do it with the same spirit,” he said on Wednesday. Still, Mr. Paternò said he would probably continue anyway.
1. What's the main reason for the world to report Mr. Paternò's graduation?| A．His experience shows the spirit of commitment. |
| B．Mr. Paternò achieved his dream at an old age. |
| C．His graduation ceremony was during the coronavirus pandemic. |
| D．His achievement is extraordinary. |
| A．Working for an insurance company. |
| B．Severing in the navy in World War II. |
| C．A telegraph operator. |
| D．The job in the State Railway Company. |
| A．The family had not agreed Mr. Paternò's decision. |
| B．Mr. Paternò didn't want to gain the world's attention. |
| C．Mr. Paternò suffered a lot to achieve his goal. |
| D．Mr. Paternò's achievement is not worth mentioning. |
| A．It's never too late to achieve a dream. | B．No pains, no gains. |
| C．Young at heart. | D．Practice makes perfect. |
3 . When most high school students complain about having to wake up extra early，they're usually referring to a swim practice before class or the last minute study before a test. But that was never the case for Corey Patrick，who woke up at 4：30 every morning last year in order to arrive on time at Tarrant High School in Alabama.
Patrick had attended Tarrant City Schools since his fourth grade，but things got difficult when his family moved to a town 14 miles away. Even though his family didn't have any forms of transportation，Patrick didn't want to miss out on his senior year with friends，so he woke up at 4：30 every morning in order to make it to a 5：41 a．m.bus that would help him get to Tarrant on time.And just as he had done every other school day of the year，Patrick got up one morning to start the journey from his home to his high school; the only obvious difference that morning was that he was wearing his graduation gown (毕业礼服)，which made that day's bus driver，DeJuanna Beasley, take some photos of him. She then shared them online with these words，“You tell me this isn't determination.He got on my bus to go to his graduation，and no one was with him.Sometimes it's all in what you want out of life.I was so proud of this young man.”
That was soon shared by many people online，and it caught the attention of radio host Rickey Smiley，who surprised Patrick by giving him a car later. Smiley confirmed that he would make sure that Patrick received help with getting his driver's license. A GoFundMe was also created for Patrick，which has raised over $20,000. And Patrick has got a scholarship (奖学金) to Jacksonville University，where he plans to study computer science.
1. Why was Patrick different from most students when it comes to rising early?| A．It had something to do with study. |
| B．It was a part of daily life for him. |
| C．He was unwilling to get up early. |
| D．He spent more time in studying. |
| A．Patrick dressed poorly on his graduation day. |
| B．It took Patrick an hour to get to the bus stop. |
| C．The driver was moved by Patrick's story. |
| D．There was no school in Patrick's town. |
| A．Patrick's request for help on the Internet. |
| B．The difficulties that Patrick experienced. |
| C．The information about Patrick's university. |
| D．The message published online by the driver. |
| A．GoFundMe. | B．Rickey Smiley. |
| C．Patrick's high school. | D．Jacksonville University. |
