Spend too long watching old movies this holiday season, and your nightlife might seem a lot less colourful. ~ When we are surrounded by black and white imagery, we think our dreams are monochrome, says a US philosopher.
In surveys from the 1950s--the golden age of black and white--most said that their dreams were never or rarely in colour, found Eric Schwitzgebel of the University of California, Riverside. Before and since, most have reported colourful dreams.
The finding shows how little we know our own senses, says Schwitzgebel. This is one piece of a general picture--our knowledge of our stream of experience is very poor.
American dreaming in the Eisenhower era was no different to that in any other period, Schwitzgebel thinks. People were just more likely to believe that they dreamed in black and white, because that reflected the artificial dreams around them. Before the twentieth century, dreams were often compared to paintings or tapestries.
We know little about what a dreaming brain is up to, comments neuroscientist Daniel Glaser. Brain scans of sleepers might show whether the brain regions that process colour vision are active during vivid dreams, he says.
Another possibility is that dream colours are indeterminate, in the same way that a novelist can describe something without naming its colour. They would only become coloured, or not, in our waking reconstruction of them.
When people say that they dream in black and white, they probably mean that they haven’t noticed any colours, says psychologist Mark Blagrove of the University of Wales, UK.
Black and white dreaming is a concept borrowed from technology, he agrees. The idea that things in dreams are in shades of grey has no meaning.
Our waking perceptions of colour are just as fluid. Only the central patch of the retina can see in colour, yet we perceive the whole world as coloured. Our eyes jump around, and the brain fills in the gaps with memory or guesswork. Our feeling that we see in colour could be akin to our perception of dreaming in colour, Glaser says.
The media probably influence our dreaming lives as much now as they did in the 1950s. Few people mention touch in dreams, Schwitzgebel points out--that’ s why people pinch themselves to see if they’ reawake.
But as entertainment becomes more immersive--with virtual reality providing tactile, as well as visual, stimulation--our dreams may come to seem more touchy-feely. We might start thinking ourdreams are really great, he says. [426 words]
1. Schwitzgebel believes that ______.
A. our knowledge is very poor
B. dreams in 1950s were never in colour
C. we have little knowledge about our own senses
D. most people tend to dream in black and white
2. In the future, ______.
A. none will dream in black and white
B. we might not be able to see whether we are dreaming by pinching ourselves
C. the media will influence our dreaming much less than they do now
D. dream colours will become determinate
3. According to neuroscientist Daniel Glaser, ______ .
A. people never dream in black and white
B. it is meaningless to say dreaming in black and white
C. much work has to be done before we know why a brain dreams
D. we are incapable of perceiving the world around us in colour
4. It can be inferred from this passage that our dreams ______.
A. are somewhat influenced by what we watch during waking hours
B. black and white dreaming results from watching old movies
C. people who dream in black and white are all colour-blind
D. what we dream are certainly what we have seen
5. The best title for this passage should be ______
A. Artificial Dreams
B. Our Future Dreams
C. American Dreaming in the Eisenhower Era
D. Black and White Imagery Makes Dreams Monochrome 難句透析
