Reading

1. SPEAKING Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions.

(Làm việc theo cặp. Hỏi và trả lời câu hỏi)

1. What time do you usually go to bed

a) on weekdays and

b) at the weekend?

2. What time do you usually get up

a) on weekdays and

b) at the weekend?

3. Have those times changed much since you were younger?

Answer:

Person A: Hi, what time do you usually go to bed on weekdays and at the weekend?

Person B: Hey, on weekdays I usually go to bed around 11 pm and on weekends, it's usually a bit later, around midnight or 1 am.

Person A: Oh, I see. And what time do you usually get up on weekdays and weekends?

Person B: On weekdays, I have to wake up at 6 am for work, but on weekends, I usually sleep in until 9 or 10 am.

Person A: That's interesting. Have those times changed much since you were younger?

Person B: Definitely. When I was younger, I used to go to bed much earlier, around 9 or 10 pm, and wake up earlier too, around 7 or 8 am. But now that I'm older and have more freedom in my schedule, I stay up later and sleep in more. How about you? What are your usual sleep patterns like?

Person A: I usually go to bed around midnight on weekdays and weekends, and I wake up at 7 am on weekdays and around 9 am on weekends. Those times haven't changed much for me since I was younger.

Person B: That's pretty consistent. Do you find that you function well on that amount of sleep?

Person A: Yeah, I think so. I feel pretty well-rested most of the time. How about you?

Person B: I definitely need at least 7 hours of sleep to function well, but if I get more than 9 hours, I feel groggy all day. It's a delicate balance!

2. Read the Reading Strategy. Then read the article to get an idea of the general meaning. Which is the best summary: a, b, c or d?

(Đọc Chiến lược đọc. Sau đó đọc bài viết để có ý tưởng về ý nghĩa chung. Đó là tóm tắt tốt nhất: a, b, c hoặc d?)

Reading Strategy

When matching questions with texts, follow these steps

1. Read the text to get a general idea of the meaning.

2. Read the task’s lead-in line very carefully (in which period of the day... ). Then read all the options carefully.

3. Read the paragraphs of the text carefully one by one and match them to the correct option.

4. If you can’t find the answer, leave it for now and come back to it later.

NIGHT AND DAY

How much sleep do we need?

• Young children need more sleep than adults and tend to wake up earlier. A typical ten-year-old needs about ten hours’ sleep.

• As you reach adolescence, your body clock changes. Most teenagers need about nine hours’ sleep, but wake up later.

• As an adult, you’ll need about eight to eight and a half hours’ sleep a night.

• When we are much older, in ou 70s and 80s, we’re less able to sleep deeply and we usually need less sleep.

Our personal body clock

Each of us has our own personal body clock, which makes us more alert in the morning or more alert in the evening. You might be a ‘lark’ who likes to go to bed early and get up early, or you might be an ‘owl’ who prefers to go to bed late and get up late. Or somewhere in between.

[ A ] 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. Your body is waking up. It stops producing melatonin, the hormone which makes you feel sleepy. Blood vessels are stiffer and less flexible. Your blood is thicker and stickier and your blood pressure is at its highest, so it's not the best time to exercise. [ B ] 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. You're at your most alert at this time in the morning. Tests show that short-term memory is at its best right now. [ C ] 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. Your stomach is full and working hard after lunch. You become much less alert and probably feel a bit sleepy. More road accidents happen at this time of day than at any other, particularly involving older people. [ D ] 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. This is a very good time to exercise. Body temperature increases in the late afternoon. Your heart and lungs work better and muscles are six per cent stronger than at their lowest point in the day. Some sports people believe that if you try to break a world record at this time of day, you'll have a greater chance of success. [ E ] 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. By now you'll be getting hungry. But don’t eat too late! In the evening, our bodies struggle to digest fats and sugars. Studies show that people will lose more weight if they have their main meal at lunchtime rather than in the evening. (But how much you eat is always more important than when you eat.)

[ F ] 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. It’s getting near to bedtime. Your body temperature is falling and your body clock is telling you that it’s time for bed. Your body is producing lots of melatonin to help you go to sleep. It can be difficult to sleep with the light on because light reduces the amount of melatonin in your body. Blue light is particularly effective at keeping us awake. And mobile phones, computer screens and flat-screen TVs emit large amounts of blue light. So turn off those gadgets!

[ G ] 12 a.m. - 3 a.m. Your body really wants to be asleep. Melatonin reaches its maximum level. Your stomach has stopped working and your brain is at rest.

[ H ] 3 a.m. - 6 a.m. Melatonin levels are still high, and you are in deep sleep. Your body temperature is much cooler than at any other time of the day.

