NEWS · C1 Level - Part 1

The case for and against Daylight Saving Time

Now we start today with a grim reminder: many of us will lose a precious hour of sleep this weekend.

Level: C1 · 18 sentences

Transcript

  1. Now we start today with a grim reminder:
  2. many of us will lose a precious hour of sleep this weekend.
  3. Time to spring forward! Set those clocks forward by one hour this Sunday,
  4. for most of the United States and a few dozen countries around the world that follow Daylight Saving Time.
  5. Daylight Saving was first put in place in the early 1900s in Europe
  6. and in the U.S. during World War I
  7. to lengthen daylight to save fuel and power.
  8. In the U.S., states aren't required by law to change their clocks.
  9. Hawaii, most of Arizona, and some territories in the Pacific and Caribbean don't observe Daylight Saving Time.
  10. But since its adoption, debate has become pretty heated over whether Daylight Saving is necessary and...
  11. whether it's potentially bad for our health.
  12. Over the last three decades,
  13. studies have shown the one hour change disrupts body rhythms that are normally tuned to Earth's rotation.
  14. Other studies have shown the extra hour of daylight makes people happier and improves mental health.
  15. So, should it stay or should it go?
  16. Any change in the U.S. would require an act of Congress,
  17. which hasn't seen a major push on the issue since the U.S. Senate passed legislation in 2022 to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
  18. It then failed to get a vote in the House.