英語辯論題材初步收集

關於美國是否保留夏令時（Daylight Saving Time，DST）的問題

背景資料：

據稱最早有夏令時構思的是本傑明·富蘭克林（被印在100美元鈔票上的人物），他在任美國駐法國大使期間，由於習慣於當時美國農村貴族的早睡早起生活，早上散步時看到法國人10點才起床，夜生活過到深夜。於是他在1784年給《巴黎雜誌》的編輯寫了一封信，信上說法國人的生活習慣浪費了大好的陽光，建議他們早睡早起，說每年可以節約6千4百萬磅蠟燭。但他當時並沒有建議實行夏令時，只是建議人們應該早睡早起。因為當時根本還沒有統一的時區劃分。不過夏令時在英語裡就是“節約陽光時間”的意思。

直到1907年，英國建築師威廉·維萊特（William Willett）才正式向英國議會提出夏令時的構思，主要是為了節省能源和提供更多的時間用來訓練士兵，但議會經過辯論沒有采納。由於名氣不及本傑明·富蘭克林，所以人們很多都將本傑明·富蘭克林當為夏令時的發明者而忽略了威廉·維萊特。

1916年，德國首先實行夏令時，英國因為怕德國會從中得到更大的效益，因此緊跟著也採取了夏令時，夏令時節約了約15%的煤氣和電力，但為了彌補損失，電力和煤氣公司也將價格提高了15%。法國不久也效仿實行。1917年，俄羅斯第一次實行了夏令時，但直到1981年才成為一項經常性的制度。1918年，參加了第一次世界大戰的美國也實行了夏令時，但戰後立即取消了。

不同國家夏令時對比

1942年，第二次世界大戰期間，美國又實行了夏令時。1945-1966年由各州自己確定使用夏令時的起始與結束時間（日期）。1966年，美國聯邦政府重新統一了夏令時的起始與結束時間（日期）。歐洲大部分國家從1976年，即第四次中東戰爭導致首次石油危機（1973年）3年後開始實行夏令時。

根據聯合國歐洲經濟委員會的建議，從1996年起夏令時的有效期推遲到10月份的最後一個星期日。

Daylight Saving Time （DST） begins at 2 am on Sunday， Mar。 14， 2021 with “spring forward” when most of the United States moved clocks forward by one hour and will end on Nov。 7， 2021 when clocks will “fall back。”

In Sep。 2020， during the COVID-19 （coronavirus） pandemic， Senators Marco Rubio （R-FL） and Rick Scott （R-FL） proposed legislation to keep the United States on Daylight Saving Time until Nov。 7， 2021。 Rubio stated， “Our government has asked a lot of the American people over the past seven months， and keeping the nation on Daylight Saving Time is just one small step we can take to help ease the burden。 More daylight in the after school hours is critical to helping families and children endure this challenging school year。”

DST was implemented in the United States nationally on Mar。 31， 1918 as a wartime effort to save an hour’s worth of fuel （gas or oil） each day to light lamps and coal to heat homes。 It was repealed nationwide in 1919， and then maintained by some individual localities （such as New York City） in what Time Magazine called “a chaos of clocks” until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act made DST consistent nationwide。

Approximately 1。5 billion people in 70 countries observe DST worldwide。 In the United States， 48 states participate in Daylight Saving Time。 Arizona， Hawaii， some Amish communities， and the American territories （American Samoa， Guam， Puerto Rico， the Virgin Islands， and the Northern Mariana Islands） do not observe DST。5

5% of Americans said they are not disrupted by the time change, 28% report a minor disruption, and 13% said the change is a major disruption. However, 40% of Americans would prefer to stay in Standard Time all year and 31% would prefer to stay in Daylight Saving Time all year, eliminating the time change. 28% of Americans would keep the time change twice a year.

正反方觀點

Pro 1：

Daylight Saving Time's (DST) Longer Daylight Hours Promote Safety.

Longer daylight hours make driving safer， lowers car accident rates， and lowers the risk of pedestrians being hit by a car。

Economists Jennifer Doleac， PhD， and Nicholas Sanders， PhD， found that robberies drop about 7% overall， and 27% in the evening hours after the spring time change。 They stated， “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 to 8 PM， and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify wrongdoers。”

Also， daylight in the evening makes it safer for joggers， people walking dogs after work， and children playing outside， among others， because drivers are able to see people more easily and criminal activity is lowered。

Pro 2

DST Is Good for the Economy.

Later daylight means more people shopping after work， increasing retail sales， and more people driving， increasing gas and snacks sales for eight months of the year （the time we spend in DST）。

The golf industry reported that one month of DST was worth $200 to $400 million because of the extended evening hours golfers can play。 The barbecue industry estimated their profits increase $150 million for one month of DST。 In 2007， an estimated $59 million was saved because fewer robberies were committed thanks to the sun being up later。

Chambers of Commerce tend to support DST because of the positive effect on the economy。 Consumer spending increases during DST， giving the economy a boost。 Compared to Phoenix， Arizona， which does not have DST， Los Angeles， California， shoppers spent 3。5% less at local retailers after DST ended in the fall。

Pro 3

DST Promotes Active Lifestyles.

When the day is lighter later， people tend to participate in more outdoor activities after work。

Hendrik Wolff， PhD， Associate Professor of Economics at Simon Fraser University， stated， because of DST “people engaged in more outdoor recreation and less indoor-TV watching… An additional 3 percent of people engaged in outdoor behaviors who otherwise would have stayed indoors。”

Michael Downing， author of

Spring Forward

， stated， “Baseball ［was］ a huge early supporter， too， because there ［was］ no artificial illumination of parks， so ［they could］ get school kids and workers to ball games with the extended daylight， they have a later start time。”

Con 1

Daylight Saving Time (DST) Is Bad for Your Health.

Changing sleep patterns， even by one hour， goes against a person’s natural circadian rhythms and has negative consequences for health。 One study found that the risk of a heart attack increases 10% the Monday and Tuesday following the spring time change。

Researchers found an increase in cluster headaches （sudden and debilitating headaches） after the fall time change。

James Wyatt， PhD， Associate Professor at Rush University Medical Center， stated， “We’re encountering an increase in extra auto and workplace accidents on Monday or perhaps even carrying through the first week of the Spring time shift。”

In the weeks following the spring DST time change， male suicide rates rose in Australia compared to the weeks following the return to standard time in the fall。

DST increases the risk that a car accident will be fatal by 5-6。5% and results in over 30 more deaths from car accidents annually。

Con 2

DST Drops Productivity.

The Monday after the spring time change is called “Sleepy Monday，” because it is one of the most sleep-deprived days of the year。 The week after the spring DST time change sees an increase in “cyber-loafing” （employees wasting time on the internet） because they’re tired。

Dr。 Till Roenneberg， a German chronobiologist， who studies the body’s relationship with light and dark， notes that the human circadian clock doesn’t adjust to DST and the “consequence of that is that the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity， decreased quality of life， increasing susceptibility to illness， and is just plain tired。”