We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7-8 hours’ sleep alternating with some 16-17 hours’ wakefulness and that, broadly speaking, the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified.
The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round-the-clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed routine of sleep and wakefulness, sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week; a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently.
One answer would seem to be longer period on each shift, a month, or even three months. Recent research by Bonjer of the Netherlands, however, has shown that people on such systems will revert to their normal habits of sleep and wakefulness during the weekend and that is quite enough to destroy any adaption to night work built up during the week.
The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a corps of permanent night workers whose nocturnal（夜间发生的）wakefulness may persist through all weekends and holidays. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown. She found a night incidence of disturbed sleep, digestive disorder and domestic disruption among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these symptoms among those on permanent night work.
1. Why is the question “no mere academic one’’?
2. According to the passage, the main problem about night work is that ( ).
3. According to the passage, the best solution to the problem seems to be ( ).
4. In Paragraph 2, “the third” means ( ).
5. In the last sentence of Pragraph 2, “another” means ( ).
问题1选项
A.Because Bonjer’s findings are different from Brown’s.
B.Because sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness.
C.Because some people can change their sleeping habits easily.
D.Because shift work in industry requires people to change their sleeping habits.
问题2选项
A.people hate the inconvenience of working on night shifts
B.your life is disturbed by changing from day to night routines and back
C.not all industries work at the same hours
D.it is difficult to find a corps of good night workers
问题3选项
A.not to change shifts from one week to the next
B.to make periods on each shifts longer
C.to employ people who will always work at night
D.to find ways of selecting people who adapt quickly
问题4选项
A.the third week
B.the third shift
C.a third of the time
D.the third routine
问题5选项
A.another routine
B.another shift
C.another week
D.another person
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:A
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
Why is the question “no mere academic one’’? 为什么这个问题“不仅仅是一个学术问题”？
A. Because Bonjer’s findings are different from Brown’s. A. 因为博内尔的发现与布朗的发现不同。
B. Because sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. B. 因为睡眠通常与黑夜同时发生。
C. Because some people can change their sleeping habits easily. C. 因为有些人很容易改变他们的睡眠习惯。
D. Because shift work in industry requires people to change their sleeping habits. D. 因为工业中的轮班工作要求人们改变他们的睡眠习惯。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】首先，要弄清楚题干中的问题指的是什么。根据文章首段尾句可知，这个问题指的是我们要怎样或能在多大程度上改变我们人类的正常活动周期。根据第二段，在某些自动化要求机器全天候运转的企业中，人们要实行轮班，人们从白天工作转入夜晚工作的难易程度越来越成为人们关注的问题。换言之，如何安排好轮班、使工人适应新班——尤其是上夜班来提高工作效率，对这些企业来说不只是一个学术（academic）问题，而是一个很实际的问题，因为它直接影响到了工作和生活，因此可推知D选项“因为工业中的轮班工作要求人们改变他们的睡眠习惯”正确。
【干扰项排除】A、B选项分别在文章尾段和第二段中体现，但与题干无关，属于答非所问；
C选项“因为有些人很容易改变他们的睡眠习惯”未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the main problem about night work is that ( ). 根据这篇文章，关于夜班的主要问题是（ ）。
A. people hate the inconvenience of working on night shifts A. 人们讨厌上夜班带来的不便
B. your life is disturbed by changing from day to night routines and back B. 你的生活被从白天到晚上的日常活动的变化所扰乱
C. not all industries work at the same hours C. 不是所有行业的工作时间都一样
D. it is difficult to find a corps of good night workers D. 很难找到一批善于夜间工作的人
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】文章的第二段介绍了工作三班倒的情况。工人们常常每周变换工作时间，这样就影响了他们的正常睡眠周期，所以，这是主要的问题所在。因此B选项“你的生活被从白天到晚上的日常活动的变化所扰乱”正确。
【干扰项排除】A、C、D选项未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the best solution to the problem seems to be ( ). 根据这篇文章，解决问题的最好办法似乎是（ ）。
A. not to change shifts from one week to the next A. 每周不换班
B. to make periods on each shifts longer B. 使每次轮班的时间更长
C. to employ people who will always work at night C. 雇用总是在晚上工作的人
D. to find ways of selecting people who adapt quickly D. 找到选择快速适应的人的方法
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词solution定位文章尾段首句The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a corps of permanent night workers whose nocturnal wakefulness may persist through all weekends and holidays.（唯一真正的解决办法似乎是把夜班交给一批长期的夜班工人，他们可能在整个周末和节假日都在夜间保持清醒）可知C选项“雇用总是在晚上工作的人”正确。
【干扰项排除】A、B、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
In Paragraph 2, “the third” means ( ). 第2段中的“the third”的意思是（ ）。
A. the third week A. 第三周
B. the third shift B. 第三次轮班
C. a third of the time C. 三分之一的时间
D. the third routine D. 第三个作息
【考查点】词汇推断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the third定位文章第二段倒数第二句Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week; a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 midnight the third and so on.（不幸的是，在工业中，每周换班是常有的事；一个人可能第一周从午夜12点工作到早上8点，下一周从早上8点工作到下午4点，第三周从下午4点工作到午夜12点，以此类推）可知此处指的是三班倒，因此A选项“第三周”正确。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
In the last sentence of Pragraph 2, “another” means ( ). 在第二段的最后一句中，“another”的意思是（ ）。
A. another routine A. 另一个作息
B. another shift B. 另一个轮班
C. another week C. 另一周
D. another person D. 另一个人
【考查点】词汇推断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词another定位文章第二段尾句This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently.（这就意味着，他刚习惯了一种作息，就得换到另一种，所以他的大部分时间既不能有效地工作，也不能有效地睡觉），根据one routine可知此处省略了routine，表示“另一个作息”，因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
