Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. No one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.

    In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze(迷宫). The maze was difficult, and the study participants had to start in a different place each time they tried — making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.

    For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and half were told to take a short nap. Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dream after sleep — and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.

    Stickgold, a neuroscientist (神经科学家), to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren't moving, during sleep.

    Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.

    Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn't help a person learn — it's the other way around. He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processes associated with learning.

    All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn't take a nap, didn't show the same improvement.

    David Beckham was born in 1975 in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was in football. He played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award. This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for schools of Essex and also for his county team.

    In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995 he played his first football league game against Leeds Untied. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won in both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.

    His goals made him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored a surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper a little way out of his goal, Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free-kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose. Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.

    We get it: You're tired. You're busy. And your shoes are away over there. Excuses are OK sometimes, but not every day—and especially not today. So put on your sneakers, get up off the couch, and let us kick your excuses to the curb (路边).

    “I…dislike…panting !”

    Being really out of breath may mean you're trying too much too soon, which will kill your confidence. But you don't have to be huffing and puffing to get a workout. Being active doesn't have to mean high-intensity. It's just about moving.

    “I hate exercise.”

    It may seem unbearable, but you just have to get started. Exercise releases endorphins (your brain's own feel-good chemicals), which can be habit-forming. What' s the best exercise? The one you'll do regularly. So you may hate running. Don't run! Ride your bike or just dance. Even cleaning your room is active. As long as you're moving and getting your blood pumping, it counts. So get creative.

    “I don't have time.”

    You may not have lots of time to spare when you're busy with schoolwork, but we bet you can find 10 minutes. Bonus: An activity break will send oxygen to your brain, making you super-alert and more creative too. Famous thinkers like Aristotle and Steve Jobs liked “walking meetings," and you can follow in their footsteps by moving around while you brainstorm about a tough task or memorize your English vocabulary.

    “I never see results!”

    Even if you train with the help of a professional, you won't see results right away. But you will feel them almost immediately. Don't focus on how your body looks—focus on how you feel. Keep a journal of when you exercise (or don't) and how you feel that day: Stressed? Focused? Tired? When you start noticing the amazing effects of exercise, you'll have no excuses.

    Anger itself is neither good nor bad. It's what we do when we're angry that matters. Anger is a tool that helps us to read and respond to the social situations that bother us. But how can we keep it under control?

    It's normal to think that getting angry is bad and many times we punish ourselves for doing so. But contrary to popular belief, research indicates that anger increases optimism, creativity and efficiency (效率). In addition, studies suggest that anger can lead to more successful negotiations at work, as well as in our personal lives.

    In fact, suppressing (抑制) anger can be very bad for your health. In this sense, Dr. Ernest Harburg performed a study by monitoring a group of adults and their capacity (最大容量) for anger. What he found is that the men and women who suppressed their anger as a response to an unfair attack had a higher risk of developing bronchitis (支气管炎) or suffering from heart attacks, and were more likely to die before their colleagues who let their anger surface (显现) when they felt bothered.

    When anger arises, we feel the need to either prevent or put an end to this powerful feeling for the benefit of our welfare or the welfare of those we care about. But this act of kindness, mercy, love or justice isn't beneficial in this way. However, it's certainly a good thing to be cautious when anger begins to surface. Expressing your anger can be appropriate with certain people at certain times. The question lies in how to do it without losing control. The key to expressing your anger is finding the appropriate tone for expressing what it is that upsets you. But to avoid unnecessary shouting, hitting, or other violent reactions, it's worth taking a moment to step back and think, even though we may be in the middle of an argument with someone.

    Donald was not very good at math. He could not understand the teacher's explanations. Even when the teacher explained something a second time, Donald still could not understand it. "Never mind," Donald told himself, "I'm quite good at other subjects. I'll cheat in the math exam, and then I won't be in trouble."

    "I will sit next to the boy who's good at math,'' he thought, "and copy down his answers." The day of the exam came, and Donald sat next to Brian Smith, who was always at the top of the class in math. Donald carefully copied Brian's answers onto his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher collected the papers and graded them. Then she said, "Well, boys and girls. I've decided to give a prize to the student who got the highest grade. However, it's difficult for me to decide who to give the prize to, because two students, Donald and Brian, got the same grade."

    "Let them share it,'' one of the other students said.

    "I have thought about that,'' the teacher said, "but I have decided to give the prize to Brian." Donald was angry when he heard this. He stood up and said, "That is not fair. I got the same grade as Brian." "That is true," the teacher said. "However, Brian's answer to Question 18 was 'I don't know', while yours was 'Neither do I'."

    When I first married my wife, I lived and worked in Ontario, moving from small town to big city as I pursued my career as a radio broadcaster. We have two sons, both of whom were born in Toronto and moved with us to Ottawa. They went to school, grew up there, and then pursuing their own careers, they also moved. One went to Canada's east coast near a city called Halifax and the other headed to the west coast Vancouver. We had a dilemma; we were left in the middle.

    The problem wasn't pressing at the time because I was still working and my job was in Ottawa. However, as we began to considering retirement we wondered where we should spend our final years. We couldn't be close to both of our children and there was no telling when they might again relocate. For several reasons, we settled on a small town on Vancouver Island. At least we were close to one of them. However, he had his sights set on Hollywood and, when an opportunity presented itself, he left Canada and headed south. So, there we were, and still are, in our little west coast town. We love our little corner of paradise (乐园）but we paid a price. We have not been there for some important events such as the births of two of our grandchildren. We have missed watching them grow up, backyard barbecues, and the normal, noisy households. Our home, while comfortable, is also very quiet.

    Every fall we travel to see the children and try to spend a week or more with them and we make the even longer trip to see our grandchildren, who are now teenagers, actually into their twenties. They seldom come to visit us. The distances are just too great and it is costly.

    Fortunately, both our boys are doing well and our grandchildren are growing straight and tall. We love all of them and they love us but the reality is that they don't need us. We have done our jobs and at least in theory，we can sit back, relax and enjoy the time remaining to us. In fact, we're happy but there were times I think about the things we didn't see. They have also missed having a set of parents and grandparents around.

    Life has been good for our family but we have paid a price.