湖北省荆门市2016高考英语二轮复习 科普环保类阅读理解（5.docVIP

科普环保类阅读理解（5） 2016高考英语阅读练习——科普环保类 Our body clock, or natural body rhythm, influences our energy and alertness. Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of the day when we best perform specific tasks. The reality, however, is that most of us organize the time around work demands, school deadlines, commuting or social events. Doing whatever the body feels like doing is a luxury in today’s fast-paced modern society. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying. Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits. Disrupting our natural body rhythm, on the other hand, has been linked to problems such as depression, obesity, or headache, says Steve Key, a biology professor. When the body clock can synchronize (使…同步) the rhythms of its natural processes, it “gives us an advantage in daily life”, says Key. According to him, when it comes to cognitive (认知的) work, most adults perform best in the late morning. As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday, our memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve. However, he adds, our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter. Most of us are more easily distracted (分心) between noon and 4 pm. Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm, making that a good time for a nap. Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers. For most adults, problems that require open-ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired, according to a study in the journal Thinking Reasoning. When choosing a time of the day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can improve results. Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm, says Michael Smolensky, a professor of biomedical engineering. Of course, not everyone’s body clock is the same, making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with dail