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‘Routine’ is usually

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seen as a negative term nowadays,

largely because we no longer belong to a society

of nine-to-fivers. We live in what is fast becoming a 24-

hour society, where everything is open all hours. You can buy

your groceries at midnight, book your holiday on the Internet at 3

am, and do business online at the crack of dawn. Before you join

the 24-hour revolution, however, take a minute to listen to what your

body is trying to tell you – that a round-the-clock lifestyle is not what

nature intended.

In an area of our brains called the hypothalamus, we have a ‘body clock’

that controls our body’s natural rhythms. It tells us when it’s the right time to

line 12

eat, sleep, work and play. It plays an important part in our physical and

psychological well-being. It is, in fact, what makes us tick and it controls many

line 14

things including our hormones, temperature, immune functions and alertness. It

synchronises all these like a conductor with an orchestra; it regulates tempo and

brings in all the different instruments on time to make music rather than random noise. If we

try to ignore our body clocks, or even to switch them off for a while, we not only deprive

ourselves of much needed rest but we also run the risk of seriously damaging our health.

Ignoring your body clock and changing your body’s natural rhythms can not only make you

depressed, anxious and accident prone, it can lead to much more serious health problems. For

example, heart disease, fatigue, ulcers, muscular pain, and frequent viral infections can all

result from trying to outsmart our body clocks. Altering our patterns of sleeping and waking

dramatically affects our immune system. While we sleep the body’s repair mechanisms are at

Reading

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a. What is the man

below looking at?

How do you think

he feels? Why?

body clocks

ticking rhythmically and everything working

in

b. Is it important to have a

harmony. So, next time you think a daily routine is boring

standard daily routine?

and predictable, remember that routine may well

save your life in the long run.

Why/Why not?

Read the text to find out.

5 According to the text, we should

c. Read the text again and choose the correct

A do things when our body tells us to.

B organise our body clock according to a strict

schedule.

1

What does itin line 12 refer to?

C use the natural environment to work out a regular

A

our body’s natural rhythms

routine.

D have a boring, slow-paced lifestyle.

B

the hypothalamus

C our body’s biological clock

6 According to the text, our body clock

D

our brain

A can be changed without harm.

2

What does the word tickin line 14 mean?

B determines when we should do things.

A

check

C helps us to fight sleep.

D is a boring routine.

B

motivate

C

select

D

function

d. Explain the words/phrases in bold. Which words

3 In what way is our body clock like the

in the text do you think come from another

language? Are there any words in the text that

conductor of an orchestra?

are the same in your language?

A The hypothalamus controls our actions.

B It makes all the body’s functions work

Follow-up

together at the right time.

C The body clock is very precise.

4 Why has the writer written this article? Are there

D We have a special programme.

4 If we change our sleep patterns, we

any points in the article you disagree with? Is there

any information you did not know before reading

A will get an infection.

the article? Compare answers with your partner.

B will disturb our immune system.

C will get heart disease.

D get high levels of dangerous cells.