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.

    Not all children want to listen to their parents. However, parents have been around for at least two decades or so longer than their kids. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are four ways in which they might be right.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People should want to grow and change with time in a good way. People who hang around with those who are not as smart as they are will stagnate (停滞). So try to surround yourself with people who are worth learning from.

    The more you learn, the less you really know. People tend to believe that they are right about everything before they've really learned anything about the world.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is largely due to contrast: people will realize how ignorant (无知) they were in the past after they've learned certain things, making them realize how much they've left to learn.

    Growing up too fast is truly bad.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, these are the years when you are going to be more protected from the cruel realities of adulthood. You should try to appreciate this aspect of this life stage without being concerned with pushing your development too hard.

    It is better to try and fail than fail to try. Children have to learn that failure is part of life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, the sting (刺痛) of failure disappears gradually, and the regret about missed opportunities is going to sting far more for many adults. So don't stop going for certain goals because of a fear of failure.

A. Parents are wiser than you think.

B. It's hard enough for adults to accept.

C. Being around people who don't challenge you is a bad idea.

D. Your childhood years may not be the best years of your life.

E. They have some life experience, and it makes sense to listen to them.

F. People who bring out the best in others will reach their personal best.

G.  By the time they have, they'll realize how complicated (复杂) the world can be.

    How old is "old"? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Two hundred years ago, you were old at 35. That was the average life then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span(长度) increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

    So, how old is old? The answer is one you've heard many times, from all sorts of people. "You are as old (or young) as you feel!" The calendar(日历) simply tells you how many years you have lived. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Once an unknown author wrote, "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Nobody grows old by living a number of years; people grow old by giving up their goals."

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Alice Brophy, when she was with the New York City commission for the Aging, said, "It upsets me when people say, 'Gee, you look young for your age!' What does that mean? Is there some model that you're supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80"

    There are many wrong ideas about aging. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Here are some of the more common ones. For example, most older people are in poor health, or older people are unable to change.

A. The answer has changed over the years.

B. Old is a point of view.

C. Older people are stubborn, unable to change.

D. Youth is not a time of life but it is a state of mind.

E. These ideas stereotype (固化) people on the basis of age.

F. Your body tells you how well you've lived.

G. It's extremely terrible to be grown old.

    Homesickness is a feeling that we all have probably experienced at one time or another.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Remember the following strategies before you get ready to leave.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Knowing more about homesickness will provide insights into how common it is for people to have feelings of missing home. This will surely help make you feel less stressed or embarrassed about missing home.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can ask someone who is knowledgeable about where you'll go to describe the daily routines or activities you should expect. If it's practical, you could plan a preliminary(初步的)visit with family or friends to the place you'll go to.

    Make plans for when you arrive at your new location. When you know what some of your routines and activities will be when you get to the new place, you'll feel more comfortable.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} One study found that vigorous exercise and purposeful social interaction while away helped to avoid feelings of homesickness.

    Bring something from home. Sometimes homesickness can be difficult because you never know when it might hit you. Bring along a favorite book, a pair of slippers, or a picture.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can be helpful to comfort you when you're homesick.

A. Adopt your previous habits and routines.

B. Explore your new location.

C. Become familiar with the place you will go to.

D. The experience will seem a little more familiar, making homesickness less likely.

E. Preparing to move away from home helps prevent homesickness.

F. Know that homesickness is totally normal.

G. These items might help make home feel a bit closer.

How to persuade people

    Convincing people that your way is the best way is often very difficult —especially when you're not quite sure why they're saying no. The trick is to get them wondering why they're saying no.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Understand how timing is everything. Knowing how to persuade people isn't just in words and body language — it's also in knowing the right time to talk to them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, you will most likely achieve faster, better results.

    Get to know them. A large part of whether or not persuasion is effective is based on the general relationship between you and your client/son/friend/employee. If you don't know the person well, it's vital to start building this relationship immediately — find common ground as soon as possible. Humans, in general, are more fond of people that are similar to them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. People are more persuaded by a fast, confident talker than accuracy. The faster you talk, the less time your listener has to process what you've said and question it. You may create the feeling that you truly grasp the subject by running through the facts at warp speed, confident of them all.

    Create urgency. In order to get people to act in the moment, you have to be able to create a sense of urgency.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, it's unlikely they'll change their minds in the future. You must persuade people in the present; it's all that matters.

A. Talk fast

B. Communicate with others

C. If someone is aware of this

D. And with the right tricks, you can do it

E. So find parallels and make them known

F. If they're not motivated enough to want whatever you have right now

G. If you approach people when they are more relaxed and open to discussion

    You are changing. The universe around you is changing. Just because something was right for you in the past doesn't mean it still is. You realize there are deliberate(微妙的)changes you need to make to keep up with the changes happening around you and within you. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be yourself and fully control your life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You are in full control of your life so long as you claim it and own it. Because if you want to change, if you want to let go and move on with your life, you're the only person who can make it happen.

    Distance yourself for a while. Sometimes you need to take several steps back in order to become aware of a situation. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Why? Because you can return to where you started and see things with a new set of eyes.

    Focus only on what can be changed. Realize that not everything in life is meant to be adjusted or perfectly understood. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And if you can't change something you don't like, change the way you think about it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To let go is to be thankful for the experiences that made you laugh, made you cry, and helped you learn and grow. It's the acceptance of everything you have, everything you once had, and the possibilities that lie ahead.

A. Accept the truth and be thankful.

B. No one else is responsible for you.

C. It happens to you slowly as you grow.

D. Be faithful to what you always believe.

E. Focus carefully on what you can change.

F. Better take a break and explore something else for a while.

G. If you feel awkward, let's look at some ways to design the latter.