BBC随身英语:No sleep at the top 据说领袖们不用睡觉

How about ordinary people? Should we try to stifle our yawns and embrace insomnia?

If you want to impress colleagues in the world of business it's certainly something to strive for. High-profile chief executives from Marissa Mayer at Yahoo! to Pepsi's Indra Nooyi get by on four hours a night, while Donald Trump claims to survive on three.

Geraint Anderson, author of City Boy, who worked as an analyst and stockbroker for 12 years, says: "There was a real macho competition in the City about sleep. One of the ways of getting respect was bragging about how little you got".

Experts say that there's nothing wrong with the habit of burning the midnight oil. The only rule is to sleep long enough to feel refreshed when you wake up.

Prof James Horne, at Loughborough's sleep research centre, says that mood is critical. Soldiers high on adrenalin can function on little sleep: "If you're despondent, you tend to sleep more; if you're excited you need less".

Some artists think that sleep deprivation can make them more creative but it might be worth carrying a pillow around. Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist, once stayed awake for nine days. When fatigue got the better of him, he collapsed and broke his nose.

Quiz 测验 1. Who was supposed to need only four hours of sleep a night?

British PMs Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, chief executives Marissa Mayer of Yahoo!, and Indra Nooyi of Pepsi.

2. What was Napoleon Bonaparte said to think of people who slept eight hours a night?

That they were fools.

3. Is this statement true or false? Scientists say that people need to sleep eight hours a night to survive.

False. According to the article, some experts say that people can sleep as much as they want, as long as they feel refreshed when they wake up.

4. What expression means 'boasting about' something?

Bragging about.

5. Which expression means 'lack of sleep'?

Sleep deprivation.

Glossary 词汇表 the land of Nod梦乡 tirelessness不知疲倦的 mystique神秘感 to keep up with跟上，赶上 the small hours of the morning凌晨 a nap小睡，打盹 pyjamas睡衣 to sleep on the job上班时间睡觉 to stifle a yawn忍住哈欠 insomnia失眠 to strive for争取，力求 to brag about吹嘘，炫耀 to burn the midnight oil熬夜，开夜车 to feel refreshed感到精神焕发、神清气爽 mood情绪 high on adrenalin大量分泌肾上腺素 to function（可正常）工作 despondent沮丧的，意志消沉的 sleep deprivation睡眠不足 fatigue疲劳