Dreaming is believing, claim researchers of a new study, who found that dreams have an effect on people's behavior, judgment and they might contain important hidden truths as well. "Psychologists' explanations of the meaning of dreams vary widely. But our findings show that people believe their dreams provide meaningful insightinto themselves and their world," said a lead author of the study Carey Morewedge, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In six different studies, researchers surveyed nearly 1,100 people about their dreams. One of the studies focused on general beliefs about dreams and involved 149 university students. All students were asked to rate different theories about dreams. The experts found that a surprising majority of the participants supported the theory about dreams revealing the hidden truths about themselves and the rest of the world. In a second experiment, they surveyed 182 people at a Boston train station, and asked them to imagine one out of four possible situation that could have occurred the night before a scheduled airline trip. Most of the participants said that dreaming of a plane crash would be more likely to affect their travel plans than would just thinking about a crash, or being warned by the government of a terrorism risk. They said a dreamed crash would influence their travel plans just as much as learning about a real crash on their planned route would. Another experiment involved 270 men and women from across the United States. In a short online survey, they were asked to recall one of the dreams they had seen about any person they knew. The findings showed that people were more likely to remember and describe pleasant dreams about a person they liked, rather than a person they disliked. Meanwhile, in most cases they tended to consider an unpleasant dream as more meaningful if it was about a person they disliked. "In other words," said Morewedge, "people attribute meaning to dreams when it corresponds (......) with their pre-existing beliefs and... . Which kind of dream is seen as more meaningful than the rest? A) A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes. B) A pleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes C) An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer likes. D) An unpleasant dream about a person the dreamer dislikes.
D
(Question)
George Gershwin, born in 1998, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs. Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way -- from jazz to country. In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular. In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works. George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written. Many of Gershwin's musical works were _ . A) written about New Yorkers B) Composed for Paul Whiteman C) played mainly in the countryside D) performed in various ways
(Answer)
D
Are you competitive enough to make it in America? There is an undeniable excitement about coming to study in the U.S., but it's not all excitement. Yes, it is America; it is the land of freedom; it's the place where different cultures clash ... and live together in peace. However, you guys might agree with me. it's not easy to leave home and the security of family, friends and people who love and care about us. And doing it raises some questions: Is it worth it? Are you equal to the challenge? You might be sitting in front of your computer watching a documentary about America, which shows you the breathtaking views of skyscrapers in New York, the beautiful warm weather in San Diego, and the huge parties along the beaches of the Sunshine State, Florida. Just so you know, it's all true. I remember how my heart was racing the first time I visited Times Square in New York. I can't find any words in the dictionary to describe how I felt at that moment. Someday, when you get lucky and go there, you will know what I mean. Unfortunately, TV and movies never show the other side of what students must do to survive America. Education in the States is really different from other places. Yes, there is the traditional A, B, C, and D grading system, and you get to be on the Dean's List if you have all A's on your transcript. However, these grades don't just come from your test performances. The requirements of classes in the U.S. are much more varied and this is the biggest adjustment that overseas students have to manage. Some have papers that you have to write every week, others have group projects you must do with your classmates, presentations you make in the class, or research you do by yourself to prove your own idea. There comes a night when you have a couple of projects for different classes, a paper, and an exam to study for. And that night you ask yourself, "What did I get myself into?" I'm not trying to intimidate you, but you should know what it really is like to study in the States. One thing I can promise... When the author first visited Times Square, he felt _ . A) disappointed B) surprised C) excited D) nervous
C