中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
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 Elite: Baroness Thatcher famously existed on only a few hours a night, but as she used to catnap during the day, she can't be considered a member of the sleepless elite - unlike Leonardo da Vinci. |
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If you start each day desperately wishing for an extra hour in bed, the following is likely to leave you feeling even more grumpy. Scientists have identified a ‘sleepless elite’ – a small group of people for whom a lie-in is a waste of time. Rather than being tired, bad-tempered under-achievers, they are an energetic, outgoing and optimistic group who can happily and healthily get by on just four or five hours of shut-eye a night. If that were not irritating enough, they tend to be slim, able to hold down two jobs at the same time, and breeze through their extra-long days without needing caffeine pick-me-ups or cat naps. Working out how the gene cuts sleep without any obvious impact on health could help in the design of drugs that give us all a few extra hours in our day. The bad news is that while many of us get by on a few hours’ sleep a night, just one to three people in 100 qualify to be part of the sleepless elite. The research team is now appealing for members of the lucky group to come forward to allow their DNA to be studied. University of California researcher Ying-Hui Fu said: ‘My long-term goal is to someday learn enough so we can manipulate the sleep pathways without damaging our health. ‘Everybody can use more waking hours, even if you just watch movies.’ Many of those who have already volunteered share fascinating characteristics. They are thinner than average, relentlessly upbeat and seem to have a high tolerance for physical pain and psychological set-backs. Researcher Dr Christopher Jones told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Typically, at the end of a long-structured phone interview, they will admit they have been texting and surfing the internet and doing crossword puzzles at the same time, all on less than six hours of sleep.” (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
如果你每天起床時，都巴不得再多睡一小時，那下面的調查很可能讓你感覺更焦躁。 科學家已證實存在“夜貓子精英”一族，對這些為數不多的人來說，睡懶覺就是在浪費生命。 雖然睡眠時間短，但他們精力充沛、外向活潑、樂觀向上，而不是疲憊而且脾氣壞的“后進生”。他們每晚只睡四到五個小時，卻過得快樂健康。 如果你還不覺得煩惱，那還得告訴你，他們通常身材苗條，可以一心二用，輕松度過悠長的一天，而不必靠咖啡飲品提神，也不打瞌睡。 研究基因如何在不明顯影響健康的情況下縮短了睡眠時間有助于研制縮短睡眠時間的藥物。 不幸的是，盡管很多人睡眠時間都比較短，但每百人中只有一到三人能成為“夜貓子精英”。 研究人員正呼吁幸運的精英一族自愿接受DNA檢測。 加州大學研究員付英輝（音）說：“我的長期目標是今后做足研究，從而在不影響健康的情況下人為控制睡眠規(guī)律。” “每個人都可以縮短睡眠時間，哪怕你只是用多出的時間看電影。” 已自愿接受檢測的受試者有些共同特點。他們身材更苗條，始終保持樂觀，而且似乎對疼痛感和心理挫折的忍耐力更強。 研究員克里斯多弗?瓊斯博士在接受《華爾街日報》采訪時說：“通常，在一段長時間的電話調查后，受訪者會承認他們同時在發(fā)短信、上網、做拼字游戲。而這些人每天睡眠時間不足六小時。” 相關閱讀 （中國日報網英語點津 許雅寧 編輯：陳丹妮） |
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Vocabulary: grumpy: surly or ill-tempered; discontentedly or sullenly irritable; grouchy（脾氣壞的，性情暴躁的） lie-in: an act or instance of staying in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning（睡懶覺） under-achiever: a person or thing that performs below expectations（低成就者，差生） breeze through: to proceed quickly and easily; move rapidly without intense effort（輕易通過，輕松完成） pick-me-up: 含酒精的飲料，提神的酒 cat nap: 打瞌睡 come forward: to offer one's services; present oneself; volunteer（自愿，自告奮勇） |
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