5-minute listening: What is daylight saving time and how does it work?

2. What is the time difference between daylight saving time and standard time?
A. 30 minutes
B. one hour
C. six hours
D. 12 hours

3. Why did George Hudson come up with the idea of daylight saving time?
A. He could not sleep well at night.
B. He wanted to spend more time at home.
C. He wanted to catch insects after work.
D. none of the above

4. If an idea “does not have any legs”, it is …
A. unlikely to succeed
B. expensive to execute
C. meant to be a joke
D. supported by many people

5. What does the “similar concept” suggested by William Willett refer to?
A. working at the Wellington Philosophical Society
B. speaking to the British Parliament
C. catching insects during the summer
D. changing of clocks

6. If you “embrace” something, you …
A. regard it with disbelief
B. welcome it wholeheartedly
C. want to find out more about it
D. prepare yourself to accept it

7. What do many people misspell “daylight saving time” as?
A. daylight saving times
B. days light saving time
C. daylight savings time
D. daylight savings times

8. What happened after the first world war?
A. Daylight saving time was abolished in the United States altogether.
B. It became mandatory for all US states to practise daylight saving time.
C. States that practised daylight saving time decided to abandon it.
D. none of the above

9. Which word can replace “mandatory” in the podcast?
A. compulsory
B. essential
C. necessary
D. compelled

10. According to the podcast, which US state currently does not practise daylight saving time?
A. Alabama
B. Georgia
C. Montana
D. Hawaii

11. Which of the following countries mentioned in the podcast is considering practising daylight saving time?
A. India
B. Japan
C. China
D. none of the above

12. Why are some sleep experts against practising daylight saving time?
A. because it has no effect on our work productivity
B. because it has a negative effect on our health
C. because it makes us sleep more
D. because it means we have to spend more hours at work

13. When did the countries below start practising daylight saving time? Arrange them in chronological order chronological from 1st to 3rd.
United States: ________________
Germany: ________________
United Kingdom: ________________

1. C
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. D
6. B
7. C
8. D
9. A
10. D
11. D
12. B
13. United States: 3rd; Germany: 1st; United Kingdom: 2nd

Voice 1: Daylight saving time began on March 12 and will end on November 5. During this period, clocks are moved forward one hour from standard time in many countries. For those who may not know the backstory of the time-changing occurrence, here are some interesting facts about daylight saving time.
Voice 2: The tradition started with insect hunting. In 1895, George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, thought up the modern concept of daylight saving time. He proposed a two-hour time shift, so he’d have more after-work hours of sunshine to go insect hunting in the summer. He presented his idea to the Wellington Philosophical Society, but it did not have any legs until British builder William Willett suggested a similar concept in 1905. His idea would be presented to the British Parliament in 1909. Still, that practice would not officially become standard in the United Kingdom until 1916.
Voice 1: Germany was the first country to observe daylight saving time. On April 30, 1916, Germany embraced daylight saving time to conserve electricity. Weeks later, the United Kingdom followed suit and introduced “summer time”.
Voice 2: It’s “saving” not “savings”. Though many people add an “s” at the end of “saving” when writing and talking about it, the term is “daylight saving time”.
Voice 1: It’s been a law in the United States since 1966, but its origins date to 1918. The law “to save daylight” was passed in 1918. After World War I, however, state governments were left to decide whether they wanted to continue with the time change. The law resurfaced during World War II, but again, after the war, the time change decision was left to each state. Some states kept it, and others abandoned it.
Voice 2: Daylight saving time did not officially become law in the United States until 1966, under the Uniform Time Act, and it became mandatory in 2007. In that year, daylight saving time started the second Sunday in March and ended the first Sunday of November. However, there are a few places in the United States such as Hawaii and some areas in Arizona that do not observe daylight saving time. Also, most African and Asian countries, including India, China and Japan, skip the clock change altogether.
Voice 1: And it could be for good reason too. Daylight saving time has an impact on health. Research has shown that losing an hour of sleep can take a serious toll on your well-being. The shift to daylight saving time has been linked to an uptick in heart attacks, strokes, traffic fatalities and workplace injuries. As such, some sleep experts have called for an end to this practice.