熊婷

The moon and its possible influence over human behaviors have been objects of tales for centuries. Although the full moon cant turn people into werewolves （狼人）， some people do blame it for causing a bad nights sleep or discomfort.

To find out if lunar phases （月相） affected humans， an international group of researchers studied children to see if their sleeping patterns changed or if there were any differences in their daily activities. The research studied a total of 5，812 children from five continents. Data collection took place over 28 months， which is the same as the number of lunar cycles. These were then divided into three lunar phases： full moon， half-moon and new moon.

The findings of the study indicated that in general， sleep duration around full moon reported an average decrease of five minutes compared to new moon. “Our study provides evidence that the moon doesnt seem to influence peoples behaviors，” said Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput from the Eastern Ontario Research Institute. The only significant finding was one percent sleep decrease in full moon. However， sleeping for five minutes less time during a full moon is not a danger to health. “Our behaviors are largely influenced by many other factors like genes， education and income，” he added.

“Folk tales and even certain examples suggest that behaviors of humans and animals are affected by lunar phases，” Dr. Chaput explained. “Whether there is science behind it or not， the moon secret will continue to attract human civilizations in the years to come.”

Choose the best answer.

1. Where does the moons bad influence on human behaviors usually come from？

A. Tales.? ? ? B. Textbooks.

C. News reports. D. Scientific papers.

2. Why did the research last 28 months？

A. To attract more attention.

B. To cover the lunar cycles.

C. To look into more children.

D. To collect as much data as possible.

3. What can be concluded from the findings？

A. We should go to bed five minutes earlier during a full moon.

B. The moon is a major cause to affect our sleep and behaviors.

C. We shouldnt worry about the moons influence over health.

D. The moon plays a significant role in childrens sleeping patterns.

4. How does Dr. Chaput feel about the topic of the moon influence？

A. Its boring.? B. Its worrying.

C. Its frightening. D. Its interesting.

5. Which of the following is True？

A. The full moon cant turn people into werewolves.

B. The research studied a total of 5，812 children from three continents.

C. The only significant finding was one percent sleep decrease in full moon.

D. Our behaviors are only influenced by lunar phases.

（Key ? p. 37）