Do you have frightening dreams while sleeping? According to an email interview by clinical psychologist and sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, roughly 5 percent of the general population has at least one bad dream per week. Nightmares typically happen during REM sleep, during the middle and later parts of the night.
There is no exact explanation for nightmares, but Breus says it’s possible that they help the brain practise, prepare for and even predict difficult or dangerous experiences in waking life. Of course, it’s possible that nightmares, like dreams in general, don’t have a primary function — that they’re a by-product of other activities in the body. But most sleep scientists think that dreams and nightmares exist for some purposes.
One study found the most common nightmare was falling, followed by dreams of being chased, feeling lost, and feeling trapped. Then why do nightmares happen?
“Certain circumstances and characteristics make some people more likely to have nightmares than others,” says sleep medicine specialist Dr. Barry Krakow. He thinks people who’ve been traumatized (使受精神创伤) are certainly at a higher risk of nightmares Examples are offered of those who have suffered criminal attacks, or who have been in life-threatening accidents. People with some degree of sensitivity in their biological make-up are also more likely to have bad dreams, so they’re more common in people who suffer from anxiety or depression, or who use excess drugs or alcohol. The traditional belief often has it that nightmares are the result of eating too much rich food before bedtime, but it is still uncertain whether this is true. One study from 2015 did find a link between eating dairy or hot foods before bedtime and having disturbing dreams, but the study authors noted that this couldn’t be proven definitely because the data was self-reported and there were a lot of other factors to consider.
However, research in recent decades has shown that people who suffer from sleep disorders are also more likely to have nightmares.
1. What may Dr. Breus agree with about nightmares?| A．They happen for certain purposes. |
| B．They are similar to daydreams. |
| C．They possibly help predict future events. |
| D．They come true once in a while. |
| A．They are often caused by irregular bedtimes. |
| B．They are based on disturbing life experiences. |
| C．They are the consequence of negative feelings. |
| D．They are related to what is taken before bedtime. |
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【推荐1】Yellow is usually the color of happy, joyful emotions. But according to a new study, not all people associate the color with good feelings.
To find out what factors might play a role, researchers tested a new hypothesis (假设): What if people’s physical surroundings affect their feelings about certain colors? For example, if someone lived in cold and rainy Finland, would he feel differently about the color yellow from someone who lived near the Sahara Desert?
The researchers looked at color-emotion data from an ongoing international survey of 6, 625 people in 55 countries. The survey asked participants to rate 12 colors on how closely they were associated with feelings including joy, pride, fear, and shame.
The researchers paid particular attention to the data for yellow, and analyzed how different factors—including hours of sunshine, hours of daylight, and the amount of rainfall—were associated with the emotions people reported for the color. The two best predictors of how people felt about yellow were the annual amount of rainfall, and how far they lived from the equator (赤道).
Overall, people were more likely to associate yellow with joy when they lived in rainier countries that lay farther from the equator, researchers reported in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. In Egypt, the likelihood (可能性) of yellow being associated with joy was just 5.7%, whereas in chilly Finland it was 87.7%. In the United States, with its mild climate and amber waves of grain, people’s yellow-joy association levels were between 60% and 70%.
The researchers also checked whether associations changed with the season—whether, for example, people in a certain country liked yellow more in the winter than they did in the summer. They found that opinions about the color remained fairly constant all year round—even when the weather changed, the data on yellow-joy associations were as good as gold.
1. What did the researchers do before the survey?| A．They went to Finland. | B．They made an assumption. |
| C．They studied certain colors. | D．They analyzed some data. |
| A．The changeable weather. | B．The length of daytime. |
| C．The geographical position. | D．The amount of snowfall. |
| A．By interviewing participants. | B．By studying the data collected. |
| C．By traveling around the world. | D．By looking at color combinations. |
| A．Finland: A Country Admiring Yellow |
| B．Yellow Associated with Joy Conditionally |
| C．Color: An Important Role in Good Feelings |
| D．Color-emotion Data Collected Internationally |
【推荐2】Children are starting on digital devices at ever younger ages, and opinions on the effects of children’s digital-media habits are deeply polarized (两极分化的).
