For hundreds of years, people have been wondering about the strange places that they seem to visit in their sleep{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, they have been valued as necessary to a person's health and happiness. Historically people thought dreams contained messages from God. It was only in the twentieth century that people started to study dreams scientifically believing that they tell about a person's characte{#blank#}2{#/blank#}He believed that dreams allow a person to express fantasies or fears, which would be socially unacceptable in real life.

    The second theory to become popular was Carl Jung's compensation theory. Jung, a former student of Freud, said that the purpose of a dream is not to hide something, but rather to communicate it to the dreamer{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Thus, people who think too highly of themselves may dream about falling; those who think too little of themselves dream of being heroes.

    Using more recent research, William Domhoff from the University of California found that dreaming is a mental skill that needs time to develop in humans{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Until they reach age five, they cannot express very well what their dreams are about. Once people become adults, there is little or no change in their dreams. The dreams of men and women differ. For instance, the characters that appear in the dreams of men are often other men, and often involve physical aggression.

    The meaning of dreams continues to be difficult to understand{#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you dream that a loved one is going to die, do not panic. The dream may have meaning, but it does not mean that your loved one is going to die.

A. Dreams make up for what is lacking in waking life.

B. However, people should not take their dreams as reality.

C. They have been considered as meaningless nighttime journeys.

D. It gives scientists chances to better understand human mind.

E. Children do not dream as much as adults.

F. They think their mind is trying to tell them something.

G. First, there was Sigmund Freud's theory.

    Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

    Recite and repeat in conversation. When you hear a person's name, repeat it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. After you've been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you're making to learn their names.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Admitting that you can't remember someone's name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, "I'm working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?"

    Use associations (联想). {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng—tall, black hair." To reinforce (强迫) your associations , ,write them on a small card as soon as possible.

    Limit the number of new names you learn at one time. When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

A. Admit you don't know.

B. Recite and repeat names.

C. Free yourself from remembering everyone.

D. You can let other people help you remember their names.

E. If you can't remember someone's name, you may tell him the truth.

F. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips.

G. Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual.

Help your child look forward to school

    Your child says that he is sick whenever the alarm clock goes off. Your child hides under the covers and cries, "I hate school" when it's time to get ready in the morning. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If he behaves like that, there could be more than book reports and tests making him want to stay at home.

Talk to your child

    You can ask questions like "Did you have a good day today?" or "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}" If your child rides the bus, you can ask where he sits and why.

Talk to the teacher

    Meet with your child's teacher. Discuss the problems you are having at home and find out what is happening at school. Are there behaviour problems you do not realize? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Be aware

    Your child's problem may also be caused by a learning disability. If you think there's such a problem, talk to the school.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Most schools have either an in-house psychologist (心理学家) or one who visits the school regularly. Set up a time to discuss the problem with his teachers.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If your child's homework is untidy, don't criticize (批评) his handwriting. Instead, praise him for completing the work. If his clothes don't match in the morning, tell him how proud you are that he got ready for school on time instead of criticizing him.

A. Look for the good.

B. Volunteer in the classroom.

C. Do other students make fun of your child?

D. How are you getting along with your classmates?

E. You might get angry when your child tell lies at school

F. Your child forgets to bring home his homework on purpose.

G. His teachers will pay more attention to while he's in class.

Remarkable Ways to Push Yourself Harder

    Deep inside us, we know that hard work is supposed to be the key to success.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are the rules that you can also apply to make yourself work really hard.

    Practice working hard.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Therefore, if you want to be a hard worker, you must practice working hard. Practice waking up early, practice doing a lot of work, and practice working more hours. One day you will wake up and realize that you are a hard worker.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Many hard workers always have a large purpose that forces them to work. Don't just think of buying a car or a big house because this is not a purpose strong enough to push you forward. An example of a big purpose is deciding that you are working hard so that you bring change in the lives of your friends, family, and neighborhood. A strong purpose always involves bringing a large positive change in any particular setting.

    Surround yourself with hard workers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But if you surround yourself with hardworking people, you will find yourself working hard towards your goal. Avoid friends who just want to have fun all the time. This type of friends will always discourage you when you attempt to work hard. Therefore, always surround yourself with go-getters.

