Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.
Do you believe that you can learn new things in your sleep?
What do you already know about sleep-learning?
Which of the words below in bold do you already know?
U.S. researchers have put forward the idea that sleeping can help us remember things we have just learnt. A team from Northwestern University report that a 90-minute nap can help people learn a new skill. The article on their research is published in the June edition of the journal "Nature". The scientists say: "Information acquired when you are awake can be reactivated during sleep, promoting memory stabilization." Test volunteers practiced musical tunes before and after a short sleep. During the nap, the researchers played one of the tunes the volunteers had practiced, but not the other. The team found that the participants made fewer errors when playing the melody that had been played while they slept.
Study co-author Dr Paul J. Reuber points out the research might not bear fruit with learning a foreign language while you sleep. He said: "The critical difference is that our research shows that memory is strengthened for something you've already learned." He added: "Rather than learning something new in your sleep, we're talking about enhancing an existing memory by re-activating information recently acquired." However, Dr Reuber did say there were possibilities for language learners: "If you were learning how to speak in a foreign language during the day, for example, and then tried to reactivate those memories during sleep, perhaps this might add value to your learning," he said.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
put forward |
A |
1 |
To get, to receive naturally without too much effort |
|
acquired |
B |
2 |
To control something so that it doesn’t change too much but is calmer |
|
reactivated |
C |
3 |
Results from effort or work, the result of some action/s |
|
stabilization |
D |
4 |
To suggest |
|
points out |
E |
5 |
Make better or bigger, improve |
|
bear fruit |
F |
6 |
Increase the worth of something |
|
enhancing |
G |
7 |
To show, to make others see and understand something |
|
add value |
H |
8 |
To wake something up, to start something that had stopped |
A=4, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7, F=3, G=5, H=6
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. Does the reading explain why scientists’ put forward their idea?
What idea did they put forward?
2. Do you have a similar experience about acquiring an answer or skills while sleeping?
3. When you haven’t used English for a long time, then how do you reactivate your memory?
4. What is meant by memory stabilization in the story?
5. If you were teaching someone to learn a new language, what things would you point out? How could someone bear fruit from all their learning?
6. Do you believe that tests are a good way to enhance language learning? Why or why not?
7. What things help to add value to your learning?
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. In your job/school, sometimes you need to put forward new ideas to help your company/team.
2. Children learn the native language through acquiring rather than adults who do it through learning.
3. Our company reactivated interest in our products by releasing new technology.
4. The Korean Won has been stabilized by the actions of the government.
5. Our boss pointed out that we needed to achieve the sales target is we wanted the bonus.
6. When a company starts a new product, it can take a lot of advertising before they bear fruit in increased sales.
7. Buying a good quality suit can enhance your image.
8. Learning another language really adds value to your resume.
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