It is fairly clear that the 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. In l960 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.
New words and expressions
speculation n. 推测 speculate , predict; speculation: without a complete knowledge
predict: based on solid foundation
I can predict in the near future there will be new type of mobilephone that is visible
mobilephone.
speculate about/on sth. in stocks/ speculator 投机者
literally ad. 确实literal / literature / literate / illiterate / illiteracy / antiilliteracy
literal translation 直译法
free translation /paraphrase , I am here today and gone tomorrow.
word to word 逐字翻译法 strict
The children are literally hungry. 孩子们真的饿了。(ambiguous sentence)
odd a. 奇特的eccentricity / eccentric,oddity / eccentricity , odd month 大月/
leap month 闰月 /even month 小月， bizarre/ weird / outlandish 怪
in terms of … 就…而言In terms of our family, we would like to go on an outing .
As for … with regard to
Regarding/in respect of / as for
tissue n. 组织（纤维，神经，肌肉…组织） face tissue 面巾纸
plausible n. 似乎有理的；
区别reasonable;actually plausible : seemingly to
What you said is reasonable. I will accept it.
What you said is plausible, but it is not very practical nowadays.convincing / persuasive
hypothesis n. 假说 thesis / theory + hypo/ under
hypotension 低血压 ，hypocritical 伪善的， hypocrite 伪君子
hyper hypertension 高血压 ，hypercritical/picky/finicky 太挑剔hypersensitive 过敏 I am hypersensitive to beef / alcohol.
electroencephalograph n. 脑电图仪electro / encephalo / graph , encephalitis 脑膜炎
electrode n. 电极 lightning rod 避雷针
scalp n. 头皮 skull 头颅 ， have the scalp of sb. 取胜某人
psychiatrist n. 精神病学家 psychology 心理学
punctuate vt. 不时介入 punctuate the passage 给段落加注标点 ，punctuation 标点符号
He punctuates in our talk.
butt in 插句话
punctual / on the dot / in good time / puncture/ acupuncture 针灸术
jerky a. 急动的 jerk 烦/bore / trial / nuisance
snore / How he snores!
What a jerk / bore / trial / nuisance
on end 连续不断地 I have been learning English for a month on end.
It has been raining for three days on end.
disorder n. 失调 order , mental disorder 精神紊乱
nervous / nerve war 心理战
disorderly , disorderly house / casino / gambling house 赌场
legal / handcuffs 手铐
Las Vegas / in rags / as poor as a church mouse
implication n. 表明
imply v. 暗示 What does the second speaker imply ?
You said it. / You can say it again.
explicate v. 说明 阐明
Notes on the text
1. sweet dream / nightmare / nightmarish experience / dream a dream
die a glorious death 英勇就义
live a comfortable life 过着舒服的生活
tie a tie 打个领带
2. fairly 相当
I am rather sad. rather clouding
It is fairly sunny. He is fairly handsome. He is rather mean. 龌龊
some : certain
4. nature : 本质
5. literally: actually
6. dream telling / dream teller / fortune teller / palm reader
7. looks as if 看起来像
8. overthrow our former hypothesis 推翻了我们以前的论点
9. a brief period of… of可有可无
10. to a degree : to some extent / in a sense
Everybody is self-repairing.
muscle stretch / flexibility / spring / elastic self-correcting / self-adjusting
11. when more or less continuously active. 省略了主语tissues 和谓语are 如果出现 when / if / though 句型做状语从句，而主句的主，谓语与从句主，谓语相同，则从句的主，谓语可以省略。I got to the school though (I was) late.
12. be concerned with : be about
be concerned about 关心
13. might be 表示虚拟语气
were it not = if it were not for : because but for 若不是
If it were not for his timely help, I would not survive.
But for his timely help, I would not survive.
14. attaching 连接 attaching to
15. pattern : type lie flat / lie on one's side / lie on stomach
16. Brain is the center / headquarter
17. fundamental 基本
significant / important The brain does not rest.
18. dealing with : be concerned with
19. average : common sleep cycle 睡眠周期
burst 爆发 drifting 飘
20. ogle v. 抛媚眼 I ogle her.
21. exhibiting : showing
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