①”Spend too long watchin old movies this holiday season,and your nightlife might seem a lot less colourful．【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句是由“and”連接的兩個(gè)分句組成的并列句。第一個(gè)分句是省略了主語的祈使句。情態(tài)動詞"might”表虛擬。
【釋義】趁這次休假時(shí)機(jī)看老片子，看的時(shí)間過長的話，你的夢境可能就沒什么色彩了。
②[In surveys from the 1950s--the golden age of black and white--most said(that their dreams were never Or rare— ly in colour)]，found Eric Sehwitzgebel of the University of California，Riverside．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句是倒裝句，主語是“Eric Schwitzgebel of the University of California，Riverside”，謂語動詞是“found”，方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“found”的賓語從句。這個(gè)賓語從句的主語是“most”，謂語動詞是“said”。
【釋義】加州大學(xué)里弗塞德分校的埃瑞克·史威茨布爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，20世紀(jì)50年代是黑白電影的黃金時(shí)代，在當(dāng)時(shí)所做的調(diào)查中，大多數(shù)人說，他們做的夢從來沒有或極少帶顏色。
③[Brain scans of sleepers might show(whether the brain regions(that process colour vision}are active during vivid dreams)]，he says．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“says”的賓語從句。這個(gè)賓語從句的主語是“Brain scans of sleepers”，謂語動詞是“might show”，圓括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“might show”的賓語從句。尖括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“the brain regions”的定語從句。這個(gè)定語從句的主語是“that”，代“the brain regions”，謂語動詞是“process”。
【釋義】他說，對睡眠者進(jìn)行腦部掃描可能會顯示出腦內(nèi)處理色彩視覺信號的區(qū)域在活躍做夢的時(shí)候是否在起作用。
④Another possibility is[that dream colours are indeterminate，in the same way(that a novelist can describe some— thing without naming its colour)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“that”引導(dǎo)的表語從句。圓括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“way”的同位語從句。
【釋義】還有一種可能，那就是夢境的顏色模糊，正如，一個(gè)小說家不說出一個(gè)東西的顏色也可對其進(jìn)行描繪一樣。
⑤But as entertainment becomes more immersive with virtual reality providing tactile，as well as visual，stimula tion]——our dreams may come tO seem more touchy—feely．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“as”引導(dǎo)的狀語從句。破折號之間的介詞短語結(jié)構(gòu)“with．．．stimulation”起補(bǔ)充說明作用。
【釋義】但是。由于娛樂變得使人更加投入，娛樂的真實(shí)感不僅給人帶來視覺刺激，而且?guī)碛|覺刺激，我們的夢境很可能會變得更有觸覺感了。 全文翻譯
趁這次休假時(shí)機(jī)看老片子，看的時(shí)間過長的話，你的夢境可能就沒什么色彩了。如果我們周圍所見都是黑白映像時(shí)，我們就會覺得夢境色彩太單調(diào)了，美國一位哲學(xué)家如是說。
加州大學(xué)里弗賽德分校的埃瑞克·史威茨布爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，20世紀(jì)50年代是黑白電影的黃金時(shí)代，在當(dāng)時(shí)所做的調(diào)查中，大多數(shù)人說，他們做的夢從來沒有或極少帶顏色。而那個(gè)時(shí)期以前或之后的調(diào)查記錄顯示，大多數(shù)人都有色彩繽紛的夢境。 史威茨布爾說，這個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)表明我們對自己的感官系統(tǒng)了解得很少?！斑@只不過是冰山一角——我們對自身的經(jīng)驗(yàn)流的了解嚴(yán)重缺乏?！?BR> 史威茨布爾認(rèn)為，艾森豪威爾時(shí)代美國人的夢境跟其他任何一個(gè)時(shí)期的夢境并無兩樣。人們只是傾向于認(rèn)為自己做的夢都是黑白的，因?yàn)檫@反映了他們周圍假的夢境。20世紀(jì)以前，夢通常被比作油畫或編織畫。
神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)家丹尼爾·格拉澤評論說，我們對主管夢境的大腦的運(yùn)作了解不多。他說，對睡眠者進(jìn)行腦部掃描可能會顯示出腦內(nèi)處理色彩視覺信號的區(qū)域在活躍做夢的時(shí)候是否在起作用。
還有一種可能，那就是夢境的顏色模糊，正如，一個(gè)小說家不說出一個(gè)東西的顏色也可對其進(jìn)行描繪一樣。他們只有在我們蘇醒之后對其進(jìn)行重構(gòu)才會呈現(xiàn)或者不呈現(xiàn)顏色。
英國威爾士大學(xué)心理學(xué)家馬克·布拉格羅夫認(rèn)為，當(dāng)人們自稱做了黑白色的夢時(shí)，可能表示他們沒注意到任何顏色。
對于“黑白顏色的夢是從技術(shù)上借來的概念”這種說法，他表示同意，“夢境中的事物出現(xiàn)在灰色陰影中的想法毫無意義。”
我們醒著時(shí)對顏色的感覺是不固定的。只有視網(wǎng)膜的中間地帶能看到色彩，但我們看到的整個(gè)世界都是彩色的。當(dāng)我們的眼睛到處跳轉(zhuǎn)的時(shí)候，大腦就會在縫隙中填充記憶或推測。格拉澤表示，“我們能看見色彩的感覺就跟我們在夢中能感知色彩相類似。”
如今，媒體或許對我們夢境生活的影響如50年代一樣。很少有人提到夢境中的觸覺，史威茨布爾指出，這就是為什么人們要通過擰自己來檢查自己是否醒著的原因。
但是，由于娛樂變得使人更加投入，娛樂的真實(shí)感不僅給人帶來視覺刺激，而且?guī)碛|覺刺激，我們的夢境很可能會變得更有觸覺感了。他表示，“我們可能開始覺得自己的夢境真的是太棒了?！?BR> 超綱詞匯
monochrome n．單色
tactile adj．／n．觸覺的，有觸覺的，能觸知的
tapestries n．／vt．織錦，掛毯
neuroscientist n．神經(jīng)學(xué)家
參考答案：1．C 2．B 3．C 4．A 5．D
In surveys from the 1950s--the golden age of black and white--most said that their dreams were never or rarely in colour, found Eric Schwitzgebel of the University of California, Riverside. Before and since, most have reported colourful dreams.
