Each of us has a time of the day when we’re at our best. For some, it’s the morning, and for others, the afternoon or evening. These times relate to what scientists call our circadian clock (生物钟). 【1】

The research is the work of two authors, Aaron Schirmer and Benjamin Smarr. The pair used data from a university computer system to study the rhythms and activities of 15,000 students at Northeastern Illinois University between 2014 and 2016. They studied the data to see if there was a connection between the students’ schedules, their natural circadian clocks and their school performance.

【2】 But if students’ clock doesn’t agree with the rest of their lives, their performance was likely to suffer.

According to the study, those students who suffered from a mismatch underwent a kind of “social jet lag（时差）”. For example, some students performed best at night and therefore chose to study in the evening. But if those students had an early morning class, they often felt tired from late night studying and didn’t get the most out of the class. They might then go on to get a lower grade for exams and coursework. 【3】

The authors say mismatches between a student’s schedule and circadian clock can have a harmful effect, and not just in terms of academic performance. Social jet lag can also be bad for students’ health.

The authors don’t claim their study proves anything, but they do say that it provides food for thought for school administrators, who might like to think about special ways to help students who suffer on account of their schedules. 【4】

A.In addition, the findings alerted parents to their children’s sleeping patterns.

B.The study found that the closer a student’s schedule and their circadian clock, the better their grades were.

C.All students in the study suffered some degree of social jet lag, but late-night studiers suffered the most.

D.The clock genes create circadian rhythms in the body, which help control the timing of a variety of biological changes.

E.The findings could also help everyone to be aware, and hopefully take advantage, of their own biological rhythms to lead a healthy life.

F.Now, a new study suggests that the relationship between students’ circadian clocks and their study schedules can have a big effect on their grades.

【答案】

【1】F

【2】B

【3】C

【4】E

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要叙述了生物钟对学生的学习有着重要的影响，如果学习时间与生物钟不一致，可能不利于学生的学习和身体健康。

【1】上一句提到了“生物钟”的概念，再根据下一小段的开头，“这项研究是两位作者亚伦·斯戈默和本杰明·斯马的工作。”可知第一空应该介绍的是关于生物钟的一项研究，结合选项F,“现在，一项新的研究表明，学生的生物钟和他们的学习时间表之间的关系会对他们的成绩产生很大影响。”切合题意。故选F项。

【2】上一句描述了一项“生物钟和学习成绩的调查研究”，B选项承接上文， “研究发现，学生的作息时间和生物钟越接近，他们的成绩就越好”切题，这也是上述这项调查的结果。故选B项。

【3】上文提到“如果学生早上上课，他们会因为熬夜学习而疲惫，可能会在考试和课程作业中得到较低的分数。”，所以C项“所有参与研究的学生都有一定程度的时差，但对熬夜学习的学生的影响最大”承接了上文，较为切题。故选C项。

【4】上一句提到了这项调查可供学校管理者参考，想出解决影响学习的时差问题，E项“这些发现还可以帮助每个人意识到，并希望利用他们自己的生物钟，过上健康的生活”是这项调查的另一个好处，与上一句相呼应，切合文意。故选E项。

这种题型需要联系上下文的语境，可以根据一些关键词来锁定合适的选项，例如，第一空根据上文的“circadian clock”以及下一段第一句的“The research”，可以判断空处应该表达的是关于一项生物钟的调查，结合各个选项的意思，发现F项是最切合题意。