Bộ câu hỏi: Bài tập bổ trợ tuần 3 - đọc hiểu (Có đáp án)

Students who stay up all night to cram for an exam are doing themselves more harm than good, according to research into the link between sleep and memory published yesterday.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School discovered that people who deprive themselves of sleep so that they can study until the last minute are unlikely to remember anything that would improve their performance, while suffering the crippling effects of fatigue. The scientists found that the brain needs good-quality sleep immediately after practicing a task if it is to learn to improve at it. Those who substitute study for sleep, particularly those who miss deep or “slow-wave” sleep will get little benefit from their extra effort.

The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, add to a growing body of evidence that sleep is vital to the learning process. The results, Professor Stickgold said, suggest that a good night’s sleep immediately after learning is “absolutely required” to embed new skills in the memory. “We think that the first night’s sleep starts the process of memory consolidation,” he said. “It seems that memories normally wash out of the brain unless some process nails them down. My suspicion is that sleep is one of those things that nails them down.”

(Adapted from Focus on IELTS by Sue O’Connell)

In the survey, a primary school teacher from Bedfordshire said: "Boys are generally more physical and their behaviour is more noticeable. Girls are often sneakier about misbehaving, they often say nasty things which end up disrupting the lesson just as much as the boys, as other children get upset and can’t focus on their work. They are usually the ones who refuse to comply with instructions." In schools that have excluded pupils, 57 per cent of education staff said that more boys have been excluded for challenging behaviour.

Among both sexes, low-level disruption such as talking and not paying attention was the most problematic behaviour for 70 per cent of respondents. For girls, most staff said bullying such as spreading rumours was the biggest problem. Among boys the most challenging behaviour was physical aggression. Staff thought the main reasons for challenging behaviour within their schools and colleges were family breakdowns, followed by a lack of positive role models and poor emotional health. ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: "The behaviour of both boys and girls can pose huge challenges for those working in schools and colleges. Staff get ground down daily by the chatting and messing around, which disrupts lessons for other pupils and takes the pleasure out of teaching. "Even more worrying is the physical aggression, most often among boys but also among some girls, which puts other pupils and staff at risk.

Schools need to have firm and consistent discipline policies and work with parents to keep schools and colleges safe places for pupils and staff alike."

(Adapted from https://www.cypnow.co.uk/)