Упражнения для подготовки к
ЕГЭ по английскому языку. № 6. Текст
о сне.
Прочитайте текст
о сне и выполните задания A15-A21,
вставив цифру 1, 2, 3
или 4, соответствующую
номеру выбранного вами варианта ответа.
A
good night’s sleep — an impossible dream?
Tonight, do yourself
a favor. Shut off the TV, log off the Internet
and unplug the phone. Relax, take a bath, maybe
sip some herbal tea. Then move into the bedroom.
Set your alarm clock for a time no less than eight
hours in the future, fluff up your pillows and
lay your head down for a peaceful night of restorative
shut-eye. That’s what American doctors advise.
American sleep experts are sounding an alarm over
America’s sleep deficit. They say Americans are
a somnambulant nation, stumbling groggily through
their waking hours for lack of sufficient sleep.
They are working longer days — and, increasingly,
nights — and they are playing longer, too, as
TV and the Internet expand the range of round-the-clock
entertainment options. By some estimates, Americans
are sleeping as much as an hour and a half less
per night than they did at the turn of the century
— and the problem is likely to get worse.
The health repercussions of sleep deprivation
are not well understood, but sleep researchers
point to ills ranging from heart problems to depression.
In a famous experiment conducted at the University
of Chicago in 1988, rats kept from sleeping died
after two and a half weeks. People are not likely
to drop dead in the same way, but sleep deprivation
may cost them their lives indirectly, when an
exhausted doctor prescribes the wrong dosage or
a sleepy driver weaves into someone’s lane.
What irritates sleep experts most is the fact
that much sleep deprivation is voluntary. “People
have regarded sleep as a commodity that they could
shortchange,” says one of them. “It’s been considered
a mark of very hard work and upward mobility to
get very little sleep. It’s a macho attitude”.
Slumber scientists hope that attitude will change.
They say people have learned to modify their behavior
in terms of lowering their cholesterol and increasing
exercise. Doctors also think people need to be
educated that allowing enough time for sleep and
taking strategic naps are the most reliable ways
to promote alertness behind the wheel and on the
job.
Well, naps would be nice, but at the moment, employers
tend to frown on them. And what about the increasing
numbers of people who work at night? Not only
must they work while their bodies’ light-activated
circadian rhythms tell them to sleep, they also
find it tough to get to sleep after work. Biologists
say night workers have a hard time not paying
attention to the 9-to-5 day because of noises
or family obligations or that’s the only time
they can go to the dentist. There are not too
many dentists open at midnight.
As one might imagine, companies are springing
up to take advantage of sleeplessness. One of
the companies makes specially designed shift-work
lighting systems intended to keep workers alert
around the clock. Shift-work’s theory is that
bright light, delivered in a controlled fashion,
can help adjust people’s biological clocks. The
company president says they are using light like
a medicine. So far, such special lighting has
been the province of NASA astronauts and nuclear
power plant workers.
He thinks that
in the future, such systems may pop up in places
like hospitals and 24-hour credit-card processing
centers. Other researchers are experimenting with
everything from welder’s goggles (which night
workers wear during the day) to human growth hormones.
And, of course, there is always what doctors refer
to as “therapeutic caffeine use”, but everyone
is already familiar with that.
So, is a good night’s sleep an impossible dream
for Americans? Maybe so.
A15. The advice of American doctors is all
about
1) ways to reduce negative effect of modern technologies.
2) complex measures that ensure healthy sleep.
3) positive effect of herbal therapy.
4) the process of restoring from unexpected psychological
stress.
A16.Americans are referred to
as a “somnambulant nation” because they
1) need special help to fall asleep.
2) are sleepwalkers.
3) regularly wake up at night.
4) don’t get enough sleep to function effectively.
A17. Experiments with sleep deprivation
proved that
1) it inevitably leads to death.
2) its repercussions have finally become predictable.
3) it is likely to result in cardio or nervous
problems.
4) animal and human reactions are almost alike.
A18. There is a tendency to sleep
less because
1) people want to look tough at any cost.
2) people think they can reduce sleeping hours
without any harm.
3) people have learned to cope with less sleep
just as they have learned
to lower cholesterol.
4) otherwise they lose career and social opportunities.
A19. Having naps during the day would be
nice, but
1) doctors do not find them effective.
2) people won’t take them voluntarily.
3) bosses are against this.
4) it is difficult to arrange.
A20. People who work at night can hardly
1) fulfill traditional family obligations.
2) consult doctors when needed.
3) socialize to their liking.
4) ever sleep without ear-plugs.