The finding shows how little we know our own senses, says Schwitzgebel. This is one piece of a general picture--our knowledge of our stream of experience is very poor.
American dreaming in the Eisenhower era was no different to that in any other period, Schwitzgebel thinks. People were just more likely to believe that they dreamed in black and white, because that reflected the artificial dreams around them. Before the twentieth century, dreams were often compared to paintings or tapestries.
We know little about what a dreaming brain is up to, comments neuroscientist Daniel Glaser. Brain scans of sleepers might show whether the brain regions that process colour vision are active during vivid dreams, he says.
Another possibility is that dream colours are indeterminate, in the same way that a novelist can describe something without naming its colour. They would only become coloured, or not, in our waking reconstruction of them.
When people say that they dream in black and white, they probably mean that they haven’t noticed any colours, says psychologist Mark Blagrove of the University of Wales, UK.
Black and white dreaming is a concept borrowed from technology, he agrees. The idea that things in dreams are in shades of grey has no meaning.
Our waking perceptions of colour are just as fluid. Only the central patch of the retina can see in colour, yet we perceive the whole world as coloured. Our eyes jump around, and the brain fills in the gaps with memory or guesswork. Our feeling that we see in colour could be akin to our perception of dreaming in colour, Glaser says.
The media probably influence our dreaming lives as much now as they did in the 1950s. Few people mention touch in dreams, Schwitzgebel points out--that’ s why people pinch themselves to see if they’ reawake.
But as entertainment becomes more immersive--with virtual reality providing tactile, as well as visual, stimulation--our dreams may come to seem more touchy-feely. We might start thinking ourdreams are really great, he says. [426 words]
1. Schwitzgebel believes that ______.
A. our knowledge is very poor
B. dreams in 1950s were never in colour
C. we have little knowledge about our own senses
D. most people tend to dream in black and white
2. In the future, ______.
A. none will dream in black and white
B. we might not be able to see whether we are dreaming by pinching ourselves
C. the media will influence our dreaming much less than they do now
D. dream colours will become determinate
3. According to neuroscientist Daniel Glaser, ______ .
A. people never dream in black and white
B. it is meaningless to say dreaming in black and white
C. much work has to be done before we know why a brain dreams
D. we are incapable of perceiving the world around us in colour
4. It can be inferred from this passage that our dreams ______.
A. are somewhat influenced by what we watch during waking hours
B. black and white dreaming results from watching old movies
C. people who dream in black and white are all colour-blind
D. what we dream are certainly what we have seen
5. The best title for this passage should be ______
A. Artificial Dreams
B. Our Future Dreams
C. American Dreaming in the Eisenhower Era
D. Black and White Imagery Makes Dreams Monochrome 難句透析
①”Spend too long watchin old movies this holiday season,and your nightlife might seem a lot less colourful．【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句是由“and”連接的兩個(gè)分句組成的并列句。第一個(gè)分句是省略了主語的祈使句。情態(tài)動詞"might”表虛擬。
