★D
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案.
Researchers found that working shifts leads to a loss of memory and an impaired ability to think.
A decade or more working rotating shifts was connected with a loss of brain function equal to six and a half years of the normal decline in thinking and memory relating to ageing, they showed.
Disruption of the body clock, which is based on natural day and night cycles, may cause stresses that may affect brain functioning, the researchers believe. Other studies have linked vitamin D deficiency due to reduced exposure to sunlight to poorer mental ability. Lead researcher Dr Jean-Claude Marquie concluded: “Shift work chronically impairs cognition, with potentially important safety consequences not only for the individuals concerned, but also for society.”
The scientists assessed more than 3,000 workers from southern France who had their mental abilities tested on three occasions over a 10-year period. Participants were aged 32, 42, 52 and 62 at the time of the first test in 1996. Around a fifth had worked a shift pattern that switched between mornings, afternoons and nights. Shift workers had lower average scores for memory, processing speed and overall brain function than those working normal office hours. Compared with people who had never worked rotating shifts, participants employed this way for 10 or more years had lower overall thinking and memory scores. The level of impairment was equivalent to six and a half years of age-related cognitive decline.
The international team of scientists, who included British researchers from the University of Swansea, said the problems increased with the length of time people worked shifts. After 10 years of rotating shift work the association became “highly significant”. However, there was evidence that the losses were reversible. People who stopped working shifts recovered their lost mental function after at least five years.
The researchers wrote: “Measures should be considered that reduce the impact that long-lasting exposure to shift work has on cognitive abilities, including switching to normal day work.”
1 . What is the effect of working rotating shifts for years?
A . Vitamin D deficiency.
B . Lower average score for memory.
C . Stressful emotions.
D . Loss of brain function.
2 . What can we infer from the passage?
A . Shift work can cause safety concerns for the society.
B . Shift work interrupts the normal life of individuals.
C . Loss of mental ability can be regained with enough rest.
D . Working at night shifts can cause many health problems.
3 . What can people do to recover their loss of brain function?
A . Changing to normal office hours.
B . Getting exposed to more sunlight.
C . Working in a happier environment.
D . Doing practice to improve processing speed.
4 . What factors were assessed of the French workers by the scientists?
A . Working shifts, loss of memory, cognition decline.
B . Scores for memory, processing speed and brain function.
C . Shifts between mornings, afternoons and nights.
D . Safety concerns, exposure to sunlight and level of impairment.
5 . What is the author’s attitude towards the impact of long-lasting shift work?
A . Astonished.
B . Sympathetic.
C . Anxious.
D . Embarrassed.
★D1-5 DAABC
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案.
Researchers found that working shifts leads to a loss of memory and an impaired ability to think.
A decade or more working rotating shifts was connected with a loss of brain function equal to six and a half years of the normal decline in thinking and memory relating to ageing, they showed.
Disruption of the body clock, which is based on natural day and night cycles, may cause stresses that may affect brain functioning, the researchers believe. Other studies have linked vitamin D deficiency due to reduced exposure to sunlight to poorer mental ability. Lead researcher Dr Jean-Claude Marquie concluded: “Shift work chronically impairs cognition, with potentially important safety consequences not only for the individuals concerned, but also for society.”
The scientists assessed more than 3,000 workers from southern France who had their mental abilities tested on three occasions over a 10-year period. Participants were aged 32, 42, 52 and 62 at the time of the first test in 1996. Around a fifth had worked a shift pattern that switched between mornings, afternoons and nights. Shift workers had lower average scores for memory, processing speed and overall brain function than those working normal office hours. Compared with people who had never worked rotating shifts, participants employed this way for 10 or more years had lower overall thinking and memory scores. The level of impairment was equivalent to six and a half years of age-related cognitive decline.
The international team of scientists, who included British researchers from the University of Swansea, said the problems increased with the length of time people worked shifts. After 10 years of rotating shift work the association became “highly significant”. However, there was evidence that the losses were reversible. People who stopped working shifts recovered their lost mental function after at least five years.
The researchers wrote: “Measures should be considered that reduce the impact that long-lasting exposure to shift work has on cognitive abilities, including switching to normal day work.”
1 . What is the effect of working rotating shifts for years?
A . Vitamin D deficiency.
B . Lower average score for memory.
C . Stressful emotions.
D . Loss of brain function.
2 . What can we infer from the passage?
A . Shift work can cause safety concerns for the society.
B . Shift work interrupts the normal life of individuals.
C . Loss of mental ability can be regained with enough rest.
D . Working at night shifts can cause many health problems.
3 . What can people do to recover their loss of brain function?
A . Changing to normal office hours.
B . Getting exposed to more sunlight.
C . Working in a happier environment.
D . Doing practice to improve processing speed.
4 . What factors were assessed of the French workers by the scientists?
A . Working shifts, loss of memory, cognition decline.
B . Scores for memory, processing speed and brain function.
C . Shifts between mornings, afternoons and nights.
D . Safety concerns, exposure to sunlight and level of impairment.
5 . What is the author’s attitude towards the impact of long-lasting shift work?
A . Astonished.
B . Sympathetic.
C . Anxious.
D . Embarrassed.
★D1-5 DAABC
