BBC news 2014-06-23

Whether you prefer burning the midnight oil or going to bed early so you can get up at the crack of dawn depends on your genes, according to experts.

I leap out of bed each morning, keen to start an active day. But I can hear my neighbour's alarm clock ringing non-stop every morning and I doubt he gets to work on time.

A lot of noise comes from his flat in the evening. He's happy to stay up watching telly till the wee small hours, while I turn in early and try to sleep.

Well, it might not be his fault after all. Neurogeneticist Dr Louis Ptacek of University of California would say I'm 'a lark' and my neighbour is 'an owl'. Families of 'extreme owls', with Familial Delayed Sleep Phase syndrome, were found to have a different mutation in the same genes.

We all have internal 'clocks' located in the part of the brain which controls all kinds of bodily functions and it is reset every day by light. These internal clocks run to a different schedule in 'larks' and 'owls'. If you have a fast clock, you like to do things early, and if you have a slow clock, you like to do things late.

Because we live in a 24/7 world, scientists believe it's important to understand a person's 'chronotype' – the time of the day when they function the best. It could help us lead a healthier life.

Prof Till Roenneberg of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich has studied sleeping patterns and thinks work times should be changed and made more individual to fit in with our chronotypes.

And he has advice for those who can't choose their work shifts: "If that's not possible, we should be more strategic about light exposure", says Prof Roenneberg. "You should try to go to work not in a covered vehicle but on a bike. The minute the sun sets we should use things that have no blue light, like computer screens and other electronic devices."

So what about you? Are you 'a lark' or 'an owl'?

词汇解释

1.Sleepy adj. 困乏的

She was so sleepy that she ran into a lamppost.

她如此困倦，以致撞到路灯杆上。

2.prefer vt. 更喜欢

I prefer walking to work.

我宁可走去上班。

3.keen adj.渴望的

The children are mad keen to go to the zoo.

孩子们非常想去动物园。

4.mutation n. 变化;转变

This mutation makes it better adapted than the other four.

这种变异使它具有比其他四只猪为大的适应能力。

5.internal adj. 内部的;里面的

I want to know the internal structure of the building.

我想知道这座建筑物的内部结构。

6.function v. 工作;活动 The authorities say the prison is now functioning normally...

当局称监狱现在运转正常。 7.strategic adj. 战略(上)的

The bridge is of strategic importance to us.

这座桥对我们至关重要。

内容解析

1.Whether you prefer burning the midnight oil or going to bed early so you can get up at the crack of dawn depends on your genes, according to experts.

burn the midnight oil(学习或工作)开夜车; 熬夜

Some of the students often burn the midnight oil before exams.

一些学生常在考试前开夜车。

at the crack of dawn大清早;破晓时分

The marchers jumped off at the crack of dawn.

行军队伍在破晓时出发了。

2.He's happy to stay up watching telly till the wee small hours, while I turn in early and try to sleep.

stay up不睡觉; 熬夜

I used to stay up late with my mom and watch movies.

我以前总是和妈妈一起熬夜看电影。

3.Prof Till Roenneberg of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich has studied sleeping patterns and think

s work times should be changed and made more individual to fit in with our chronotypes.

fit in适应，适合

Your plan to take vacation seems to fit in with mine very nicely.

你的度假计划与我的十分吻合。

参考译文

据专家说，你是喜欢开夜车还是喜欢早早上床睡觉黎明时分起床，取决于你的基因。

我每天都很早从床上跳起来，迫切而积极地开始一天的生活。但是我每天都能听到我邻居的闹钟响个不停，我很怀疑他能否准时去上班。

晚上，他的公寓里总是传来很多噪音。他每天都开心地看电视到深夜，而我却早早地上床睡觉。

不过，这或许不是他的错。来自加州大学的神经基因学家Louis Ptacek博士会说我是一只“百灵鸟”，我的邻居是“猫头鹰”。科学家发现，“极端猫头鹰”家族患有家族性睡眠相位后移症，家族成员出现同样的基因突变。

我们的大脑中都有内在的生物钟，控制着所有的身体生理机能，每天都通过光线来重新设置。“百灵鸟”和“猫头鹰”的内在生物钟运作方式不同。如果你的内在钟表走得比较快，你就喜欢早点做事。如果你的内在钟表比较慢，你喜欢晚一点做事。

因为我们生活在一个时时刻刻转动着的世界，科学家们相信，了解一个人的“时型”非常重要——也就是一个人一天当中生理机能运作最佳的时候。这样可以帮助我们过更加健康的生活。

路德维希-马克西米利安-慕尼黑大学的Prof Till对睡眠模式进行了研究，认为工作时间应该进行调整，根据个人的“时型”进行个性化对待。

对于那些不能选择工作时段的人他也有一些建议：“如果调整工作时间不可能，我们应该在光线暴露方面更有战略性。最好不要乘坐密封的交通工具，而是骑自行车。日落的时候我们应该使用没有蓝光的工具，例如电脑屏幕和其他电子备。”

那么你呢?你是“百灵鸟”还是“猫头鹰”?