The writer's main purpose is to explain

a. why children need more sleep than adults.

b. why we should always get lots of sleep.

c. why our bodies feel more or less tired at different times of day.

d. why some people feel more alert than others.

Answer:

The writer's main purpose is to explain

c. why our bodies feel more or less tired at different times of day.

3. Match the paragraphs (A-H) with questions 1-10 below. Two of the paragraphs match more than one question.

(Nối đoạn văn (A-H) với câu hỏi 1-10 bên dưới. Hai trong số các đoạn phù hợp với nhiều hơn một câu hỏi)

In which period of the day

1. do you completely stop digesting food?

2. is it best to be physically active?

3. do our bodies have difficulty digesting certain foods?

4. are older people more likely to have accidents?

5. does your body contain the most melatonin?

6. are you best at remembering things over short periods of time?

7. are you at your strongest physically?

8. does your body stop making melatonin?

9. is your body at its coolest?

10. does your body begin to become cooler?

Answer:

In which period of the day

1. do you completely stop digesting food? [ C ]

2. is it best to be physically active? [ D ]

3. do our bodies have difficulty digesting certain foods? [ E ]

4. are older people more likely to have accidents? [ C ]

5. does your body contain the most melatonin? [ G ]

6. are you best at remembering things over short periods of time? [ B ]

7. are you at your strongest physically? [ D ]

8. does your body stop making melatonin? [ A ]

9. is your body at its coolest? [ H ]

10. does your body begin to become cooler? [ F ]

4. Read the article again and answer the questions.

(Đọc bài viết một lần nữa và trả lời các câu hỏi)

1. How much more sleep does a young child need than an adolescent?

2. What's the difference between ‘larks’ and ‘owls’?

3. Why is it better not to exercise early in the morning?

4. When do sportspeople think is a good time to try to break a record?

5. If you want to lose weight, which is more important when you eat or how much you eat?

6. Why is it not a good idea to use gadgets such as tablets and mobiles late at night?

Answer:

1. How much more sleep does a young child need than an adolescent?

• According to the article, a young child needs around 10-12 hours of sleep per night, while an adolescent needs around 8-10 hours of sleep.

2. What's the difference between ‘larks’ and ‘owls’?

• ‘Larks’ are people who naturally wake up early in the morning and feel most alert and productive during the first half of the day. ‘Owls’ are people who prefer to stay up late and feel most alert and productive during the second half of the day.

3. Why is it better not to exercise early in the morning?

• According to the article, it's better not to exercise early in the morning because the body's core temperature is at its lowest point, which can lead to reduced performance and an increased risk of injury.

4. When do sportspeople think is a good time to try to break a record?

• Sportspeople think that the late afternoon or early evening is a good time to try to break a record because this is when the body is at its strongest and most alert.

5. If you want to lose weight, which is more important when you eat or how much you eat?

• According to the article, both when you eat and how much you eat are important for weight loss. It's generally recommended to eat smaller meals throughout the day rather than one or two large meals, and to avoid eating too close to bedtime.

6. Why is it not a good idea to use gadgets such as tablets and mobiles late at night?

• It's not a good idea to use gadgets such as tablets and mobiles late at night because the blue light emitted by these devices can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. This can make it harder to fall asleep and lead to poorer quality sleep.

5. SPEAKING Work in pairs. Ask and answer.

(Làm việc theo cặp. Hỏi và trả lời)

1. Do you get enough sleep? If not, why not?

2. How do you feel if you don’t get enough sleep? What things are more difficult to do?

3. Do you use gadgets such as mobiles late at night? What for? Do you find that they keep you awake?

4. When are you most alert? Are you a ‘lark’, an ‘owl’, or in between the two? Explain your answer.

Answer:

Person 1: Hi, do you think you get enough sleep?

Person 2: Hmm, I'm not really sure. I usually try to get around 7 hours a night, but sometimes I have trouble falling asleep.

Person 1: Yeah, I know how that feels. When I don't get enough sleep, I feel really tired and groggy the next day. It's hard to focus on anything, especially work or studying.

Person 2: I totally agree. And sometimes I get headaches or feel really irritable if I don't get enough sleep.

Person 1: Do you ever use your phone or tablet late at night?

Person 2: Yeah, sometimes I'll scroll through social media or watch a video before bed. But I've noticed that it makes it harder to fall asleep.

Person 1: Yeah, I try to avoid using my phone or laptop at least an hour before bedtime. It helps me to relax and get to sleep easier.

Person 2: That's a good idea. I might try that too.

Person 1: So, are you more of a morning person or a night owl?

Person 2: I think I'm somewhere in between. I usually feel most alert in the mid-morning and early afternoon, but I'm definitely not a morning person.

Person 1: Same here. I'm definitely not a morning person, but I usually feel pretty awake in the afternoon and evening.