中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
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 Elite: Baroness Thatcher famously existed on only a few hours a night, but as she used to catnap during the day, she can't be considered a member of the sleepless elite - unlike Leonardo da Vinci. |
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If you start each day desperately wishing for an extra hour in bed, the following is likely to leave you feeling even more grumpy. Scientists have identified a ‘sleepless elite’ – a small group of people for whom a lie-in is a waste of time. Rather than being tired, bad-tempered under-achievers, they are an energetic, outgoing and optimistic group who can happily and healthily get by on just four or five hours of shut-eye a night. If that were not irritating enough, they tend to be slim, able to hold down two jobs at the same time, and breeze through their extra-long days without needing caffeine pick-me-ups or cat naps. Working out how the gene cuts sleep without any obvious impact on health could help in the design of drugs that give us all a few extra hours in our day. The bad news is that while many of us get by on a few hours’ sleep a night, just one to three people in 100 qualify to be part of the sleepless elite. The research team is now appealing for members of the lucky group to come forward to allow their DNA to be studied. University of California researcher Ying-Hui Fu said: ‘My long-term goal is to someday learn enough so we can manipulate the sleep pathways without damaging our health. ‘Everybody can use more waking hours, even if you just watch movies.’ Many of those who have already volunteered share fascinating characteristics. They are thinner than average, relentlessly upbeat and seem to have a high tolerance for physical pain and psychological set-backs. Researcher Dr Christopher Jones told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Typically, at the end of a long-structured phone interview, they will admit they have been texting and surfing the internet and doing crossword puzzles at the same time, all on less than six hours of sleep.” (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
如果你每天起床时，都巴不得再多睡一小时，那下面的调查很可能让你感觉更焦躁。 科学家已证实存在“夜猫子精英”一族，对这些为数不多的人来说，睡懒觉就是在浪费生命。 虽然睡眠时间短，但他们精力充沛、外向活泼、乐观向上，而不是疲惫而且脾气坏的“后进生”。他们每晚只睡四到五个小时，却过得快乐健康。 如果你还不觉得烦恼，那还得告诉你，他们通常身材苗条，可以一心二用，轻松度过悠长的一天，而不必靠咖啡饮品提神，也不打瞌睡。 研究基因如何在不明显影响健康的情况下缩短了睡眠时间有助于研制缩短睡眠时间的药物。 不幸的是，尽管很多人睡眠时间都比较短，但每百人中只有一到三人能成为“夜猫子精英”。 研究人员正呼吁幸运的精英一族自愿接受DNA检测。 加州大学研究员付英辉（音）说：“我的长期目标是今后做足研究，从而在不影响健康的情况下人为控制睡眠规律。” “每个人都可以缩短睡眠时间，哪怕你只是用多出的时间看电影。” 已自愿接受检测的受试者有些共同特点。他们身材更苗条，始终保持乐观，而且似乎对疼痛感和心理挫折的忍耐力更强。 研究员克里斯多弗•琼斯博士在接受《华尔街日报》采访时说：“通常，在一段长时间的电话调查后，受访者会承认他们同时在发短信、上网、做拼字游戏。而这些人每天睡眠时间不足六小时。” 相关阅读 （中国日报网英语点津 许雅宁 编辑：陈丹妮） |
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Vocabulary: grumpy: surly or ill-tempered; discontentedly or sullenly irritable; grouchy（脾气坏的，性情暴躁的） lie-in: an act or instance of staying in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning（睡懒觉） under-achiever: a person or thing that performs below expectations（低成就者，差生） breeze through: to proceed quickly and easily; move rapidly without intense effort（轻易通过，轻松完成） pick-me-up: 含酒精的饮料，提神的酒 cat nap: 打瞌睡 come forward: to offer one's services; present oneself; volunteer（自愿，自告奋勇） |
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