---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/19-the-stuff-of-dreams.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：The Stuff of Dreams。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 19 · 话说梦的本质

### 第1段

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. 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.

中文理解：睡眠显然具有某种作用；它占去的时间这么多，这种作用想必相当重要。人们猜测睡眠究竟有什么作用，确实已经猜了几千年。一个令人困惑的发现是，睡觉似乎不只是为了让身体休息。假如所谓“休息”只是指放松肌肉之类，躺一小会儿，甚至坐下来片刻，就能做到。身体组织在一定程度上能自行修复和恢复，而且在持续保持一定活动时，运作状态最好。事实上，人在睡眠中也会有一定量的身体活动，恰好能够防止肌肉完全不活动。
如果睡眠不只是为了让身体休息，那会不会是大脑需要休息呢？要不是以下两个因素，这倒是个说得通的假设。首先，脑电图仪——也就是把电极贴在头皮上，记录大脑电活动的仪器——显示，虽然人在睡眠中大脑活动的模式会改变，却没有证据表明活动总量减少了。第二个因素更有意思，也更为根本。几年前，美国精神科医生威廉·德门特发表了一些记录睡眠中眼球运动的实验。他发现，一般人的睡眠周期中，不时会出现一阵阵特殊的眼球运动：有的缓慢游移，有的急促跳动。在这些眼动期间被叫醒的人，通常说自己刚才在做梦；其他时候被叫醒，则说没有做梦。实验让一组人连续几夜在眼动睡眠期间被叫醒；另一组人也被打断同样长的时间，但安排在没有眼动的时候。结果，第一组开始出现一些人格方面的异常，另一组似乎基本不受影响。这些结果暗示，关键也许不在于睡眠被打断，而在于做梦被打断。

* **have some function**：具有某种作用；function说作用，不能只因存在就确定具体用途。

* **would seem to**：似乎会；看来；为判断留分寸，不总表示过去将来。

* **Speculations about**：关于……的猜测；undefined

* **in terms of**：从……角度界定；这里界定rest的含义，不是万能的连接短语。

* **to a degree**：在一定程度上；限制程度，不表示完全成立。

* **more or less**：或多或少；大体上；本课限制连续活跃和不受影响的程度。

* **preventing muscle inactivity**：防止肌肉完全不活动；undefined

* **a plausible hypothesis**：说得通的假说；plausible只表示看似合理，仍需要证据。

* **were it not for**：要不是……；省略if的倒装条件句，不是过去发生的叙述。

* **electrical activity**：电活动；undefined

* **no evidence**：没有证据；没有证据支持不等于已有证据反驳。

* **dealing with**：涉及；处理；本课指实验涉及某内容，不是商务交易。

* **punctuated with**：不时出现；常用于过程里间歇出现某种事件。

* **had been dreaming**：此前正在做梦；以过去时刻为参照，回看此前持续或刚结束的活动。

* **on end**：连续地；强调连续持续，不能省成单纯在末尾。

* **for an equal period**：持续同样长的时间；undefined

* **personality disorders**：人格方面的异常；undefined

* **the disturbance of dreaming**：做梦过程被打断；undefined

#### 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.

并列复合句，以 and 分为两句，第一句 it 为形式主语，that 引导的主语从句作真正主语，该主语从句为主谓宾结构.

and 后第二句的主句为主系表结构，前面有一个 because 引导的原因状语从句.

#### 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.

并列复合句，以 and 分为两句，第一句为主谓结构.

第二句中，that 引导定语从句修饰主句的主语 finding，该定语从句为主谓宾+宾补结构. 主句为主系表结构，故 finding is that it looks…rest 是系动词 is 后面接 that 引导的表语从句.

这个 that 引导的表语从句为 it looks as if…的主系表结构，其表语又由一个 as if 引导的表语从句担任，即主系+表语从句结构中，该表语从句仍为主系+表语从句结构. 这个嵌套的表语从句本身又是主系表结构 sleeping is \[not] a matter.

#### "Rest", in terms of muscle relaxation and so on, can be achieved by a brief period lying, or even sitting down.

简单句，主谓结构，by 引导方式状语，不过该状语是并列结构，or 后面有所省略，补充完整为 rest can be achieved even by sitting down.

#### The body's tissues are self-repairing and self-restoring to a degree, and function best when more or less continuously active.

并列句，前句主系表结构，后句省略了主语，主谓结构，后面的 when 引导的时间状语从句亦有省略，补充完整为 when the body’s tissues are \[more or less] \[continuously] active. 主系表结构.

#### In fact a basic amount of movement occurs during sleep which is specifically concerned with preventing muscle inactivity.

复合句，主谓结构，which 引导定语从句修饰 movement，主谓宾结构.

#### If it is not a question of resting the body, then perhaps it is the brain that needs resting?

复合句，主句为强调句，主谓宾结构.

if 引导的条件状语从句，主系表结构.

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

复合句，主句为简单句，主系表结构，后面跟一个省略了 if 的条件状语从句，且采用了倒装结构，属于虚拟语气的用法，还原为：

if it were 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.

复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句结构.

该宾语从句包含一个 while 引导的时间状语从句（3-2 句）和 that 引导的同位语从句（3-3 句）. 其中3-2 句为 there be 句型，3-3 句为主系表结构简单句.

3-1 句原文是以括号形式作补充讲解脑电图记录仪为何物，该句本身是简单句，主系表结构.

#### The second factor is more interesting and more fundamental.

简单句，主系表并列结构.

#### Some years ago an American psychiatrist named William Dement published experiments dealing with the recording of eye-movements during sleep.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

William Charles Dement (born July 29, 1928) is an American sleep researcher and founder of the Sleep Research Center at Stanford University.睡眠医学之父，还健在.

#### 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.

复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句，而该从句为主谓宾结构.

some drifting and slow，以及 others jerky and rapid 两句为独立主格结构. 这两句所处的宾语从句中，主语为平均的睡眠周期，而此两句的主语应为 bursts of eye-movements，与句子的主语不一致.

#### People woken during these periods of eye-movements generally reported that they had been dreaming.

复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句，而该从句为主谓结构. 这里是处于快速眼动睡眠状态.

#### When woken at other times they reported no dreams.

复合句，主句主谓宾结构. when 引导的时间状语从句省略了主语，完整句为：

\[When they had woken \[at other times],] …因为主句是一般过去时，这个苏醒在主句汇报没有梦之前发生，所以是过去的过去，采用过去完成时予以还原.

#### 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.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，即9-2 句.

9-1 句为 if 引导的条件状语从句，为并列句，由 and 连接，均为主谓结构，第二句里面含有 when 引导的时间状语从句，该时间状语从句为主谓宾结构.

9-3 句由 while 引出，与第一组人的反应形成对比，意为“而另一组……”，不宜在这里按时间状语从句理解；其内部是主系表结构。

#### The implications of all this were that it was not the disturbance of sleep that mattered, but the disturbance of dreaming.

复合句，主句为主系+表语从句.

that 引导的表语从句为强调句型，为并列句，均为主谓结构，其中 but 后这一句省略了谓语，还原为 but it was the disturbance of dreaming that mattered.

## 学完这一课

用完成进行时说明一个长期持续但未解决的问题。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第76—79页，2022年2月第2版。*