Can language learning happen during sleep?

河北樂亭第一中學 胡金瑩

睡眠在我們的生活中起著非常重要的作用。傳統觀念認為睡眠是人們養精蓄銳的階段，人們在睡眠期間不會有任何思想動態。然而，一項新的研究表明人們在睡眠期間照樣可以進行語言學習。

題材 語言學習 體裁 說明文文章詞數298 難度 ★★★ 建議用時5′

海詞積累

1.embed v.把……牢牢地嵌入

2.rhythm v.節奏；節律；韻律；規律

Sleeping hours are generally considered unproductive time. But several studies have suggested some learning activity can happen.They found that simple learning through sounds may be possible during sleep.

Much of the earlier research found that memories developed when people were awake were strengthened during sleep.This supported the idea that information learned while awake is replayed and deeply embedded in the sleeping brain.Therefore,if replay during sleep improves the storage of information that is learned while awake,the storage of new information can also be possible during sleep.

In order to prove their theory,researchers carried out experiments on a group of young German-speaking men and women. They observed individuals in a controlled environment during brief periods of sleep. They recorded brain activity as pairs of words were played for the study subjects.One word in the pair was a real German word.The other was a made-up foreign word.Each word pair was played four times,with the order of the words changed each time.The word pairs were played at a rhythm that is similar to actual brain activities during deep sleep.

The goal was to create a lasting memory link between the false word and the German word that individuals could identify when awake.When the subjects woke,they were presented with the false language words—both by sight and sound.They were then asked to guess whether the false word played during sleep represented an object smaller or larger than a shoebox.

This brain structure is very important for building relational memory during non-sleep periods.Memory was best for word pairs presented during slow-wave peaks during sleep.The study suggests that memory formation in sleep appears to be caused by the same brain structures that support vocabulary learning while awake.

Reading Check

1.What did the earlier research find?

A.Memories can be strengthened during sleep.

B.People can learn language in sleeping hours.

C.People's memories are better with enough sleep.

D.Nothing can be remembered when people sleep.

2.What's the purpose of the experiments on Germans?

A.To show the great changes of people's memories.

B.To prove Germans can learn language more quickly.

C.To understand how different brains work differently.

D.To confirm new information can be stored during sleep.

3.When do people have the best memory when they sleep?

A.Before they fall asleep.

B.During fast-wave peaks.

C.During slow-wave peaks.

D.When they almost wake up.

Language Study

Difficult Sentence

The study suggests that memory formation in sleep appears to be caused by the same brain structures that support vocabulary learning while awake.這項研究表明，睡眠期間記憶的形成似乎是由在醒著的時候支持詞匯學習的相同的大腦結構引起的。

【點石成金】appear to do為固定結構，意為“似乎要做某事”。that support vocabulary learning while awake為定語從句，修飾先行詞brain structures。本句中的suggest意為“表明”，故后面的賓語從句不用“（should）+動詞原形”的虛擬語氣形式。