【釋義】趁這次休假時(shí)機(jī)看老片子，看的時(shí)間過長的話，你的夢境可能就沒什么色彩了。
②[In surveys from the 1950s--the golden age of black and white--most said(that their dreams were never Or rare— ly in colour)]，found Eric Sehwitzgebel of the University of California，Riverside．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句是倒裝句，主語是“Eric Schwitzgebel of the University of California，Riverside”，謂語動詞是“found”，方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“found”的賓語從句。這個(gè)賓語從句的主語是“most”，謂語動詞是“said”。
【釋義】加州大學(xué)里弗塞德分校的埃瑞克·史威茨布爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，20世紀(jì)50年代是黑白電影的黃金時(shí)代，在當(dāng)時(shí)所做的調(diào)查中，大多數(shù)人說，他們做的夢從來沒有或極少帶顏色。
③[Brain scans of sleepers might show(whether the brain regions(that process colour vision}are active during vivid dreams)]，he says．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“says”的賓語從句。這個(gè)賓語從句的主語是“Brain scans of sleepers”，謂語動詞是“might show”，圓括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“might show”的賓語從句。尖括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“the brain regions”的定語從句。這個(gè)定語從句的主語是“that”，代“the brain regions”，謂語動詞是“process”。
【釋義】他說，對睡眠者進(jìn)行腦部掃描可能會顯示出腦內(nèi)處理色彩視覺信號的區(qū)域在活躍做夢的時(shí)候是否在起作用。
④Another possibility is[that dream colours are indeterminate，in the same way(that a novelist can describe some— thing without naming its colour)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“that”引導(dǎo)的表語從句。圓括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“way”的同位語從句。
【釋義】還有一種可能，那就是夢境的顏色模糊，正如，一個(gè)小說家不說出一個(gè)東西的顏色也可對其進(jìn)行描繪一樣。
⑤But as entertainment becomes more immersive with virtual reality providing tactile，as well as visual，stimula tion]——our dreams may come tO seem more touchy—feely．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是“as”引導(dǎo)的狀語從句。破折號之間的介詞短語結(jié)構(gòu)“with．．．stimulation”起補(bǔ)充說明作用。
【釋義】但是。由于娛樂變得使人更加投入，娛樂的真實(shí)感不僅給人帶來視覺刺激，而且?guī)碛|覺刺激，我們的夢境很可能會變得更有觸覺感了。 全文翻譯
趁這次休假時(shí)機(jī)看老片子，看的時(shí)間過長的話，你的夢境可能就沒什么色彩了。如果我們周圍所見都是黑白映像時(shí)，我們就會覺得夢境色彩太單調(diào)了，美國一位哲學(xué)家如是說。
加州大學(xué)里弗賽德分校的埃瑞克·史威茨布爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，20世紀(jì)50年代是黑白電影的黃金時(shí)代，在當(dāng)時(shí)所做的調(diào)查中，大多數(shù)人說，他們做的夢從來沒有或極少帶顏色。而那個(gè)時(shí)期以前或之后的調(diào)查記錄顯示，大多數(shù)人都有色彩繽紛的夢境。 史威茨布爾說，這個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)表明我們對自己的感官系統(tǒng)了解得很少?！斑@只不過是冰山一角——我們對自身的經(jīng)驗(yàn)流的了解嚴(yán)重缺乏?！?BR> 史威茨布爾認(rèn)為，艾森豪威爾時(shí)代美國人的夢境跟其他任何一個(gè)時(shí)期的夢境并無兩樣。人們只是傾向于認(rèn)為自己做的夢都是黑白的，因?yàn)檫@反映了他們周圍假的夢境。20世紀(jì)以前，夢通常被比作油畫或編織畫。
神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)家丹尼爾·格拉澤評論說，我們對主管夢境的大腦的運(yùn)作了解不多。他說，對睡眠者進(jìn)行腦部掃描可能會顯示出腦內(nèi)處理色彩視覺信號的區(qū)域在活躍做夢的時(shí)候是否在起作用。
還有一種可能，那就是夢境的顏色模糊，正如，一個(gè)小說家不說出一個(gè)東西的顏色也可對其進(jìn)行描繪一樣。他們只有在我們蘇醒之后對其進(jìn)行重構(gòu)才會呈現(xiàn)或者不呈現(xiàn)顏色。
英國威爾士大學(xué)心理學(xué)家馬克·布拉格羅夫認(rèn)為，當(dāng)人們自稱做了黑白色的夢時(shí)，可能表示他們沒注意到任何顏色。
對于“黑白顏色的夢是從技術(shù)上借來的概念”這種說法，他表示同意，“夢境中的事物出現(xiàn)在灰色陰影中的想法毫無意義。”
我們醒著時(shí)對顏色的感覺是不固定的。只有視網(wǎng)膜的中間地帶能看到色彩，但我們看到的整個(gè)世界都是彩色的。當(dāng)我們的眼睛到處跳轉(zhuǎn)的時(shí)候，大腦就會在縫隙中填充記憶或推測。格拉澤表示，“我們能看見色彩的感覺就跟我們在夢中能感知色彩相類似。”
如今，媒體或許對我們夢境生活的影響如50年代一樣。很少有人提到夢境中的觸覺，史威茨布爾指出，這就是為什么人們要通過擰自己來檢查自己是否醒著的原因。
但是，由于娛樂變得使人更加投入，娛樂的真實(shí)感不僅給人帶來視覺刺激，而且?guī)碛|覺刺激，我們的夢境很可能會變得更有觸覺感了。他表示，“我們可能開始覺得自己的夢境真的是太棒了?！?BR> 超綱詞匯
monochrome n．單色
tactile adj．／n．觸覺的，有觸覺的，能觸知的
tapestries n．／vt．織錦，掛毯
neuroscientist n．神經(jīng)學(xué)家
參考答案：1．C 2．B 3．C 4．A 5．D