阅读理解。
Do you know why you sleep? You may think it's because you're tired. Or perhaps you've been told sleep
is good for you. Yet no one knows exactly why or how people sleep.
Until the early 1950s, most scientists thought the body and brain rested during sleep. Then a scientist
watched people sleep. He noticed that during periods of between 5 and 30 minutes, sleepers' eyes made
rapid movements, as if they were watching something. He called these periods REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
sleep. He called periods when sleeper's eyes did not move non -REM sleep.
Whenever the scientist woke people during REM sleep, they were having vivid dreams. Measurements
showed that sleepers' pulses (脉搏) went up quickly during REM sleep. Their breathing, heartbeat, and the
blood going to the brain also increased. Far from being a time of rest, sleep is a time when the body is hard
at work. Scientists still don't know the reason for this. Some believe REM sleep makes learning easier.
Babies spend a lot of time on REM sleep. Because of this, some scientists believe that REM sleep helps
the brain grow. Others think REM sleep is a time for the brain to empty the day's garbage.
One thing all the scientists agree on is that sleep is necessary. Without enough sleep, people make
mistakes. Most car accidents happen during the early morning hours, when people are sleepiest.
1. You may read the passage in _____. [ ]
A. an advertisement
B. a history book
C. a science book
D. a telephone book
2. During REM sleep, a person's breathing and heartbeat _____. [ ]
A. stop
B. increase
C. sleep
D. stay the same.
3. The underlined word "vivid" in the passage means _____. [ ]
A. 简单的
B. 空洞的
C. 生动的
D. 鲜艳的
4. What is the main idea of the article? [ ]
A. REM sleep has been observed by all scientists.
B. REM sleep helps the brain grow.
C. REM sleep is a time to empty the day's garbage.
D. REM sleep is an active time when the body is hard at work.
5. We can know from the article that REM sleep ._____ [ ]
A. has an effect on people.
B. can be stopped with lots of sleep.
C. is something that all people experience.
D. is something that all scientists agree on.