Jean Twenge, a psychology professor, thinks excessive use of the Internet and social media makes children lonely and depressed and poses serious risks to their physical and particularly their mental health, sometimes to the point of driving them to suicide.
However, Daniel Kardefelt-Winther of the Innocenti research office of Unicef examined various evidence and found less cause for alarm than is often suggested. Most of the studies be examined seem to show that the technology helps children stay in touch with their friends and make new ones.
The relationship between the use of digital technology and children’s mental health, broadly speaking, appears to be u-shaped. Researchers have found that moderate use is beneficial, whereas either no use at all or extreme use could be harmful.
What worries some experts more is that screens are becoming part of the middle-class armoury (武器库) for perpetuating (巩固) social advantage. Children from well-off homes are enrolled in private classes to learn skills like “How to be a You Tuber”, which poorer parents cannot afford.
1. What is Daniel Kardefelt-Winther’s attitude to the use of digital media?| A．Objective. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Not all children from rich homes can attend private classes. |
| B．Not all children from poor homes can learn skills like “How to be a YouTuber”. |
| C．Digital media is the only way of strengthening the middle-class. |
| D．Digital media can widen class gap. |
| A．Should Children Interact with Digital Media? |
| B．Should Parents Allow Their Children Interact with Digital Media? |
| C．What Children Do to Interact with Digital Devices. |
| D．How Children Interact with Digital Devices. |
| A．The disadvantages of overusing digital media. |
| B．The bad effects of using digital media. |
| C．Several bad impacts of using digital media. |
| D．The advantages of overusing digital media. |
【推荐3】“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...” As the familiar song rings throughout every public space once again, it’s obvious that Christmas is coming. Can you still remember what gift you wanted most from Santa Claus in the past? The kind old man is often described in a red suit with white beard and a big bag full of presents.
Even though the red color image has already existed before, due to the magical power of Coca-Cola’s advertising, the kindly, grandfatherly man in red clothes impressed people, together with the well-known slogan(标语) “The Pause That Refreshes”.
| A．You never expect what he looks like before |
| B．As the green color was thought to defeat the cold |
| C．Santa Claus always changes the color of his clothes |
| D．In fact, the red suit was not the only version from him |
| E．However, he hasn’t always appeared the way we see him today |
| F．When the Coca-Cola company began its Christmas advertising |
| G．The marketing machine is largely responsible for our associations with Santa nowadays |
【推荐1】Typhoons can be deadly — in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever recorded, was responsible for 6,340 deaths—and cost billions in damages. Current forecast models can only predict these storms 10 days in advance, at most, and they cannot precisely predict how intense the storms will become.
An international team of researchers has developed a model that analyzes nearly a quarter of Earth’s surface and atmosphere in order to better predict the conditions that birth typoons.
“The target problem of this study is how to foretell the birth of typhoons,” said paper author Mingkui Li, associate professor in the Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography in the Ocean University of China and the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM). “We specifically address three aspects: the beginning time, inner pressure and maximum wind speed.”
The researchers also accounted for the influence of one variable(变量) on another, such as wind speed on sea surface temperature. This influence is well understood and accounted for in climate predictions and in weather forecasts, but it has not been fully applied in understanding how long-term climate affects day-to-day weather, according to Li. “We aimed to provide insights on the time scale that can be used to forecast typhoons in advance.”
From their study, the researchers determined that a model with the ability to better understand the relationship between warm sea surface temperatures and weak wind movement— conditions that favor typhoon formation—could improve typhoon predictability.
“Our goal is to develop a 10 to 30-day prediction system that will lead to seamless(无缝的) weather-climate predictions.” Shaoqing Zhang, paper author and professor in the Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography, said.
