Question

IT’S a scene in many homes around the world: tired-eyed teens wake to the sound of their alarm clock. Another school day begins, and we all wish we could have just one extra hour of sleep.

For lucky high school students in England, they’re now going to reset their alarm and get an extra hour of sleep. Instead of starting school at 9 am, students will begin the academic day at 10 am.

This is part of a huge study by Oxford University. The experiment will see whether later classes can improve exam results.

More than 100 schools across England will join the four-year experiment, which includes tens of thousands of students. It is based on（以…为基础） scientific evidence（证据； 迹象）that teenagers are out of step with traditional school hours.

“We know that something funny happens when you’re a teenager,” lead sleep researcher Colin Epsie told The Telegraph. “Your parents think it’s because you’re lazy and everything would be OK if you could get to sleep earlier. But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.”

A similar experiment in 2009 saw an improvement of 19 percent in exam scores for major subjects – such as math and science.

Teenagers’ sleep cycles, on average, begin two hours after adults. Neuroscientists (神经科学家) say teens have a built-in clock, which makes them more likely to go to sleep around midnight. As well as not feeling fully awake until between 9 am and 10 am. This body clock stays until the age of 19 for females and 21 for males.

Schools are places for learning, as well as education laboratories – finding out the best ways to learn and increase knowledge. Yet we’ll have to wait until 2018 to find out these exciting results!

1.England high school students usually start school __________.

A. at 7 am B. at 8 am C. at 9 am D. at 10 am

2.Teenagers feel hard to get up early because _________.

A. they are too lazy

B. their sleep cycles are later than adults

C. they stay up late at night

D. they hate going to school

3.The aim of the experiment in 2009 was to __________.

A. find out whether later classes can improve exam results

B. test how students’ body clocks work

C. compare teenagers’ and adults’ sleeping styles

D. help teachers to find the best way to teach

4.The article is focused on（聚焦）the topic that _________.

A. teenagers need more sleep than adults

B. students might need more hours’ sleep in the morning

C. boys need more sleep in the morning than girls

D. it is important to do more experiments on education

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

1.考查细节理解。根据第二段第二句Instead of starting school at 9 am, students will begin the academic day at 10 am.选择D。句意：英格兰高中生经常在10点开始上学。

2.2】考查细节理解。根据倒数第二段第一句Teenagers’ sleep cycles, on average, begin two hours after adults.选择B。句意：青少年感动早起很困难，因为他们的生物钟比成年人要长。

3.3】考查细节理解。根据第六段A similar experiment in 2009 saw an improvement of 19 percent in exam scores for major subjects – such as math and science.选择A。句意：2009年实验的目的是找出是否晚上课可以提高学生成绩。

4.4】考查细节理解。根据全文内容和文中的实验可以总结出中心话题，并且可以用第五段的But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.总结。选择D。句意：文章聚焦的中心话题是：在早晨，学生们需要更长时间的睡眠。

考点：图表类阅读。