Question

Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.

During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you’re “hot”. That’s true. The time of day when you feel the most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues (自言自语) as John talks to himself: “Get up, John! You’ll be late for work again!” The possible explanation for the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.

You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Adjust your cycle to some extent by staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won’t change your cycle, but you’ll get up steam (打起精神) and work better at your low point.

Begin with a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a slow yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do usual work in the afternoon and spend time doing important work for your high peak hours.

1.According to Dr. Kleitman if you don’t want to get up in the morning ____________.

A. you must be a lazy person

B. you must catch a cold

C. your energy cycle must be low

D. you should stay in bed

2.Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage?

A. A change in a family member’s energy cycle.

B. Familiar monologues.

C. Unawareness of energy cycles.

D. Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family members.

3.If one wants to work better at his low point in the morning, he should ____________.

A. change his energy cycle

B. go to bed earlier

C. overcome his laziness

D. get up earlier than usual

4.You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will _________________.

A. help you to control your temper early in the day

B. help to keep your energy for the day’s work

C. enable you to concentrate on your routine work

D. keep your energy cycle under control all day

Answer 1