Sleep and dreams have interested people for centuries. Scientists are learning more about sleep, but they still know very little about why we dream.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} First, we have most of our dreams during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. At this time, the brain is very active. Second, everyone dreams, even if we can't remember doing so when we awake. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} While we are asleep, it works more slowly and sometimes puts our thoughts and memories together in strange ways.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some believe that our dreams are relevant to thoughts and feelings that we experience while we are awake. Many dreams researchers think that a dream about death, for example, is really about an important life change. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A dream about teeth—especially broken or loose ones-may suggest stress or fear. Dreams in which you are flying often represent freedom or escape.

   Researchers think people in our dreams can tell us something about ourselves. If the person in the dream was yelling, for example, maybe you are angry. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

There is still a lot about dreaming that we do not understand. By learning more about our dreams, we may learn more about ourselves.

    A. Dreams may be more important than sleep.

    B. Scientists do not know for certain why we dream.

    C. If he or she was scared then maybe you are terrified of something.

    D. Modern research can tell us some important things about dreams.

    E. There are three things you should pay attention to have a sweet dream.

    F. Finally, a part of our brain helps us to understand daily experience we have.

    G. Dreams about telephones are thought to be about giving or receiving messages.

    Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

    Even if you don't keep a close eye on new developments in physics, you've probably heard of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    These days, we know Hawking as a brilliant mind whose theories are difficult for a nonscientific mind to grasp. This is why it may come as a shock to learn that Hawking was a slacker when it came to his school studies.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}With a little more effort, he brought those grades up to about average, but not much better. However, from an early age he was interested in how things worked. He has talked about how he was known to take apart clocks and radios. However, he admits he wasn't very good at putting them back together so they could work again.

    Stephen Hawking took a liking to mathematics from an early age, and he would have liked to have majored in it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}He hoped Stephen would instead study medicine.

    But, for all his interest in science, Stephen didn't care for biology. He has said that he found it to be “too inexact, too descriptive (叙述的)”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

One problem, however, was that Oxford didn't have mathematics as a major. The result was that Stephen would attend Oxford and major in physics. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That's why he chose to study universe.

A. His father wanted to send him to Oxford.

B. His father, Frank, however, had different ideas.

C. Actually, he focused on the bigger questions.

D. He would have rather devoted his mind to more precise concepts.

E. In fact, when he was 9, his grades ranked among the worst in his class.

F. However, there're many interesting facts you might not know about him.

G. Both his teachers and peers seemed to understand that they had a future genius.

    Let children learn to judge their work.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make the necessary changes to make his language like other people's.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They learn to do without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle, compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes.

    But in school we never give a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them by himself.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.

    If it is a matter of the right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work?{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Let the children learn what all educated people must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, and how to know what they know or do not know.

A. Children leant to do all the other things in the same way.

B. Let him correct his own papers.

C. Point out his mistakes.

D. We do it all for him.

E. We allow him to learn from other children.

F. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time.

G. Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can't find the way to get the right answer.

Rich and Famous

    Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today's situation is quite different. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, or an actor—in other words, they hope to become a celebrity.

    According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Let's take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes' best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they'll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

    In spite of these disadvantage, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

    While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won't realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.

A. The younger generation don't favor these professions any more.

B. In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.

C. Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people's life.

D. Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.

E. People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.

F. This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.

G. The reason is that they don't realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.

Understanding special education

    What will appear in your mind when you think about special education? You might picture children with disabilities spending the day in a different classroom, separated from most of the kids of their age. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But as the field of special education has moved forward, it much has changed.

    Special education today is still focused on helping children with disabilities learn. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. In fact, federal law requires that students who receive special education services be taught alongside their non-disabled peers as much as possible. For example, some students with reading disorder may spend most of the day in a general education classroom. They may spend just an hour or two in a resource room working with a specialist on reading and other skills.

    The changes are also reflected in other aspects. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It's tailored(量体裁衣) to meet each student's needs. Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings. If your child qualifies for special education, he'll receive individualized teaching resources. The specialists who work with your child will focus on his strengths as well as his challenges.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Making the curriculum accessible to students with disabilities is a lot like making buildings accessible to people in wheelchairs. School districts have a process in place to determine which students are qualified for special education. This process involves a systematic evaluation that looks at the way your child thinks. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If the district agrees to evaluate your child, the testing will be conducted at no cost to you.

A. "Access" is an important term in education

B. You or your child's school can request an evaluation

C. This may have been the normal situation in the past

D. There is no "one size fits all" approach to special education

E. To clear the learning barriers is the purpose of special education

F. But this no longer means placing kids in a special classroom all day long

G. The qualification for special education is assessed by local school districts

    If you're having trouble getting good sleep through the night (turning, waking up more than once, for example), this text will tell you what you can do to ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

    ⒈Get on schedule. Changing your sleeping time by more than an hour can severely disturb your sleep quality. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}For example, if you normally wake up at 6 am on weekdays to get to work, you might go to bed around 10 pm, because that's when you start to feel sleepy, and it's also a good time to ensure 8 hours of sleep. If, on the weekend, you sleep until 9 am, you probably won't be able to fall asleep that night until 1am.

    ⒉Be mindful of what you eat or drink before bed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Digestion slows down while asleep, and a full stomach may interrupt sleep. Similarly, you should avoid going to bed on an empty stomach, as a completely empty stomach may equally disturb your sleeping patterns.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Exposure to light during the time when you're supposed to be sleeping can destroy your body's internal clock. Turn your light off, or use a very dim(暗淡的)night light. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They include windows, LED clocks and computer lights.

    ⒋Change your sleeping position. You may think that it's impossible to control what position you sleep in since you aren't fully aware of what you are doing, but it is possible and it can make a considerable difference. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}