1. What is the problem with the present forecast system?| A．It cannot foretell storms in advance. |
| B．It is ineffective in accuracy and timeliness. |
| C．It costs too much and causes great damages. |
| D．It can hardly predict the intensity of typhoons. |
| A．The variable. | B．The climate | C．The temperature. | D．The influence. |
| A．To advance the prediction system. |
| B．To figure out the three main aspects. |
| C．To know how climate affects daily weather. |
| D．To understand the influence of the variables. |
| A．A work diary. | B．A travel guidebook. |
| C．A science magazine. | D．A fantasy fiction. |
【推荐2】Festivals are celebrated all around the world. They have a wide range of origins, such as the seasons of the year, religions, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has its different customs and unique charms. However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love, or peace is common in all festivals.
Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are grateful for the year’s supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime — the Egyptian harvest season. It featured a parade and a great feast with music, dancing, and sports. Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a meal. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious moon cakes.
Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade away and others may be established. One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays, many big cities have given up this custom in order to avoid air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its religious origins.
Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses taking advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Some believe festivals should not be commercialized, while others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.
Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths, and attitudes towards life. They are occasions that allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what to appreciate. And if you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.
1. Why do people in different cultures celebrate the harvest festival?| A．It’s tradition in their religion. |
| B．It’s a only custom in their culture. |
| C．It’s a way to express their appreciation and cheers. |
| D．It’s a chance for people to enjoy themselves together. |
| A．Fireworks can’t drive the evil spirits away. |
| B．Festivals play an important role in commerce. |
| C．People share information faster than before with society developing. |
| D．People get gifts easier than before due to the increase of the economy. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Almost every culture celebrates harvest festival. |
| B．Festivals are a reflection of people’s outlook on life and values. |
| C．Festivals have something in common with each other in different cultures. |
| D．The religious origins of Halloween have disappeared. |
【推荐3】Scientists found statistical equality between boys ‘and girls’ brains when it comes to learning math. Jessica Cantlon, author of the study and professor of developmental neuroscience(神经科学) at Carnegie Mellon University, told NPR that when it comes to learning math, boys and girls are “indistinguishable.”
Boys and girls experience learning math in the same way, the new study found, debunking the age-old thought that-males are superior to females in the subject.
The study published Friday in the journal Science of Learning discovered that young boys and girls use the same networks in the brain to solve math problems. “While some have thought that boys are biologically likely to be better in math, there was little evidence to support those claims, “researchers said in the study. Some earlier studies have shown gender differences, but “it is impossible to separate intrinsic(本质的), biological differences from sociocultural influences.”
For the study published Friday, researchers analyzed 104 kids between 3 and 10years old while they performed some tests connected with mental processes of understanding and watched videos of math lessons in an MRI scanner. In a first for such a study, scientists used neuroimaging(神经成像) to capture images of kids ‘brains to evaluate the differences between males and females.
Testing revealed that girls’ and boys’ brains function similarly during mathematical processing. “Additionally, there was no evidence of gender differences in neural responses to mathematics content, neural responses during educational video viewing, or rates of neural development for mathematical processing in early childhood.”
Furthermore, scientists “found statistical equality between boys and girls throughout the brain. “This led the researchers to conclude that “gender differences in the field of science in adults don’t develop from intrinsic differences in children’s brains but likely from a complex environmental origin.”
1. What does the underlined word “debunking “mean in paragraph 2?| A．spreading. | B．exposing. |
| C．reflecting. | D．confirming. |
| A．The gender differences are likely influenced by socio-culture. |
| B．Boys and girls solve math problems in exactly the same way. |
| C．Evidence was found that boys are biologically better in math. |
| D．Earlier studies have enough evidence to prove the gender differences. |
| A．Girls’ and boys’ brains are different in Math. |
| B．The kids like watching videos of math lessons. |
| C．The MRI scanner is helpful to evaluate the differences. |
| D．There are no gender differences in learning Math. |
| A．Boys and Girls Are Equal in Getting Education |
| B．Boys and Girls Brains Are Equal in Math |
| C．Males Are Superior to Females in Math |
| D．Adults Are Superior to Kids in Math |
