2005 T3

文章¶

第一段¶

Of all the components of a good night’s sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and fears; by the late 1970s, neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just "mental noise"—the random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind’s emotional thermostat, regulating moods while the brain is "off-line." And one leading authority says that these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better. "It’s your dream," says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago’s Medical Center. "If you don’t like it, change it."

components → n. 部件；组件；成分；分力（component 的复数）
formulate → v. 制定，规划；确切表达，认真阐述；用公式表示
disguised → adj. 伪装的；乔装的；掩饰的
byproduct → n. 副产品
thermostat → n. 温度自动调节器，恒温器（这里是自动调节的意思）
regulating → vt. 调节；校正（regulate 的现在分词）
harness → v. 控制并利用

第二段¶

Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is as active during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—when most vivid dreams occur—as it is when fully awake, says Dr. Eric Nofzinger at the University of Pittsburgh. But not all parts of the brain are equally involved; the limbic system (the "emotional brain") is especially active, while the prefrontal cortex (the center of intellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet. "We wake up from dreams happy or depressed, and those feelings can stay with us all day." says Stanford sleep researcher Dr. William Dement.

limbic → adj. 边的；缘的
prefrontal cortex → 前额皮质
depressed → adj. 抑郁的，沮丧的；萧条的，不景气的

第三段¶

The link between dreams and emotions shows up among the patients in Cartwright’s clinic. Most people seem to have more bad dreams early in the night, progressing toward happier ones before awakening, suggesting that they are working through negative feelings generated during the day. Because our conscious mind is occupied with daily life we don’t always think about the emotional significance of the day’s events—until, it appears, we begin to dream.

progress → 逐渐发展
work through → 努力克服，消解

第四段¶

And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwright believes one can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams. As soon as you awaken, identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how you would like it to end instead; the next time it occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course. With much practice people can learn to, literally, do it in their sleep.

process → n. 步骤，程序；（自然或偶然的）变化过程
recurring → adj. 反复出现，再次发生；循环小数的；经常性的
visualize → v. 想象，使形象化；使可见，使显现
literally → adv. 按照字面意义地，逐字地；真正地，确实地

第五段¶

At the end of the day, there’s probably little reason to pay attention to our dreams at all unless they keep us from sleeping or "we wake up in a panic," Cartwright says. Terrorism, economic uncertainties and general feelings of insecurity have increased people’s anxiety. Those suffering from persistent nightmares should seek help from a therapist. For the rest of us, the brain has its ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep—or rather dream—on it and you’ll feel better in the morning.

At the end of the day → 最终；到头来；不管怎么说
keep sb. from doing → 阻止某人做某事
Terrorism → n. 恐怖主义
persistent → adj. 执意的，坚持不懈的；持续的，反复出现的
For the rest of → 剩下的

题目¶

31¶

Researchers have come to believe that dreams .

[A] can be modified in their courses → 同义改写，高度概括

[B] are susceptible to emotional changes → 主被动反了，反向干扰！

[C] reflect our innermost desires and fears → 答非所问

[D] are a random outcome of neural repairs → 答非所问

come to believe → 逐渐相信（有一个过程）
susceptible → adj. 易得病的，易受影响的
innermost → adj. 内心的；最里面的，最深处的；秘密的

32¶

By referring to the limbic system, the author intends to show .

[A] its function in our dreams → 无中生有

[B] the mechanism of REM sleep → 无中生有

[C] the relation of dreams to emotions

[D] its difference from the prefrontal cortex → 说的是内容本身，混淆项，答非所问

33¶

The negative feelings generated during the day tend to .

[A] aggravate in our unconscious mind → 反向干扰

[B] develop into happy dreams → 答非所问，原文说的噩梦，题目问的负面情绪

[C] persist till the time we fall asleep → 混淆时间，原文说的是睡着的时候，选项说的是睡着之前

[D] show up in dreams early at night

aggravate → v. 使加重，使恶化；惹怒，激怒
persist → v. 继续存在，持续；坚持，执意；坚持说，反复说
till → 到……为止

34¶

Cartwright seems to suggest that .

[A] waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams → 动词后面的内容不对应

[B] visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under control → 文章让想象的结束噩梦，选项说的是想象噩梦，不对

[C] dreams should be left to their natural progression

[D] dreaming may not entirely belong to the unconscious

progression → n. 发展，前进；一系列
相反的放在一起看，节省时间，提高效率。

35¶

What advice might Cartwright give to those who sometimes have bad dreams?

[A] Lead your life as usual. → 原文高度概括

[B] Seek professional help. → 对象不匹配

[C] Exercise conscious control. → 答非所问

[D] Avoid anxiety in the daytime. → 无中生有

单词记忆¶

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