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(恒温器), 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''.
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.
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.
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 occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course. With much practice people can learn to, literally, do it in their sleep.
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 of ''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.
1.Researchers have come to believe that dreams__________.
A.reflect our innermost desires and fears B.are a random outcome of neural repairs
C.can be modified in their courses D.are vulnerable to emotional changes
2.By referring to the limbic system, the author intends to show __________.
A.its difference from the prefrontal cortex B.its function in our dreams
C.the mechanism of REM sleep D.the relation of dreams to emotions
3.The negative feelings generated during the day tend to __________.
A.emerge in dreams early at night B.develop into happy dreams
C.worsen in our unconscious mind D.persist till the time we fall asleep
4.Cartwright seems to suggest that __________.
A.dreams should be left to their natural progression
B.dreaming may not entirely belong to the unconscious
C.visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under control
D.waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams
A few days after dropping off her daughter at college, Andrea got a phone call. Her daughter was ill. Andrea drove there immediately, located a doctor in town, booked a room at the university hotel and put her daughter to bed to recover. The next morning, Andrea went to her daughter's classes, taking notes on her behalf. It was important that her daughter headed into the first semester of college without missing a beat: A future dental career required an extremely good undergraduate academic record of four years.
At the same time, another parent faced a different type of problem. Alexis had handpicked her daughter's new university specifically and aimed to give her daughter an ideal social experience at college. But when she got there, she didn't seem to hit her stride. Alexis blamed it on a working-class roommate who didn't ever want to go out to meet people-and told her daughter, in no uncertain terms, to change roommates.
Both Andrea and Alexis are examples of ''helicopter parents'', defined by their hovering and readiness with supplies, assistance and guidance. Their interventions were costly-requiring time, financial reserves, social understanding and knowledge of higher education-though they had different purposes.
Why does educational and professional success today seem to require financial and emotional parental support? In large part, it reflects the shifting relationship between families and the university in America in the past century. Slowly after WWI and rapidly after WWII, many public universities were in fact free, as the government offered universities the resources to help families battle economic depression and poverty. However, in the 1980s, the government shifted financial aid largely from grants to loans. Soon, universities entered a period of heavy and expensive administrative growth as they faced new and intensive pressures. Without the support of the state, families eventually came to absorb many of these costs.
Universities now rely, in part, on parents, particularly those with money, time, and connections to meet their basic needs. However, paying parents bring more than funds alone. They often help promote the university; conduct admissions interviews; interface with donating alumni; assist with their own students’ emotional, cognitive and physical needs and help place graduates(both related and not) in valuable internships and jobs.
But the new family-university partnership exacts a toll. Parents are pushed to extend major parenting responsibilities into doing heavy financial lifting for their children who are supposed to be building their own financial security. There is also some truth to the notion that the helicoptered children are slow to adapt to adulthood, make decisions about their careers, and manage friendships without calling on their parents for help.
1.What does the underlined sentence ''she didn't seem to hit her stride'' in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Alexis' daughter's social competence wasn't promoted.
B.Alexis' daughter found she herself had financial difficulties.
C.Alexis' daughter disagreed with Alexis about her working-class roommate.
D.Alexis' daughter found university life was different from what she had expected.
2.What's the author' attitude towards ''helicopter parents''?
A.Critical. B.Cautious. C.Doubtful. D.Objective.
3.What's this passage mainly about?
A.Troubles faced by universities in America.
B.The partnership between colleges and '''helicopter parents''.
C.The troubled relationship between parents and their children.
D.The fierce competition among the career-minded generation.
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1.Which of the following is NOT the feature of the Amazon.com Rewards visa card?
A.With this card there is no need for you to pay the annual fee.
B.You can get rewarded with this card even if you buy something on other websites.
C.$30 will be instantly loaded into your Amazon.com account upon the approval of your credit card application.
D.Besides the redemption for instant savings at Amazon.com checkout, you can also redeem for cash back and gift cards.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
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C.The most attractive part of this card is the 2X rewards in gas and restaurant purchases.
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Being given the opportunity to travel to the United States and work in a Summer Camp was a truly unique experience. And for that I will always be ____. It would also be a(n) ____ for me to write about it and recommend this camp to those who desire to ____ their vision and improve themselves.
I ____ the International Sports Training Camp in the summers of 2004 and 2009. The reason why there was a gap of 4 years ____ visits is that I made the decision to begin and complete an Education Degree(PE). The majority of the reason I ____ this career path is largely due to the high level of staff training that I received as part of the camp orientation program and also the development of personal qualities and improved self-confidence I ____ along the way. The camp orientation program ____ over 7 days and was ____ by our camp directors and senior staff (many of them are international staff). Through this program we were trained and educated in problem solving, communications kills and many other ____ aspects of camp life. ____, this kind of training is presented in many other forms of employment and ____ I feel that I have already got a(n) ____ in life that others may not have the chance to experience.
Summer Camps have provided so many ____ and international staff with unique life experiences, resources, education and professional relationships that are impossible to ____. Many of us have become really good friends and share sorrow and joy online. ____, many friends have become ____ staff members at these camps and are ____ every year for training the new staff that arrive at camp.
Everyone should have the opportunity to work in a summer camp for the ____ they have there that I believe would ____ them for a lifetime.
1.A.relieved B.thankful C.admirable D.desirable
2.A.challenge B.concern C.pleasure D.inspiration
3.A.extend B.polish C.block D.outline
4.A.organized B.followed C.sponsored D.attended
5.A.after B.for C.between D.beyond
6.A.decided on B.took on C.counted on D.touched on
7.A.went B.came C.struggled D.gained
8.A.ran B.ended C.occurred D.consisted
9.A.privileged B.presented C.previewed D.revised
10.A.abundant B.important C.elegant D.brilliant
11.A.Still B.Instead C.Thus D.Again
12.A.at best B.in time C.as such D.in tune
13.A.lesson B.advantage C.ground D.reward
14.A.modest B.intelligent C.domestic D.tentative
15.A.copy B.recognize C.promote D.record
16.A.After all B.Above all C.Also D.Thus
17.A.considerate B.temporary C.permanent D.flexible
18.A.responsible B.desperate C.famous D.honoured
19.A.experience B.routine C.timetable D.statement
20.A.conclude B.protect C.transfer D.benefit
— Stop criticizing everyone! You should ______ and admit that you aren’t perfect either!
—Maybe you’re right. But I don’t know what makes you think so.
A.kill the fatted calf B.have eggs on your face
C.get down off your high horse D.wash your hands off
Teenage girls sometimes ask me for advice about what they should be doing ______ they want a career like mine one day.
A.even though B.as though C.provided that D.now that
