Dịch:
Some theories of the purpose of dreams
Freud believed that we dream so that we can release the deep, secret desires that we are not allowed to express in real life because of the rules of polite society. Most people know about Freudian dream analysis – a dream about a train going into a tunnel is a dream about sexual intercourse. But couldn’t it just be a dream about travelling on a train?
Another theory is that dreams allow us to solve problems that we can’t solve in real life. We go to sleep with a problem and wake up with the answer. This may be more of a way to ‘use’ our dreams than a ‘purpose’ of dreaming. If you believe that your dreams are important then analysing them may help you to focus your mind on the problem and help you to find the solution.
The modern image is that dreams are the brain’s way of cleaning up the computer’s hard disk, organizing the events of the day into folders and deleting the rubbish that it doesn’t want to keep. But we all know that very little of what we dream every night is concerned with what happened to us that day.
Another idea is that dreams are the brain’s way of practising the behaviour that we need to survive. So we dream about being chased by a monster because one day it might happen! It’s a bit like a pianist practising her scales every day even though she doesn’t need to use them at that moment.
Others believe that dreaming is the brain’s way of exercising the pathways between the brain cells. This may be an important element in why we sleep rather than why we dream. We die if we don’t sleep but we can live without dreaming. Some patients with brain injuries lose the ability to dream but don’t seem to suffer any ill-effects.
REM and dreaming
Scientists used to think that dreaming only happened during Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM). REM sleep is essential for all mammals. We all become irritable and depressed without it. If we don’t have enough REM one night, we will compensate by having more the next. REM is generated by the brainstem – the oldest and most primitive part of the brain. So scientists used to believe that dreaming was also caused by activity in the brainstem. We now know that dreaming can happen at any time during sleep. The only difference seems to be that it’s easier to remember dreams that happen during REM.
Babies have a lot more REM activity than adults, but research shows that they dream less. The same may be true of animals. We know that they have REM activity but that doesn’t mean they dream.
It also seems that dreaming is a skill that develops as you get older, like language for example. Young children’s dreams are very different from older children’s or adult’s dreams.
New research
Modern technology has allowed scientists to map the parts of the brain that are active when we dream. The primitive brainstem is very active, but so are other important areas at the front of the brain. These are the frontal lobes that control emotion, memory, and experiences that come through the senses like hearing and vision. If these areas are injured, the person stops dreaming. On the other hand, the areas that control rational, logical thought are not active at all. This could explain why dreams are so strange. They have no logical sequence or time, which makes them very difficult to explain to other people when we wake up. Dreams combine recent events with long past events and our emotions while we are dreaming are often very strong.
Psychologists have also done studies on people who kept dream diaries for long periods of time (up to fifty years in some cases) and have found that what we dream is very much connected with how we think and behave when we are awake. So an extrovert, adventurous person will have extrovert, adventurous dreams. A shy person will be a shy person in her dreams. People who are important to us will often be in our dreams and so will things that worry us or make us happy.
So what’s the conclusion?
Well, nobody really knows. But scientists are now suggesting that dreams have absolutely no purpose at all. When we are awake we are ‘thinking’ all the time. Some of this thinking is useful and has a purpose. But we often just ‘think’ about nothing in particular while we’re waiting for the bus or walking to work. And that’s what the brain is doing when we are asleep - just thinking. Sometimes it’s interesting and sometimes it’s boring.
Doing the research for this article has made me more interested in my dreams rather than less. I might even start a dream diary! But nothing that I’ve read explains why I sometimes have an embarrassing dream about finding myself standing completely naked at a bus stop. Fortunately, this has never happened to me in real life, and it isn’t something that I think about when I’m awake. I’m told that it’s an example of a ‘universal dream’ – a dream that is common to people all over the world. Dreaming about flying is another example. So what’s the explanation? We can’t all be ‘just thinking’ about the same thing, can we?
Find the new words and translate it
Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions
We have English lessons at Room 12. There are 24 tables for students and one desk for the teacher. On the walls, there are a lots of posters of England. There’s a cupboard at the front of the room and on the cupboard, there is a TV and DVD player. Sometimes we watch films. There are some bookshelves in the classroom. On the shelves, there are a lot of English books. Our books are on the teacher’s desk. He wants to look at our homework. Our school bags are on the floor, and there is some food in the school bags. It’s now 5.30 pm. We are at home, but our teacher is at school. He often stays late to prepare for tomorrow’s lessons.
What time is it now?
