Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. No one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze(迷宫). The maze was difficult, and the study participants had to start in a different place each time they tried — making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and half were told to take a short nap. Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dream after sleep — and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.
Stickgold, a neuroscientist (神经科学家), to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren’t moving, during sleep.
Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn’t help a person learn — it’s the other way around. He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processes associated with learning.
All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn’t take a nap, didn’t show the same improvement.
1.Before having a short nap, participants of the experiment were asked to ________.
A. stay in different place in the maze
B. design a virtual maze which is difficult to get through
C. experience the experiment and try to remember something
D. get through a virtual maze on a computer from the same place
2.After doing what they were asked on computers, participants ________.
A. were divided into two groups to do different things at break
B. were so tired as to fall asleep
C. felt bored with the experiment and they were sleepy
D. were asked to remember their experiment separately
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Participants who took a nap were required to express their thought.
B. Some dreams may encourage people to invent something new.
C. Participants who dreamed about films could finish the task more easily.
D. Participants whose dreams had something to do with the maze could find the tree faster.
4.According to Stickgold, ________.
A. every person may dream about what they learned
B. people’s brain processes may still be connected with their learning in their dreams
C. once people’s eyes stop moving, they are sure to dream about something
D. no matter how fantastical or boring, dreams are connected with people’s life
NEW YORK—Australian mining enterpriser Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled(公布) blueprints (蓝本) for Titanic Ⅱ, a modern copy of the doomed ocean liner, although he didn’t call the ship unsinkable any more.
The ship will largely recreate the design and decoration of the fabled original, with some modifications to keep it in line with current safety rules and shipbuilding practices, and the addition of some modern comforts such as air conditioning, Palmer said at a press conference in New York.
The three passenger classes, however, will be prevented from mingling(混杂), as in 1912, Palmer said. “I’m not too superstitious(迷信的). ”Palmer said when asked whether recreating a ship best-known for sinking was tempting fate.
White Star Line, the operator of the original ship, had said the Titanic was designed to be unsinkable. About 1, 500 people died on Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912 from Southampton to New York after the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
Palmer, who created the company Blue Star Line last year, refused to make a similar boast.
“Anything will sink if you put a hole in it,”Palmer said. “I think it would be very cavalier(漫不经心的) to say it.”
Unlike the original, TitanicⅡ will have more than enough space in its lifeboats for every person on board and will have additional escape staircases. Markku Kanerva, sales director at Deltamarin, the Finnish company designing the ship, said it would be “the safest cruise ship in the world”.
Palmer refused to answer questions about the project’s cost. Although the Titanic was the world’s largest ship in her time, she would be smaller than many of today’s modern cruise ships.
“It’s not about the money, ”Palmer said. “I’ve got enough money for it. I think that’s all that matters.”
Forbes estimated Palmer’s net worth to be $795 million in 2012. He describes himself as a billionaire.
TitanicⅡ will be built by Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, which has already built four ore carriers for Palmer’s mining business, he said. The contract to build TitanicⅡ has not yet been signed, Palmer said.
1.What can be inferred about TitanicⅡ from the passage?
A. TitanicⅡ will have more space in its lifeboats than the Titanic.
B. TitanicⅡ will be the largest cruise ship in the world.
C. TitanicⅡ will allow different classes of passengers to mingle.
D. TitanicⅡ will be a real unsinkable cruise ship.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. 1, 500 people died on Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912.
B. The Titanic collided with an iceberg in the South Pacific.
C. The Titanic was equipped with air conditioning.
D. The Titanic was the world’s largest ship at that time.
3.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To tell us the story of the Titanic.
B. To tell us TitanicⅡ will cost a lot of money.
C. To tell us about the future TitanicⅡ.
D. To tell us a Chinese Shipyard will build TitanicⅡ.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. The old Titanic
B. The blueprints of TitanicⅡ
C. The unsinkable TitanicⅡ
D. Clive Palmer—a billionaire
Primary Source Holiday Shopping Night at Ten Thousand Villages
● Shop for your holiday gifts and give back to Primary Source at Ten Thousand Villages on Friday, December 4! 15% of all sales from 3:00 p. m．—7:00 p. m. that day will be donated to Primary Source. Join us for light refreshments and enjoy beautiful handmade gifts from artisans around the world. All are welcome!
Primary Source's Holiday Shopping Night
Friday, December 4, 2014
3:00 p. m．—7:00 p. m.
Ten Thousand Villages
226 Harvard Street, Brookline, Massachusetts (Coolidge Corner)
Download our flyer and tell your friends!
Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income for the people from developing countries by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Learn more and preview toys, home decor, jewelry, and other gifts online.
● Can't join us on Dec. 4? At GoodShop, 30% of your spending will be given to Primary Source. The next time you're ready to make an online purchase(购物), visit www. goodshop. com and enter “Primary Source” in the space provided. Click “verify” and choose from more than seven hundred popular stores and sites, from Apple to Zappos. GoodShop is free and easy to use, and each purchase you make will help Primary Source provide global education materials for schools all over New England.
1.What is Ten Thousand Villages?
A. A town.B. A website.C. A shop.D. An organization.
2.The underlined word “flyer” probably means ________.
A. a softwareB. an e-bookC. a ticketD. an advertisement
3.If you pay $10 for a gift at GoodShop, ________ in the end.
A. 7 dollars will go to GoodShop
B. 3 dollars will go to GoodShop
C. 7 dollars will go to Primary Source
D. 10 dollars will go to schools in new England
A Leap（跳跃）to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam(平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola ________ for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive, ________ she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t ________ how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom ________ that even though she couldn’t see ________, she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the ________ right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more ________ for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her ________ stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest ________ is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to ________ your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go,” says Lola.
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most ________ for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t ________ the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 — her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be ________ differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision ________. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her ________ attitude.
Lola never thinks about ________. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her ________ is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to ________ what she’s learned to other kids when she grew up.
Lola is ________ of all her hard work and success. She says it has helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her ________ for others is “just believe yourself”.
1.A. runsB. teachesC. trainsD. dances
2.A. sinceB. unlessC. afterD. though
3.A. tellB. guessC. fancyD. predict
4.A. doubtedB. rememberedC. imaginedD. noticed
5.A. deeplyB. wellC. aheadD. carefully
6.A. taskB. sportC. eventD. show
7.A. boringB. enjoyableC. difficultD. unsatisfying
8.A. talentB. qualityC. natureD. condition
9.A. doubtB. advantageC. challengeD. program
10.A. examineB. expressC. openD. trust
11.A. fearfulB. harmfulC. unfairD. inconvenient
12.A. fall downB. fall overC. fall offD. fall behind
13.A. greetedB. treatedC. servedD. paid
14.A. painsB. stressesC. injuriesD. problems
15.A. positiveB. friendlyC. selflessD. devoted
16.A. defendingB. quittingC. winningD. bargaining
17.A. standardB. rangeC. viewD. goal
18.A. go throughB. pass byC. hand downD. give out
19.A. proudB. tiredC. ashamedD. confident
20.A. planB. advice
C. rewardD. responsibility
—She’s upset for what you said.
—I ________________.
A. don’t mean any harmB. didn’t mean to hurt her
C. don’t mean to hurt herD. didn’t mean hurting her
A large number of people would like to do some shopping during sales periods since they expect to get wonderful ________in the market.
A. basketsB. bargainsC. goodsD. objects
