We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7 to 8 hours’ sleep alternation with some 16 to 17 hour’s 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 case, 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.
The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957. She found a high incidence of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work.
This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the strains of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People engaged in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only gradually go back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at intervals of two hours throughout the period of wakefulness it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice.
1.Why is the question of “how easily people can get used to working at night” not a mere academic question?
2.The main problem of the round-the-clock working system lies in ( ).
3.The best solution for implementing the 24-liour working system seems to be ( ).
4.It is possible to find out if a person has adapted to the changes of routine by measuring his body temperature because ( ).
5.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
问题1选项
A.Because few people like to reverse the cycle of sleep and wakefulness.
B.Because sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness.
C.Because people are required to work at night in some fields of industry.
D.Because shift work in industry requires people to change their sleeping.
问题2选项
A.the inconveniences brought about to the workers by the introduction of automation
B.the disturbance of the daily life cycle of workers who have to change shifts too frequent
C.the fact that people working at night are often less effective
D.the fact that it is difficult to find a number of good night workers
问题3选项
A.to change shifts at longer intervals
B.to have longer shift
C.to arrange for some people to work on night shifts only
D.to create better living conditions for night workers
问题4选项
A.body temperature changes when the cycle of sleep and wakefulness alternates
B.body temperature changes when he changes to night shift or back
C.the temperature reverses when the routine is changed
D.people have higher temperatures when they are working efficiently
问题5选项
A.Body temperature may serve as an indication of a worker's performance.
B.The selection of a number of permanent night shift workers proved to be the best solution to problems of the round-the-clock working system.
C.Taking body temperature at regular intervals can show how a person adapts to the changes of routine.
D.Disturbed sleep occurs less frequently among those on permanent night or day shifts.
第1题:C
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:D
第5题:D
1.细节事实题。第二段指出: The question is no mere academic one.The case, 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 (这已经不是一个学术的问题。例如,在需要机器24小时连续工作的自动化操作的工业生产中,需要人们从白天工作变为晚上工作的问题变得越来越重要了)。故选C“因为一些工业领域要求上夜班”。
2.细节事实题。第二段指出: 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 (通常一个人需要五天至一周的时间来适应与常规生活颠倒的睡眠吋间和猜 醒时间,即白天睡觉,晚上工作)以及Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week (不幸的是,在工业生产中,工作班次每星期都变换的事经常发生)。故选B “频繁更换工作吋间的工人的日常生活周期被打乱”。
3.细节事实题。第三段第一句指出: The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers (看来,唯一真正可以解决问题的方法就是将晚班交给一些长期上夜班的工人)。故选C“安排一些人只上夜班”。
4.细节事实题。第四段指出: People engaged in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night (白天正常工作的人, 在其清醒的时间内,体温通常都比较高,但是在夜晚则比较低)。因此选D “人在工作效率高吋,休温都比较高”。
5.判断推理题。根据第四段...it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection (可以了解到个人是如何快速适应正常时间的颠倒,同时也可成为筛选的基础)以及So far, however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice (然而,到目前为止,这种形式的筛选似乎并没有在实践中得到应用)可知选择永久的夜间值班者仅仅是一种基础的方法,但不是最佳的方法,故选项B错误。根据最后一段One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People engaged in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night (了解一个人何时适应的一种方法是测量他的体温。白天正常工作的人在清醒的时候会有高温,晚上会有低温)可知选项A “体温可以作为衡量工人工作的一个指标”正确。根据最后一段Therefore, by taking body temperature at intervals of two hours throughout the period of wakefulness it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine (因此,在清醒期间每隔两小时测量一次体温,可以看出一个人能多快地适应一个颠倒的习惯) 可知选项C “每隔一段吋间测量体温,可以显示个人是如何适应常规变化”正确。根据第三段She found a high incidence of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work (她发现在日班和夜班交替的人中,睡眠障碍和其他障碍的发生率很高,但在长期夜班的人中,这些现象没有异常发生) 可知选项D “长期上夜班的或上长白班的人很少出现睡眠被打乱的现象”正确。