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0Sleep and Parasomnias | 短故事＋5个词＋simple present 一般现在时＋小练习
Listening Text
P1: For many people, sleep is simple: they lie down, close their eyes, and wake up the next morning. But for some people, sleep is not so peaceful. They might have strong, scary dreams. In these dreams, they feel they are being chased or attacked, and their bodies move as if the dream were real. Other people stand up, walk around the room, or even leave the house while they are still asleep. They do not know what they are doing at the time. These strange sleep behaviours are called parasomnias. They can sometimes be dangerous for the person who is sleeping and for the people nearby. Scientists want to understand these conditions better so they can help people sleep more safely.
P2: Our sleep is not the same from the moment we close our eyes to the moment we wake up. During the night, we move through different stages of sleep again and again. One stage is called REM sleep. In REM sleep, our eyes move quickly under our eyelids and most dreaming happens. Parasomnias such as sleepwalking usually happen in another part of the sleep cycle called NREM sleep, or non-REM sleep. NREM sleep is often divided into four stages. At the beginning, in light sleep, our brain waves are small and our bodies are just starting to relax. As we move into deeper stages, our heartbeat and breathing slow down, and the brain waves become bigger and slower. In the deepest stages, most people do not wake up easily and they do not notice sounds or movements around them.
P3: For people who sleepwalk, something different seems to happen in the brain. The lower parts of the brain, which help control movement, become active. At the same time, the thinking part of the brain stays mostly asleep. Because of this, sleepwalkers can get out of bed, walk through the house, or do simple actions, but they are not really awake and they usually cannot remember what they did the next day. Researchers are still studying parasomnias. They hope that, in the future, they can fully explain why these night-time behaviours happen and find better ways to help sleepwalkers and their families sleep better and more safely.
Words
- nightmare: a very bad or scary dream.
- sleepwalk: to get up and walk while you are still asleep.
- deep sleep: the stage of sleep when your body and brain are very relaxed and you do not wake up easily.
- stage: one step or part in a longer process, for example, a stage of sleep.
- parasomnia: a sleep problem where someone moves, talks, or does strange things during sleep, like sleepwalking.
Practice
Q1: Which sentence is correct?
A) Some people walks around in their sleep.
B) Some people walk around in their sleep.
Q2: The flight to New York ______ at 4:30.
A) leave
B) leaves
Q3: Make one sentence in the simple present about your own sleep habits.
For example: I wake up many times at night. / I sleep very well at weekends.
