Have you ever had lucid (清醒的) dreams? Recent studies suggest that the number of people having them is on the rise. Someone having a lucid dream realizes they are dreaming and may from then on" direct" the action, or they may simply " watch" the dream unfold. The sense of awareness (知道) makes it different from a dream that is simply very lively and true to life. And although the description may seem strange, the process is far from alien to many of us.

Studies suggest that the number of people in the Western world experiencing lucid dreams, which happen once in a while, has risen by between 10 and 40 per cent since the 1980s. Today, they are so common that about one in eight of us will have one in our lives. But still, little is known about what causes them or what is behind the rise.

Research carried out at the respected Harvard University in the US shows that the brain is working hard during lucid dreams. In fact, the level of the mental (精神

的) activity in some parts of the brain is similar to that of a person who is awake. Lucid dreamers seem to share certain personal characters. For example, in general they are quite creative. They are also good at digging deep into problems and going out of their way to solve them. Furthermore, they always believe in personal responsibility rather than letting society carry the can.

Our nightmares (噩梦) may show our waking worries, with the five most common ones-- falling, being run after, feeling disabled, being late and the death of a loved one. Men are more likely to have nightmares about fights or being fired while hair and tooth loss appear more in women's nightmares-perhaps showing worries about losing their looks. Research has also found that women have more nightmares than men. Their dreams are also scarier and more unforgettable.

Once a tortoise (乌龟) and two swans (天鹅) lived on a lake. They were very good friends. They spent many hours happily together.

Unluckily, there was no rain that year. The lake became dry. So they had to leave the lake to search for another lake to live.

The two swans could fly easily, but it was difficult for the tortoise. The three of them began to wonder, and they didn't know what to do next.

At last, the two swans had an idea. They said to the tortoise, "We will place a stick in your mouth. We will carry the stick in our beaks (鸟嘴) on either side. This will make us fly together. But remember, you must not open your mouth. If you do, you know what will happen to you."

The tortoise was sad to leave the lake, but it agreed to the idea happily.

One fine morning, they were flying over a large town. The people of the town were surprised at what they saw in the sky. They were very curious about it and started shouting excitedly.

The tortoise heard the noise and wondered what it was about. It forgot its promise and opened its mouth to ask curiously, "Why is there…? Ah…!"

Sadly, down fell the tortoise, and died.

The swans had no chance to save it. They were sad to lose their best friend but had to fly away and start their new life.

When people stay alone, they feel lonely and bored. What can make people feel less lonely and less bored? According to scientists' study, when people put heart into an activity and enjoy it, they will get a feeling called" flow"(心流) and then it makes them feel happy. But how can people get the feeling of flow? Here are the ways.

First, the activity must be something you are really good at. If you do well in art, playing the piano or painting can lead to flow. Things like skiing, writing and storytelling can, too.

Also, the activity must be something you really enjoy. When you are interested in something, you put your heart into it and enjoy yourself. Then, you get into a state(状态) of flow. When you leave the state of flow, you are often surprised by how much time has passed.

Besides, the activity must have some challenges(挑战). If the activity is too easy, then you may feel bored and" flow" will not appear. For example, watching TV usually doesn't help people get the feeling of flow, because there aren't any challenges.

So, to get a feeling of flow, you should develop a hobby that you like, put your heart in it and practice it, then you will feel less bored and less lonely when staying alone.

A: Good morning, Eric! What's the girl's name?

B: {#blank#}1{#/blank#} first name is Diana. 

A: And what's {#blank#}2{#/blank#} family name?

B: Green. 

 We' ve talked about snails(蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time snails don't move at all. They' re in their shells - - - sleeping.

 Hot sun will dry out a snail's body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into its shell and closes the opening with a thin cover. Then it goes to sleep. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So whenever it rains, it goes inside its shell house and goes to sleep. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It can take a short sleep. Or it can sleep for days at a time. And it spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.

 In spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out of from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. It can' t see very well. Its eyes, at the ends of the top feelers are very weak. But its sense of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to the new greens. Then the snail's little mouth goes to work.

A snail's mouth is no longer than the point of a pin(针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are so small that you can't see them. But they do their work.. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out. And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.

 Mostly, a snail looks for food at night. But on cloudy days it eats in the daytime. It eats all day long. A snail can go on eating for hours and never feel full.