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89 are naturally more alert or awake during the morning hours, and others are more productive late at night. Dan: Before we had electricity, our sleeping patterns were basically decided by the sun. We would get up at dawn, when the sun rises, and fall asleep at dusk, when the sun goes down. Kate: But now unfortunately the pressures of work and society mean that most of us don’t follow our natural body clocks or the rhythm of the sun, so we often don’t get enough sleep. Answer: 7 and a half hours. Tapescript 2 BBC Learning English 6 Minute English Homesickness NB: This is not a word-for-word transcript. Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Jennifer and I’m joined by Finn. Finn: Hello Jen. In this programme, we’re going to talk about homesickness. That’s the feeling that you get when you’re away from home and miss it – feel sad because you would like to be there. Do you ever get homesick, Jen? Jennifer: Oh yes. I live in London now, but I was born in the north-east of England, which is a three-hour train journey away. Sometimes I wish I could go back home and see my family. How about you? Finn: I’ve felt homesick when I’ve spent time in other countries. It’s very common and a lot of people suffer from it. Jennifer: We’ll talk soon about some tips that you can use to combat, or overcome, homesickness, but first, a quiz question. Finn: Ok, I’m ready. Jennifer: What percentage of students experience homesickness in their early days at university? a) 50% b) 60% c) 70% Finn: I’m going to say b) 60% Jennifer: We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. So, if you are homesick, how does it feel?