BC READING TEST 1
PASSAGE VOCAB + GRAMMAR
PASSAGE 1: MAKING TIME FOR SCIENCE - Chronobiology (n): sinh học thời gian
Chronobiology might sound a little futuristic – like - dinurnal (adj): active during the day [animals]
something from a science fiction novel, perhaps – but - nocturnal (adj): active at night [animals]
it’s actually a field of study that concerns one of the - forage [for sth] (v): to search widely for food
oldest processes life on this planet has ever known: - crepuscular (adj): active or appearing just
short-term rhythms of time and their effect on flora before the sun goes down, or just after the sun
and fauna. rises loài hoàng hôn
This can take many forms. Marine life, for example, -
is influenced by tidal patterns. Animals tend to be
active or inactive depending on the position of the
sun or moon. Numerous creatures, humans included,
are largely diurnal – that is, they like to come out
during the hours of sunlight. Nocturnal animals,
such as bats and possums, prefer to forage by night.
A third group are known as crepuscular: they thrive
in the lowlight of dawn and dusk and remain inactive
at other hours.
When it comes to humans, chronobiologists are
interested in what is known as the circadian
rhythm. This is the complete cycle our bodies are
naturally geared to undergo within the passage of a
twenty-four hour day. Aside from sleeping at night
and waking during the day, each cycle involves many
other factors such as changes in blood pressure and
body temperature. Not everyone has an identical
circadian rhythm. ‘Night people’, for example, often
describe how they find it very hard to operate during
the morning, but become alert and focused by
evening. This is a benign variation within circadian
rhythms known as a chronotype.
Scientists have limited abilities to create durable
modifications of chronobiological demands. Recent
therapeutic developments for humans such as
artificial light machines and melatonin administration
can reset our circadian rhythms, for example, but our
bodies can tell the difference and health suffers when
we breach these natural rhythms for extended periods
of time. Plants appear no more malleable in this
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respect; studies demonstrate that vegetables grown in
season and ripened on the tree are far higher in
essential nutrients than those grown in greenhouses
and ripened by laser.
Knowledge of chronobiological patterns can have
many pragmatic implications for our day-to-day
lives. While contemporary living can sometimes
appear to subjugate biology – after all, who needs
circadian rhythms when we have caffeine pills,
energy drinks, shift work and cities that never sleep?
– keeping in synch with our body clock is important.
The average urban resident, for example, rouses at
the eye-blearing time of 6.04 a.m., which researchers
believe to be far too early. One study found that even
rising at 7.00 a.m. has deleterious effects on health
unless exercise is performed for 30 minutes
afterward. The optimum moment has been whittled
down to 7.22 a.m.; muscle aches, headaches and
moodiness were reported to be lowest by participants
in the study who awoke then.
Once you’re up and ready to go, what then? If you’re
trying to shed some extra pounds, dieticians are
adamant: never skip breakfast. This disorients your
circadian rhythm and puts your body in starvation
mode. The recommended course of action is to
follow an intense workout with a carbohydrate-rich
breakfast; the other way round and weight loss
results are not as pronounced.
