Health experts who have studied sleep deprived(严重匮乏的) children and teenagers have found they are at risk of being overweight and depressed, more likely to take up smoking, drinking, and more likely to do poorly in school.
Now, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that school districts help deal with the problem by starting classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Researchers looked at schools’ start time schedules in 8,000 schools. Only 1 in 6 started at 8:30 or later, so that means 5 out of 6 were starting too early. If a kid is in first period(课) when they should still be asleep, how much are they really learning?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended the 8:30 a.m. start time. That recommendation was based on natural sleep rhythms of school age children, especially teenagers. Researchers say teens should be getting 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep every night, but two-thirds of them don’t get nearly that much sleep, and that doesn’t just lead to health problems. It can be a public safety problem, too—teenagers who drive to school, for example. In Montgomery County, Md., the school board has been debating this issue for years. It recently voted to start classes 20 minutes later in middle and high schools, 10 minutes later in elementary schools, even though many parents wanted an even later start time.
Montgomery school spokesman Dana Tofig says the cost of starting school later was a huge consideration. Changing bus schedules for 90,000 students this fall is going to be a huge task, he says, but it’s not going to cost that much more money. As for the overall benefits of starting school later, Dana Tofig says: “I think a lot of it will have to do with what our students tell us—the health benefits. Are our students happier? Are they more engaged(投入的) in school? Are we seeing fewer incidences(发生率) of negative behavior or depression? Are they not falling asleep in first period?”
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1.Students who lack sleep will be least likely to __________.
A gain weight
B start to smoke
C take up drinking
D do well in school
解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段可知，学生睡眠不足容易造成肥胖，容易导致学生抽烟、饮酒和抑郁等问题，还很有可能造成学生学习不好。故选D。
2.Why don’t researchers think students are getting enough sleep?
A Because they spend much time learning.
B Because they sleep in first period.
C Because schools begin early.
D Because they are overweight.
解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第二段的“Only 1 in 6 started at 8:30 or later, so that means 5 out of 6 were starting too early.”可知，研究人员们调查了8000所学校，发现六分之五的学校上课时间都很早，由此可知研究人员认为学生缺乏睡眠是因为学校上课太早。故选C。
3.What does the underlined part “the issue” refer to?
A The natural sleep rhythm.
B The public safety problem.
C The later start times for classes.
D The health problem of students.
解析：选C。C词意指代题。根据划线部分所在句的后一句“It recently voted to start classes 20 minutes later in middle and high schools, 10 minutes later in elementary schools”可知，学校董事会投票决定推迟学校上课时间，由此可知前面提到的争论的问题是推迟学校上课时间的问题。故选C。
4.What is the main purpose of starting school later according to Dana Tofig?
A To make parents happy.
B To help with students’ health.
C To shorten teachers’ working hours.
D To make students engaged in their study.
解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据最后一段的“I think a lot of it will have to do with what our students tell us—the health benefits.”可知，学校推迟学生上课时间主要是为了学生的身心健康。故选B。