A. Half past five
B. A quarter to five
C. A quarter past five
D. Five fifteen
Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions
We have English lessons at Room 12. There are 24 tables for students and one desk for the teacher. On the walls, there are a lots of posters of England. There’s a cupboard at the front of the room and on the cupboard, there is a TV and DVD player. Sometimes we watch films. There are some bookshelves in the classroom. On the shelves, there are a lot of English books. Our books are on the teacher’s desk. He wants to look at our homework. Our school bags are on the floor, and there is some food in the school bags. It’s now 5.30 pm. We are at home, but our teacher is at school. He often stays late to prepare for tomorrow’s lessons.
Where do you study?
A. At Room 13
B. At room 12
C. In our classroom
D. On the second floor
Questions 1 Put the vebrbs in the correct form
In all the world, there (be) only 14 mountain that(reach) above 8000 metersHe sometimes (come) to see his parentRight now I (attend) class. Yesterday at this time I (attend) classTomorrow I'm going to leave for home. When I (arrive) at the airport, Mary (wait) for me Margaret was born in 1950. By last year, she (live) on this earth for 55 years I (visit) my uncle's home regularly when I (be) a childYou(be) here before? Yes, I (spend) my holidays here last year We never (meet) him. We don't know what he (look) like When we (arrive) in London tonight, it probably (rain)It (rain) hard. We can't do anything until it (stop)Last night we (watch) TV when the power (fail)You know she (stand) looking at that picture for the last twenty minutes I (spend) a lot of time travelling since I (get) this new jobWhen we (be) at school we all (study) LatinChoose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions
We have English lessons at Room 12. There are 24 tables for students and one desk for the teacher. On the walls, there are a lots of posters of England. There’s a cupboard at the front of the room and on the cupboard, there is a TV and DVD player. Sometimes we watch films. There are some bookshelves in the classroom. On the shelves, there are a lot of English books. Our books are on the teacher’s desk. He wants to look at our homework. Our school bags are on the floor, and there is some food in the school bags. It’s now 5.30 pm. We are at home, but our teacher is at school. He often stays late to prepare for tomorrow’s lessons.
How many tables and desks are there in your classroom?
A. 24 tables and one desk
B. 24 tables for students and two desks for teacher
C. 20 tables and one desk
D. 25 tables and two desks
Fill in the blanks with affirmative or negative forms of must or have to & has to.
12. It's freezing outside, so we ............ take a cab and not walk.
13. Students ................. look at their notes during the test.
14. I have a terrible headache, so I ................ leave early.
15. Snow has blocked the roads. We .............. stay here until it's cleared.
Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions
We have English lessons at Room 12. There are 24 tables for students and one desk for the teacher. On the walls, there are a lots of posters of England. There’s a cupboard at the front of the room and on the cupboard, there is a TV and DVD player. Sometimes we watch films. There are some bookshelves in the classroom. On the shelves, there are a lot of English books. Our books are on the teacher’s desk. He wants to look at our homework. Our school bags are on the floor, and there is some food in the school bags. It’s now 5.30 pm. We are at home, but our teacher is at school. He often stays late to prepare for tomorrow’s lessons.
Which kinds of books are on the shelves?
A. French books
B. Magazines
C. Cartoons
D. English books
IV, Write a suitable word in each blank to complete the passage. Three ways everyone can help make the Earth a greener place is to reduce, reuse, and recycle! When people reduce it means they are using (1)……………. of something. This allows us to create less waste. Turning off the (2)………………. when we brush our teeth is a simple way to reduce. This is a small action that prevents us from wasting water. Another small action people can take is to reuse things we already have. Taking bags to the store when we shop for food is one way to reuse them. Using both (3)…………….. of piece of paper before getting a new one is another way to reuse. (4)………………. is when new materials are created from old ones. Paper, plastic, and metalare all materials that can be recycled. Things like newspapers, soda cans, and plastic bags can all be turned into new objects if we take the time to recycle them!
Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions
We have English lessons at Room 12. There are 24 tables for students and one desk for the teacher. On the walls, there are a lots of posters of England. There’s a cupboard at the front of the room and on the cupboard, there is a TV and DVD player. Sometimes we watch films. There are some bookshelves in the classroom. On the shelves, there are a lot of English books. Our books are on the teacher’s desk. He wants to look at our homework. Our school bags are on the floor, and there is some food in the school bags. It’s now 5.30 pm. We are at home, but our teacher is at school. He often stays late to prepare for tomorrow’s lessons.
Why does the teacher often leave for school late?
A. To prepare for the next lessons
B. To mark students’ tests
C. To play outdoor activities
D. To attend the meeting