2016考研英语阅读理解模拟题
Of all thecomponents of a good night’s sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, awindow opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. Acentury ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were thedisguised shadows of our unconscious desires and fears; by the late 1970s,neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just “mental noise”—the randombyproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now researcherssuspect that dreams are part of the mind’s emotionalthermostat, regulating moods while the brain is “off-line。” And oneleading authority says that, these intensely powerful mental events can be notonly harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleepand feel better. “It’s your dream,” says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago’s MedicalCenter. “If you don’t like it, change it。”
Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is asactive during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—when most vividdreams occur—as it is when fully awake, says Dr. Eric Nofzinger at the Universityof Pittsburgh. But not all parts of the brain are equally involved; the limbicsystem (the “emotional brain”) is especially active, while the prefrontal cortex (the center ofintellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet. “We wake up fromdreams happy or depressed, and those feelings can stay with us all day”， saysStanford sleep researcher Dr. William Dement。
The link between dreams and emotions shows up among the patients inCartwright’s clinic. Most people seem to have more bad dreams early in thenight, progressing toward happier ones before awakening, suggesting that theyare working through negative feelings generated during the day. Because ourconscious mind is occupied with daily life we don’t always think aboutthe emotional significance of the day’s events—until, itappears, we begin to dream。
And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwrightbelieves one can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams. As soonas you awaken, identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how youwould like it to end instead; the next time it occurs, try to wake up justenough 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 littlereason to pay attention to our dreams at all unless they keep us from sleepingor “we wake up in a panic,” Cartwright says. Terrorism, economic uncertainties and generalfeelings of insecurity have increased people’s anxiety. Thosesuffering from persistent nightmares should seek help from a therapist. For therest of us, the brain has its ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep—or ratherdream—on it and you’ll feel better in the morning。
31. Researchers have come to believe that dreams
[A] can be modified in their courses。
[B] are susceptible to emotional changes。
[C] reflect our innermost desires and fears。
[D] are a random outcome of neural repairs。
32. By referring to the limbic system, the author intends to show
[A] its function in our dreams。
[B] the mechanism of REM sleep。
[C] the relation of dreams to emotions。
[D] its difference from the prefrontal cortex。
33. The negative feelings generated during the day tend to
[A] aggravate in our unconscious mind。
[B] develop into happy dreams。
[C] persist till the time we fall asleep。
[D] show up in dreams early at night。
34. Cartwright seems to suggest that
[A] waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams。
[B] visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under control。
[C] dreams should be left to their natural progression。
[D] dreams may not entirely belong to the unconscious。
35. What advice might Cartwright give to those who sometimes havebad dreams?
[A] Lead your life as usual。
[B] Seek professional help。
[C] Exercise conscious control。
[D] Avoid anxiety in the daytime。
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