Unit Eight 
Text
Daydreaming has always had a bad reputation,
but now scientific research has revealed that daydream-
ing may actually improve yaur mental health and, cre-
ativity. It can even help you achieve your desired
goals.
DAYDREAM A LITTLE
Eugene Raudsepp
"Daydreaming again, Barb? You'll never amount to anything if you
spend your time that way! Can't you find something useful to do? "
Many youngsters have heard words like those from their parents.And
until recently this hostile attitude towards daydreaming was the most com-
5 mon one. Daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it was considered
an unhealthy eseape from real life and its duties. But now some people are
taking a fresh look at daydrearning. Some think it may be a very healthy
thing to do.
Attitudes towards daydreaming are changing in much the same way
10 that attitudes towards night dreaming have changed. Once it was thought
that nighttime dreams interfered with our needed rest.But then researchers
tried interrupting the dreams of sleepers. They learned that sleepers who
aren't allowed to dream lose the benefits of rest. They become tense and
anxious. They become irritable. They have trouble concehtrating. Their
mental health is temporarily damaged. To f eel well again,they must be al-
15 lowed to dream.
Now researchers are finding that daydreaming may also be important
to mental health. Daydreaming,they tell us, is a good means of relaxation.
But its benefits go beyond this.A number of psychologists have conducted
20 experiments and have reached some surprising conclusions.
Dr. Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to
intellectual growth. It also improves concentration, attention span, and the
ability to get along with others, she says. In an experiment with school
children, this same researcher found that daydreaming led the children to
25 pay more attention to detail. They had more happy feelings. They worked
together better. Another researcher reported that daydreaming seemed to
produce improved self-control and creative abilities.
But that's only part of the story. The most remarkable thing about
daydreaming may be its usefulness in shaping our future lives as we want
30 them to be. Industrialist Henry J.Kaiser believed that much of his success
was due to the positive use of daydreaming. He maintained that "you can
imagine your future. " Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse.
The young Thomas Edison pictured himself as an inventor. For these no-
table achievers, it appears that their daydreams came true.
35 Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick believed that the way we picture ourselves
is often the way we turn out. He offered this advice: " Hold a picture of
yourself... in your mind's eye, and you will be drawn toward it. Picture
yourself vividly as defeated, and that alone will make victory impossible.
Picture yourself as winning, and that will contribute immeasurably to suc-
40 cess. Do not picture yourself as anything, and you will drift..."
The experiences of some athletes seem to confirm this belief. For in-
stance, John Uelses, a former pole-vaulting champion, used daydreaming
techniques before each meet.He would imagine himself winning. He would
vividly picture himself clearing the bar at a certain height. He would go
45 over all the details in his mind. He would picture the stadium and the
crowds. He'd even imagine the smell of the grass and the earth. He said
that this exercise of the imagination left memory traces in his mind that
would later help his actual performance.
Why would a mental vision of success help produce real success? Dr.
50 Maxwell Maltz, a surgeon and author, says this: " Your nervous systen
cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a real experi-
ence. In either case it reacts automatically to information that you give
it... It reacts appropriately to what you think or imagine to be true."
He believes that purposeful daydreaming builds new "memories" in the
55 brain. These positive memories improve a person's self-image. And self-
image has an important effectw on a person's actions and accomplishments.
Can you use purposeful daydreaming to shape your own future?Why
not try?Here is how those who believe in creative daydreaming recommend
going about it. Choose a time when you can be alone and undisturbed.
60 Close your eyes, to permit your imagination to soar more freely.Many peo-
ple find that they gst bes t results by pretending that they are sitting
before a large sereen. They project the desired image of themselves onto
that screen.
Now picture yourself-as vividly as possible-the way you want to be.
65 Remember to picture your desired goals as if you had already attained
them.Go over all the details of this picture See them clearly and sharply.Im-
press them strongly on your memory. The resulting, memory traces will
supposedly start affecting your everyday life. They will help lead you to
the attainment of your goals.
70 Of course daydreaming is no substitute for hard work. If it's athletic
achievement you want,you also have to get lots of practice in your sport.
You have towork hard to develop skills.If it's school success you're after,
you can't neglect studying. Daydreaming alone can't turn you into your
heart's desire. But in combination with the more usual methods of self-
75 development,it might make a critical difference. It could be the difference
between becoming merely good at sornething and becoming a champion.
If what researchers are saying is true,a life lived without fantasies and
daydreams isn't as rich and rewarding as life can be. So they suggest
setting aside a few minutes each day for daydreaming. By so doing, you
80 may improve your physical and mental well-being. By taking a ten- or
fifteen- minute "vacation" into the realm of imagination each day, you
may add much to the excitement and enjoyment of your life. And
who knows: You might see your own daydreams come true.
