英语听力精选进阶版 6410

Do you need a lot of sleep? Some famous leaders are thought to have spent little time in the land of Nod so keen they were on their high-powered jobs.

The late Margaret Thatcher¹ earned a reputation for getting by on four hours a night. Tirelessness became part of the former British PM's mystique and her officials had to keep up with her. They could find themselves working on a speech until the small hours of the morning.

Another British head of government, Winston Churchill, survived on four hours a night during the Second World War. But as the BBC reporter Tom de Castella points out, what is less often noted² is that he had regular afternoon naps in his pyjamas³.

Napoleon Bonaparte was not a man to sleep on the job. When asked how many hours of sleep he needed, the famous French general is said to have replied: "Six for a man, seven for a woman, eight for a fool."

How about ordinary people? Should we try to stifle⁴ our yawns and embrace insomnia⁵?

If you want to impress colleagues in the world of business it's certainly something to strive for. High-profile chief executives from Marissa Mayer at Yahoo! to Pepsi's Indra Nooyi get by on four hours a night, while Donald Trump⁶ claims to survive on three.

Geraint Anderson, author of City Boy, who worked as an analyst⁷ and stockbroker⁸ for 12 years, says: "There was a real macho competition in the City about sleep. One of the ways of getting respect was bragging⁹ about how little you got".

Experts say that there's nothing wrong with the habit of burning the midnight oil. The only rule is to sleep long enough to feel refreshed when you wake up.

Prof James Horne, at Loughborough's sleep research centre, says that mood is critical. Soldiers high on adrenalin can function on little sleep: "If you're despondent¹⁰, you tend to sleep more; if you're excited you need less".

Some artists think that sleep deprivation¹¹ can make them more creative but it might be worth carrying a pillow around. Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist, once stayed awake for nine days. When fatigue¹² got the better of him, he collapsed¹³ and broke his nose.

Quiz 测验

1. Who was supposed to need only four hours of sleep a night?

British PMs Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, chief executives Marissa Mayer of Yahoo!, and Indra Nooyi of Pepsi.

2. What was Napoleon Bonaparte said to think of people who slept eight hours a night?

That they were fools.

3. Is this statement true or false? Scientists say that people need to sleep eight hours a night to survive.

False. According to the article, some experts say that people can sleep as much as they want, as long as they feel refreshed when they wake up.

4. What expression means 'boasting about' something?

Bragging about.

5. Which expression means 'lack of sleep'?

Sleep deprivation.

Glossary 词汇表

the land of Nod 梦乡

tirelessness 不知疲倦的

mystique 神秘感

to keep up with 跟上，赶上

the small hours of the morning 凌晨

a nap 小睡，打盹

pyjamas 睡衣

to sleep on the job 上班时间睡觉

to stifle a yawn忍住哈欠

insomnia 失眠

to strive for 争取，力求

to brag about 吹嘘，炫耀

to burn the midnight oil 熬夜，开夜车

to feel refreshed 感到精神焕发、神清气爽

mood 情绪

high on adrenalin 大量分泌肾上腺素

to function （可正常）工作

despondent 沮丧的，意志消沉的

sleep deprivation 睡眠不足

fatigue 疲劳

1 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 pyjamas   

n.（宽大的）睡衣裤

参考例句：

• This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
• Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

4 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

5 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 stockbroker   

n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）

参考例句：

• The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
• My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。

9 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句

10 despondent   

adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的

参考例句：

• He was up for a time and then，without warning,despondent again.他一度兴高采烈，但忽然又情绪低落下来。
• I feel despondent when my work is rejected.作品被拒后我感到很沮丧。

11 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

12 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

13 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。