# 第四册 Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams 话说梦的本质

## 一、课文原文

It is fairly clear that sleeping period must have some function, and because there is so much of it the function would seem to be important. Speculations about its nature have been going on for literally thousands of years, and one odd finding that makes the problem puzzling is that it looks very much as if sleeping is not simply a matter of giving the body a rest. 'Rest', in terms of muscle relaxation and so on, can be achieved by a brief period lying, or even sitting down. The body's tissues are self-repairing and self-restoring to a degree, and function best when more or less continuously active. In fact a basic amount of movement occurs during sleep which is specifically concerned with preventing muscle inactivity.

If it is not a question of resting the body, then perhaps it is the brain that needs resting? This might be a plausible hypothesis were it not for two factors. First the electroencephalograph (which is simply a device for recording the electrical activity of the brain by attaching electrodes to the scalp) shows that while there is a change in the pattern of activity during sleep, there is no evidence that the total amount of activity is any less. The second factor is more interesting and more fundamental. Some years ago an American psychiatrist named William Dement published experiments dealing with the recording of eye-movements during sleep. He showed that the average individual's sleep cycle is punctuated with peculiar bursts of eye-movements, some drifting and slow, others jerky and rapid. People woken during these periods of eye-movements generally reported that they had been dreaming. When woken at other times they reported no dreams. If one group of people were disturbed from their eye-movement sleep for several nights on end, and another group were disturbed for an equal period of time but when they were not exhibiting eye-movements, the first group began to show some personality disorders while the others seemed more or less unaffected. The implications of all this were that it was not the disturbance of sleep that mattered, but the disturbance of dreaming.

—CHRISTOPHER EVANS *The stuff of dreams* from *The Listener*

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| speculation | /ˌspekjuˈleɪʃn/ | n. | 推测，猜测 | speculations about 关于...的推测 |
| puzzling | /ˈpʌzlɪŋ/ | adj. | 令人费解的 | makes the problem puzzling 使问题费解 |
| self-repairing | /self rɪˈpeərɪŋ/ | adj. | 自我修复的 | body's tissues are self-repairing 身体组织自我修复 |
| self-restoring | /self rɪˈstɔːrɪŋ/ | adj. | 自我恢复的 | 与self-repairing并列 |
| inactivity | /ˌɪnækˈtɪvɪti/ | n. | 不活动，惰性 | preventing muscle inactivity 防止肌肉不活动 |
| plausible | /ˈplɔːzəbl/ | adj. | 似有道理的 | a plausible hypothesis 似有道理的假设 |
| hypothesis | /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ | n. | 假设，假说 | 复数 hypotheses |
| electroencephalograph | /ɪˌlekrəʊenˈsefələɡrɑːf/ | n. | 脑电图仪 | 简称 EEG |
| electrode | /ɪˈlektrəʊd/ | n. | 电极 | attaching electrodes to the scalp 将电极贴在头皮上 |
| scalp | /skælp/ | n. | 头皮 | 头的皮肤 |
| punctuate | /ˈpʌŋktʃueɪt/ | v. | 不时打断 | is punctuated with 不时被...打断 |
| burst | /bɜːst/ | n. | 突发，迸发 | bursts of eye-movements 眼球运动突发 |
| drifting | /ˈdrɪftɪŋ/ | adj. | 缓慢移动的 | drifting and slow 缓慢的 |
| jerky | /ˈdʒɜːki/ | adj. | 急动的，颠簸的 | jerky and rapid 急促的 |
| implication | /ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃn/ | n. | 含义，暗示 | the implications of all this 这一切的含意 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. It is...that... 强调句型

> ...then perhaps **it is the brain that** needs resting?

- 强调 the brain
- 原句：Perhaps the brain needs resting?

### 2. 虚拟语气的倒装（were it not for）

> This might be a plausible hypothesis **were it not for** two factors.

| 结构 | 说明 |
|------|------|
| were it not for = if it were not for | 若不是因为 |
| 省略if后倒装 | Were it not for two factors... |
| might be（虚拟） | 与were呼应 |

### 3. while 引导让步状语从句

> ...**while** there is a change in the pattern of activity during sleep, there is no evidence that the total amount of activity is any less.