New Words
hostile / a. unfriendly; belonging to an enemy 敌对的
view/ vt. consider, regard
esape / n. & v. 逃跑;逃避
nighttime/ a. occurring at night
interfere / vi. get in the way of another 干涉;妨碍
interference/ n.
researcher n. a person who does research
benefit / n. advantage, profit, good effect 益处
tense /a. feeling or showing nervous anxiety 紧张的
irritable / a. easily annoyed or made angry
means / n. method or way
psychologist/ n. person who has studied or is skilled in
psycholo- gy 心理学家
contriibute / vi. help in bringing about 贡献
gowth/ n. growing; development
concentration/ n. concentrating or being concentrated
span / n. length of time during which sth.continues
or works well 一段时间
self-oontrol/ n. control of one's. own feelings, behavior, etc.
creative/ a. having the power to create; inventive
renarkable / a. deserving attention; unusual, out of the
ordinary 显著的;非凡的
shape/ vt. influence and. determine the course or
form of 形成,塑造
industrialist/ n. one owning an industry or engaged in its
man- agement
maintelin / vt. state or assert as true;keep up 断言;维持
picture vt. imagine; make a picture of
inventor / n. a person who makes up or produces sth.new
notable / a. outstanding;worthy of notice 著名的;值得
注意的
achiever/ n. one who achieves; winner
vividly / ad. in a lively manner 生动地,逼真地
vivid/a.
immeasurably / ad. to an extent or degree too great to be
measured; beyond measure
drift / vi. float or be driven along by wind,waves or
cur-rents 漂(流)
athlete / n. person who is trained and skilled in
physical ex- ercises and who competes in
games that need strength and speed 运动员
pole-vaulting /n. jumping with the help of a long pole held
in the hands 撑竿跳
champion / n. person or team taking the first place in
a compe tition 冠军
meet/ n. (AmE) gathering esp.for competitive sports
clear/ vt. get past or over without touching
bar/ n. 横竿;杆;条状物
stadium / n. 露天体育场
trace /n. mark showing that sb.or sth. has existed
or happened 痕迹
memory trace chemical change occurring in the brain
when new infomation is absorbed and
remembered 记忆痕(脑部吸收或记忆信息时所
产生的化学变化)
vision / n. sth. seen in the mind's eye; the power of
imagi- nation 想象(力)
automatically/ad 自动地;无意识地
automatic a.
appropriately /ad. properly, suitably
appropriate/ a.
purposeful/ a. having a conscious purpose
self-image/ n. view of oneself 自我形象
accomplishment/ n. sth.completely and successfully done 成就
recommend / vt. advise or suggest;speak favorably of 建议;
推荐
soar/ vi. fly or go up high in the air; rise 翱翔;
升腾
screen / n. white surface on which cinema films, TV
pro- grams, etc. are shown 银幕;屏幕
project / vt. cause a picture from a film or slide to
fall on a surface, etc. 映,投射
goal / n. one's aim or purpose 目标
attain / vt. succeed in arrving at, esp. after effort,
reach 获得;达到
supposedly / ad. presumably; probably
affect / vt. have an effect on 影响
attainment/ n. the act of attaining; (usu. pl) sth.
successfully reached or learnt, esp. a skill
substitute / n. a person or thing acting in place of
another 代替者;借用品
athletic / a. having to do with active games and sporenou
of or concerning athletes
aehievement/ n. sth. successfully finished or gained成就
after/ prep. in pursuit of ; in search of
neglect /vt. pay no attention to; give no or not
enough care to 忽视
combination / n. joining or putting together结合
method / n. way of doing sth.
merely/ ad. only; simply
well-being / n. health and happiness; welfare 康乐;安康
vacation/ n. time of rest and freedom from work or
school; holirlay
realm / n. area; kingdom 领域;王国
enjoyment/ n. the act or fact of enjoying; pleasure;
satisfaction
Phrases & Expressiobs
amount to develop into; be equal to
interfere with hinder, affect; interrupt 干扰;妨碍
contribute to help to achieve; give help towards有助于
get along with have a friendly relationship with
due to because of; caused by
come true happen just as was wished, expected, or
go about dreamt make a start at; undertake着手做
Proper Names
Barb 巴勃(女子名,Barbara的昵称)
Joan T. Freyberg 琼.T.弗赖伯格
Kaiser 凯泽(姓氏)
Florence Nightingale 佛洛伦斯.南丁格尔
Fosdick 福斯迪克(姓氏)
Uelses 尤尔塞斯(姓氏)
Maxwell Maltz 马克斯韦尔.莫尔茨
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