Before you read
1.How many hours a night do you usually sleep?
2.How do you feel when you wake up in the morning?
3.How often do you feel sleepy(困乏的) during the day?
eg:I usually sleep for fewer than 6 hours a night.
Reading passage
What happens if you don't have enough sleep?Randy Gardner,a high school student in the United States.wanted to find out,He designed an experiment on the effects of sleeplessness for a school science project.With doctors watching him closely.Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours and 12 minutes.Thats eleven days and nights without sleep!
What effects did sleeplessness have on Gardner?After 24 hours without sleep.Gardner having trouble reading and watching television..The words and picture were too blurry(模糊的)，By the third day.He was having trouble doing things with his hands.By the fourth day,Gardner was hallucinating(产生幻觉).For example ,when he saw a street sign,he thought it was a person,He also imaged he was a famous football star.Over the next few days,Gardner's speech became so slurred(发音含糊的) that people couldn't understand him.He also had trouble remembering things.By the eleventh day,Gardner couldn't even count.In the middle of counting he simply stopped.He couldn't rememeber what he was doing.When Gardner finally went to bed,he slept for 14 hours and 45 minutes.The second night he slept for twelve hours.the third night he slept for ten and one-half hours.and by the fourth night,he has returned to his normal sleep shedule.Even though Gardner recovered quickly,Scientists believe that going without sleep can be dangerous.They say that people should not repeat Gardner experiment.Tests on white rats have shown how serious sleeplessness can be.After a few weeks without sleep,the rats started losing their fur,and even though the rats ate more food than usual.they lost weight,Eventually(最后) the rats died.During your lifetime.you will probaly spend 25 years or more sleeping.But why?What is the purpose of sleep? Surprisingly.scientists don't know for sure.Some scientists think we sleep in order to replenish(补充) brain cells.other scientists think that sleep helps the body grow and relieve(减除) stress，whatever the reason,we know that it is important to get enough sleep.
True or False
1.Gardner studied the effects of sleeping too much.
2.During the experiment,Gardner slept for several hours every night.
3.During the experiment,Dardner had trouble speaking clear
4.It took two weeks for Gardner recover from the experiment.
5.Going without sleep is not dangerous for white rats
6.Scientists are not sure why we sleep
7.In first paragraph ,the words "find out" mean learn or discover.
8.The word "slurred" means easy to understand.
9.The word "blurry" means hard to see
Follow-up Questions:
1.After reading the text,do you think your sleeping habits are healthy?
2.Do you snore?
3.Do you talk in your sleep?