- while = although，表让步
- 虽然活动模式变了，但总活动量并未减少

### 4. not...but... 不是...而是...

> ...it was **not** the disturbance of sleep **that** mattered, **but** the disturbance of dreaming.

- 不是睡眠被干扰重要，而是做梦被干扰重要
- 两个强调句的否定与肯定对比

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. a matter of 一个...的问题

> ...sleeping is not simply **a matter of** giving the body a rest.

- = a question of, an issue of
- 仿写：Success is a matter of persistence.

### 2. in terms of 就...而言

> 'Rest', **in terms of** muscle relaxation and so on, can be achieved by a brief period lying...

- = with regard to, concerning
- 仿写：In terms of quality, this product is superior.

### 3. on end 连续地

> ...for several nights **on end**...

- = continuously, in a row
- 仿写：He worked for three days on end.

### 4. more or less 或多或少

> ...the others seemed **more or less** unaffected.

- = approximately, somewhat
- 仿写：The project is more or less complete.

## 五、课文翻译

很清楚，睡眠一定有某种功能，而且因为睡眠时间如此之长，这个功能似乎很重要。关于其本质的推测已经持续了数千年，一个令人费解的发现是：睡眠似乎不仅仅是让身体休息的问题。"休息"，就肌肉放松等而言，可以通过短暂的躺卧甚至坐下达到。身体组织在一定程度上能自我修复和自我恢复，并在或多或少持续活动时功能最佳。事实上，睡眠期间有一定量的运动，专门用于防止肌肉不活动。

如果不是身体需要休息的问题，那么也许是大脑需要休息？如果不是因为两个因素，这可能是一个似有道理的假设。首先，脑电图仪（不过是将电极贴在头皮上记录大脑电活动的设备）显示，虽然睡眠期间活动模式有所变化，但没有证据表明总活动量有任何减少。第二个因素更有趣也更根本。几年前，美国精神病学家威廉·德门特发表了关于记录睡眠中眼球运动的实验。他表明，普通人的睡眠周期会被奇特的眼球运动爆发所打断——有的缓慢移动，有的急促快速。在这些眼球运动期间被叫醒的人通常报告他们正在做梦。在其他时间被叫醒时他们报告没有做梦。如果一组人连续数夜在眼球运动睡眠期间被打扰，而另一组人在同等时间内但不出现眼球运动时被打扰，第一组开始出现某些人格障碍，而另一组似乎或多或少未受影响。这一切的含意是：重要的不是睡眠被干扰，而是做梦被干扰。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 写作手法：假设-反驳-论证

- 假设1：睡眠是让身体休息→反驳（肌肉放松只需短时间）
- 假设2：睡眠是让大脑休息→反驳（脑活动总量未减少）
- 真正结论：睡眠的功能在于做梦，做梦被干扰才会导致人格障碍

### 2. 文化背景

- **威廉·德门特（William Dement）**：美国睡眠医学先驱，发现了REM（快速眼动）睡眠与梦的关系
- **脑电图（EEG）**：1924年首次记录人脑电活动，是神经科学的重要工具
- **REM睡眠**：快速眼动睡眠期，是做梦的主要阶段

### 3. 修辞分析

- **设问-自答**：If it is not...then perhaps...？——用问题推进论证
- **对比实验**：两组被试的不同打扰方式——科学论证的典范
- **精确描述**：drifting and slow vs jerky and rapid——对比描述两种眼动

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **理解题**：What is going on when a person experiences rapid eye-movements during sleep?（在做梦）
2. **语法题**：were it not for 虚拟倒装与 if it were not for 的互换
3. **词汇题**：区分 plausible/probable/possible 的程度差异
4. **翻译练习**：not...but... 强调对比句的翻译

## 八、本课小结

本课探讨**睡眠与梦的功能**，核心结论：睡眠的功能不在于休息身体或大脑，而在于做梦；做梦被干扰比睡眠被干扰更为严重。语法重点包括强调句型（It is...that...）、虚拟倒装（were it not for）、while让步从句、not...but...对比结构。写作手法上运用假设-反驳的论证链和对比实验，是科学说明文的典范。