睡眠的謎團有待破解

Sleep is an ancient， universal experience. Animals do it. People do it， though often less than they would like to.

But because it is so commonplace， for a long time sleep was a subject that scientists had not realized. It is only about in the past half-century that it has attracted the attention of researchers. A new book from Kenneth Miller， a science journalist， sets out to chronicle the field’s short but fascinating history.

The book is organized around the life and hard work of four scientists. The patriarch of the field is Nathaniel Kleitman， who set up a pioneering sleep-research programme at the University of Chicago.

In this book， the author spent a good deal of time on biographical details and pen portraits of the world through which Kleitman moved. But the story soon picks up. It roams from the discovery of rapid-eye-movement （REM） sleep and circadian rhythms — the biological clocks that govern humanity’s days — to the effects of sleep deprivation. It also probes the purpose， if any， of dreams.

Underlying it all is a sense of psychology’s slow maturing as a science. New technologies such as electroencephalographs， which monitor electrical activity in the brain， have offered practitioners the ability to study brains directly， rather than trying to infer what they are doing from the behaviour of their owners.

Discoveries often lead to new questions in turn. That is why neat， tidy endings are hard to achieve in science books; this one is no different. Despite all the progress of the past 50 years， scientists are still unsure what sleep is for. The fact it is so widespread suggests it is vital. But why evolution would see fit to produce animals that must spend large amounts of their time insensate and unable to respond to threats is still a mystery researchers are trying to solve. For anyone curious about asking the right questions， however， Mr Miller’s book is a good place to start.

（材料來自The Economist雜志，有刪改）

1. What does the underlined word “chronicle” in Paragraph 2 probably mean？

A. Adapt. B. Change.

C. Record.   D. Create.

2. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4？

A. The main content of the book.

B. The influence of four scientists.

C. The places Kleitman has visited.

D. The effects of sleep deprivation.

3. Why are good endings hard to achieve in science books？

A. The scientists are still uncertain what sleep is for.

B. New questions often arise from discoveries.

C. New discoveries often need too much fund.

D. The scientists are not unsure of the methods.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward Mr Miller’s book？

A. Doubtful. B. Objective.

C. Negative. D. Positive.

1. C。（剩余518字）