英语精听材料:Later School Start Time Leads To Better StudentsA half-hour delay in school start time led 201 Rhode Island high school students to be better behaved and happier. Cynthia Graber reports.$ [# j+ h% E. p0 `4 S
3 K) ~& [* x, B" {' ?6 q6 h. dTeachers get exasperated at students—they don’t pay attention, they’re sleepy, they have bad attitudes. But improvement could be a matter of timing—just start school later. That’s according to a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. [Citation to come.]
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. {3 _9 y7 I- P9 r+ H" _- m9 GBeginning at adolescence, kids have what’s called a delayed sleep phase, where they start sleep later and sleep later in the morning. And they need plenty—about nine-and-a-quarter hours a night.
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) k% R; q& B' c# _+ i& e4 r2 DThe researchers evaluated 201 Rhode Island high school students whose school pushed back its start time from 8 to 8:30. The kids completed a sleep habits survey before and after the time change.
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After the delayed start, the percentage of students who said they got at least eight hours of sleep a night jumped from about 16 to 55 percent. Class attendance improved, and there were fewer visits to the health center for fatigue-related complaints. Plus, the number of students who said they felt unhappy, depressed, annoyed or irritated dropped significantly. ; j; J: \9 v$ V; j
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Before the study, teachers, coaches and administrators all resisted the later start. After, nearly all voted to keep it in place. A half-hour change for happier, better students? Seems like a good time for all. |