    Read and watch inspirational materials.

    You can also push yourself harder through reading and watching inspirational material. Motivational books and videos encourage you to work harder. These materials make you work hard.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Have a strong purpose.

B. Find a great goal to overcome your laziness.

C. Like other skills, one has to practice it to perfect it.

D. Inspirational material makes you believe in yourself.

E. Nevertheless, occasions are not rare when we always find it difficult to push ourselves harder.

F. They remove discouragement and assure you that you will never fail if you push yourself to the limit.

G. If you surround yourself with lazy people, you will also be lazy.

They Just Can't Help It

    My theory is that the female brain is mainly built for empathy — the ability to understand other people — and that the male brain is mainly built for building systems. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, women are more likely to read magazines on fashion and parenting, while men will choose magazines that feature computers and sport.

    You may think that these preferences are influenced by the way people are taught to behave when they are growing up. However, this is not the case. A new study carried out at Cambridge University shows that newborn girls look longer at a face, and newborn boys look longer at a mobile. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It has also been observed that girls are better at noticing signs of changes in other people's feelings. Boys, however, seem to enjoy building toy towers and playing with toys which have clear functions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People whose jobs are in the construction industries are almost male. Math and engineering, which require high levels of systems-thinking, are also male-chosen disciplines. Why do men and women have the difference? Actually women have four times as many brain neurons (神经) that connect the right and left part of their brains. Because of it, women have a better ability to multitask than men. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Men tend to focus on a limited number of problems at a time. They will separate themselves from problems and view tasks as independent from one another.

    Some people may worry that I am suggesting one gender (性别) is better than the other, but this is not the case. My theory says that males and females differ in the kinds of things that they find easy, but that both genders have their strengths and weaknesses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is not true. The study simply looks at males and females as two groups, and asks what differences exist, and why they are there.

A. Generally speaking, there are clear differences.

B. Their preference for building systems may change over time.

C. You can see the same kind of pattern in the adult workplace.

D. They will consider many sources of information at the same time.

E. It is important to stress that the female brain may be built more for empathy.

F. That suggests certain differences between male and female brains are biological.

G. Others may think the theory creates a belief of what a particular type of person is like.

    A new urban sport, parkour, is hitting the streets. It has evolved from obstacle course training into a fitness option for young people. In parkour, the outside world is the gym! {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The goal of parkour is a direct route from one place to another. You meet an obstacle, you overcome it.

    Mark Toorock, who teaches the techniques of parkour at his fitness gym, says that parkour is a method to train the body and mind using obstacles as the medium. He says that this new sport is demanding and takes years to master. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But Toorock, who used to be a martial arts expert, says that everyone can benefit from learning the basic skills involved in parkour like running, jumping and crawling (爬行). These are the things that humans used to have to do all the time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The original idea of parkour was to return to running and jumping as basic elements in moving from one place to another.

    Georges Hebert, a French navy officer, was so impressed by the effortless athleticism of African tribes that he devised a training method based on running, climbing, jumping, balancing and throwing. The word parkour comes from parcours de combatant, the French term for a military obstacle course. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Dr Kenneth Kao explains that the sport of parkour is not extreme – it is the environment which is extreme and dangerous. Being outside, jumping off railings and flipping over park benches can be quite frightening, so parkour courses in gyms concentrate on practicing all the individual moves to make everything easier. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, that is not real parkour because it's indoors with a fixed obstacle. The goal for everyone is to go outdoors.

A. Gyms provide thick floor matting (垫子) for rolling and rubberized boxes for jumping over.

B. The bridges, buildings and railings (栏杆) of each and every city are the equipment.

C. Every action in parkour is natural, so everyone must have the ability to move in this way.

D. Parkour was introduced into china in recent years and has gained popularity.

E. But today, due to modern transport, these basic skills are no longer used on a regular basis.

F. The French word for people who participate in the sport is traceurs or traceuses.

G. Beginners should realize that they won't be jumping over buildings any time soon!