1 9.7 Listen to a sleep expert Professor Wilson talking about dreams on a radio programme and answer the questions.
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What is known and what is thought about sleep dreaming?
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What is exciting about a recent breakthrough?
Answers 1 Sleep is a way of recharging our bodies and dreaming is an essential part of sleep. Some people think they don’t dream, but everyone dreams; dreams might be to store memories, deal with emotions, or refl ect experiences.
2 Dreamers of lucid dreams may be able to communicate while they are dreaming.
2 CRITICAL THINKING Read the extract from the recording. Is it a fact, an opinion, or both? Say why.
DOES EVERYONE DREAM?
Many people will insist that they do not dream, but this is probably because they have no memory of what happens during a particular stage of sleep. Research has shown us that dreaming is definitely an essential part of our nightly recuperation programme.
Answers Probably in the fi rst sentence suggests an opinion, but shown in the second sentence implies a fact. Both sentences contribute to the implication that ‘everyone dreams’ without stating it in those exact words. We need to read both sentences to understand correctly.
3 Based on the information from the recording, do these statements express an opinion (O) or a fact (F)? How did you decide?
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☐ Sleep is essential for our health.
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☐ We dream in order for our brains to process memories.
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☐ Lucid dreamers are in a real dreaming state.
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☐ Lucid dreamers can direct the content of their dreams.
Answers 1 F 2 O 3 F 4 F
4 9.8 Listen to people talking about what they felt about their recurring dreams. Match speakers 1–5 with sentences a–g. There are two extra options.
Speaker: 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐
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a worried by the repetition of a certain dream.
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b intrigued by the way experiences are linked in a dream.
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c confused by his/her dreams’ connection with the past.
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d concerned that he/she might not get a certain type of dream again.
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e sad that he/she doesn’t get a certain type of dream anymore.
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f scared of getting locked in one of his/her dreams.
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g fascinated by what his/her dreams reveal about his/her emotions.
Answers 1 a 2 f 3 b 4 d 5 c
5 9.8 Listen again and match speakers 1–5 with reasons for having the dream a–h. There are three extra reasons.
Speaker: 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐
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a eating something
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b an argument
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c choice of bedtime
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d deadline pressures
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e illness
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f a comment
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g exhaustion
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h a pre-sleeping activity
Answers 1 d 2 a 3 c 4 h 5 f
6 Complete the adjective-noun collocations with the adjectives from the box. Can you identify with any of the statements? Talk to your partner about it.
| broken | graphic | light | deep | recurring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vivid |
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When it’s unbearably warm at night, I often get a ______ night’s sleep.
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I used to get very ______ dreams when I was a child, but I don’t so much now.
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One of my friends always gives us a ______ description of his dreams the following morning, which is pretty boring!
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It’s hard to wake me up when I’m in ______ sleep.
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I’m quite a ______ sleeper and I wake up at the smallest noise.
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My ______ dreams are definitely anxiety-based. They tend to repeat until I have completed the task in my waking life.
Answers 1 broken 2 vivid 3 graphic 4 deep 5 light 6 recurring
7 Work in pairs. Tell your partner a dream you have had (real or invented). Your partner has to guess whether it is true or not. Share the best dreams with the class.
Answers Students’ own answers
