新概念英语第四册Lesson+19+The+stuff+of+dreams+讲义

Lesson19Thestuffofdreams话说梦的本质Whatisgoingonwhenapersonexperiencesrapideye-movementsduringsleep?Itisfairlyclearthatsleepingperiodmusthavesomefunction,andbecausethereissomuchofitthefunctionwouldseemtoeimportant.Speculations2aboutisnaturehavebeengoingonforliterally3thousandsofyears,andoneoddfindingthatmakestheproblempuzzlingisthatitlooksverymuchasifsleepingisnotsimplyamatterofgivingthebodyarest.'Rest',intermsofmusclerelaxation4andsoon,canbeachievedbyabriefperiodlying,orevensittingdown.Thebody'stissuesareself-repairingandself-restoringtoadegree,andfunctionbestwhenmoreorlesscontinuouslyactive.Infactabasicamountofmovementoccursduringsleepwhichisspecificallyconcernedwithpreventingmuscleinactivity.Ifitisnotaquestionofrestingthebody,thenperhapsitisthebrainthatneedsresting?Thismightbeaplausible5hypothesiswereitnotfortwofactors.Firsttheelectroencephalograph(whichissimplyadeviceforrecording6theelectricalactivityofthebrainbyattachingelectrodestothescalp)showsthatwhilethereisachangeinthepatternofactivityduringsleep,thereisnoevidencethatthetotalamountofactivityisanyless.Thesecondfactorismoreinterestingandmorefundamental.SomeyearsagoanAmericanpsychiatrist7namedWilliamDementpublishedexperimentsdealing8withtherecordingofeye-movementsduringsleep.Heshowedthattheaverageindividual'ssleepcycleispunctuated10withpeculiar11burstsofeye-movements,somedriftingandslow,othersjerkyandrapid.Peoplewokenduringtheseperiodsofeye-movementsgenerallyreportedthattheyhadbeendreaming.Whenwokenatothertimestheyreportednodreams.Ifonegroupofpeopleweredisturbedfromtheireye-movementsleepforseveralnightsonend,andanothergroupweredisturbedforanequalperiodoftimebutwhentheywerenoexhibitingeye-movements,thefirstgroupbegantoshowsomepersonalitydisorders13whiletheothersseemedmoreorlessunaffected.Theimplicationsofallthiswerethatitwasnotthedisturbance14ofsleepthatmattered,butthedisturbanceofdreaming.CHRISTOPHEREVANSThestuffofdreamsfromTheListenerNewwordsandexpressions生词和短语speculation1n.推测literallyadv.确实oddadj.奇特的tissuen.组织plausibleadj.似乎有理的hypothesisn.假说electroencephalographn.脑电图仪electroden.电极scalpn.头皮psychiatristn.精神病学家punctuate9v.不时介入jerkyadj.急动的disorder12n.失调implicationn.表明参考译文很清楚，睡眠必然具有某种作用。睡眠占去那么多时间，所以其作用似乎还是很重要。人们对睡眠作用的种种猜测，确实有数千年之久。一项使人对这个问题感到困惑的奇怪的发现是，睡眠在很大程度似乎并不仅仅是为了使身体得到休息。“休息”，从使肌肉得到放松等方面来看，只要稍微躺一躺，甚至坐一坐就能达到。人体组织在一定程度上有自我修补和自我恢复的能力，有张有弛地连续活动时，其功能最佳。事实上，睡眠状态下仍有着基本的活动量，以防止肌肉活动停止。如果睡眠的功能不是在于使身体得到休息，那么也许是让大脑得以休息？若不是下面两点，这种假使似乎是有道理的。第一点，脑电图记录仪（不过是一种把电极接到头皮上记录脑电活动的仪器）显示，人在睡眠时大脑活动的方式有变化，但没有迹象表明，其活动总量有任何减少。第二点更有意思，也更重要。前些年，美国一位精神病学者发表了一篇报告，报告中记录了眼球在睡眠时的活动情况。他指出，平常人的睡眠周期中不时伴有一阵阵奇怪的眼球队活动，这些活动有的飘忽而缓慢，有的急剧而快速。在眼球活动期间被叫醒的人都说自己在做梦；在其他期间叫醒他们，则说没有做梦。如果有两组人，一组人连续几夜在眼球队活动时被叫醒；另一组人也是连续几夜被叫醒，但是在眼球队没活动时被叫醒的。结果，第一组人开始出现性格失常，而第二组人似乎没受什么影响。这一切暗示我们：睡眠受到干忧没关系，而做梦受到干忧是有问题的。新概念英语正版图书购买点击收听单词发音

1speculation

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机参考例句：Hermindisoccupiedwithspeculation.她的头脑忙于思考。Thereiswidespreadspeculationthatheisgoingtoresign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。2speculations

n.投机买卖(speculation的名词复数)；思考；投机活动；推断参考例句：Yourspeculationswereallquiteclosetothetruth.你的揣测都很接近于事实。来自《现代英汉综合大词典》Thispossibilitygivesrisetointerestingspeculations.这种可能性引起了有趣的推测。来自《用法词典》3literally

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实参考例句：Hetranslatedthepassageliterally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。Sometimesshewouldnotsitdowntillshewasliterallyfaint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。4relaxation

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐参考例句：Theministerhasconsistentlyopposedanyrelaxationinthelaw.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。Shelistenstoclassicalmusicforrelaxation.她听古典音乐放松。5plausible

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的参考例句：Hisstorysoundedplausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。Herstorysoundedperfectlyplausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。6recording

n.录音，记录参考例句：Howlongwilltherecordingofthesongtake?录下这首歌得花多少时间？Iwanttoplayyouarecordingoftherehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。7psychiatrist

n.精神病专家；精神病医师参考例句：Hewenttoapsychiatristabouthiscompulsivegambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。Thepsychiatristcorrectedhimgently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。8dealing

n.经商方法，待人态度参考例句：Thisstorehasanexcellentreputationforfairdealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。Hisfairdealingearnedourconfidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。9punctuate

vt.加标点于；不时打断参考例句：Thepupilshavenotyetlearnedtopunctuatecorrectly.小学生尚未学会正确使用标点符号。Besuretopunctuateyoursentenceswiththecorrectmarksintherightplaces.一定要在你文章句子中的正确地方标上正确的标点符号。10punctuated

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点(punctuate的过去式和过去分词)；不时打断某事物参考例句：Herspeechwaspunctuatedbyburstsofapplause.她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。Theaudiencepunctuatedhisspeechbyoutburstsofapplause.听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。来自《简明英汉词典》11peculiar

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的参考例句：Hewalksinapeculiarfashion.他走路的样子很奇特。Helookedatmewithaverypeculiarexpression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。12disorder

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调参考例句：Whenreturningback,hediscoveredtheroomtobeindisorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。Itcontainedavastnumberoflettersingreatdisorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。13disorders

n.混乱(disorder的名词复数)；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调参考例句：Reportsofanorexiaandothereatingdisordersareont