Clocks go back this weekend: should we finally scrap the time change?
2 · Read
Welcome to RoundTalk. Clocks go back this weekend in the US. Europe changed already. Should we stop changing time twice a year? Margaret studies sleep. David runs a business. Elena is a parent.
Margaret, what does your research show happens to our sleep when clocks change?
We should scrap the change. And keep permanent standard time. The data shows our body clock follows morning light. After the spring switch, I see more heart problems. Bad sleep too, for weeks.
David, your business changes the clocks too. What happens in your office that weekend?
Oh, that weekend is a mess for me. Last spring one driver came an hour late. Our payroll system paid him wrong. I fixed it by hand, Monday morning. Twice a year, same thing.
Elena, you have kids. Does the clock change affect your family's evenings and mornings?
Oh, it changes everything. Last week my son's football practice ended in the dark. Six o'clock, and we walked home with phone lights. As a parent, I just want evening daylight.
No, wait. Evening daylight is not the real problem. The problem is the change itself. My drivers start at six in winter dark anyway. Pick one time, permanent, and my schedule finally works.
No, no, wait. Which time you pick matters too. Permanent daylight time means your drivers start in deeper dark all winter. Dark mornings hurt the body clock. Standard time, please.
Elena, David says pick one time and you adapt. But which one matters, right?
Any permanent time is not the same for me. Standard time steals my evening. My kids play outside after school, not at seven in the morning.
Key vocabulary
- permanent — lasting forever; not changing
- clock — device that shows the time of day
- daylight — natural light from the sun during the day
- scrap — to get rid of something; to stop doing something
Comprehension questions
- Why does Margaret think we should scrap the time change?
- What problem does David's business have when clocks change?
- Why does Elena want evening daylight?
- What does David think is the real problem with time changes?
- Why does Margaret disagree with keeping permanent daylight time?
True or false?
- Margaret says that after the spring time change, she sees more heart problems in her research. T / F
- David's driver was late because he did not understand the new time. T / F
- Elena's son's football practice ends at six o'clock in daylight. T / F
- David thinks the best solution is to pick one permanent time for all the year. T / F
Fill the gaps
- We should the change.
- And keep standard time.
- The data shows our body follows morning light.
- As a parent, I just want evening .
Discuss in pairs
- Do you think it is better to have evening daylight or morning daylight? Why?
- What is your experience with the time change? Does it affect your sleep, work, or family?
- If your country had to choose one permanent time, which would you choose and why?
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Comprehension- Because the data shows it causes heart problems and bad sleep for weeks after the spring switch.
- His payroll system pays workers wrong and he has to fix it by hand.
- Because her son's football practice ends in the dark, and she wants her kids to play outside after school.
- The change itself is the problem, not whether it is evening or morning daylight.
- Because permanent daylight time means dark mornings all winter, which hurts the body clock.
- True
- False
- False
- True
- scrap
- permanent
- clock
- daylight
roundtalk · https://www.getroundtalk.com/listen/english/a2/clocks-go-back-this-weekend-should-we-finally-scrap-the-time-change/worksheet/