History is full of cases where dreams have been a pathway to creativity and discovery. A striking example is provided by Dr. Otto Loewi, a pharmacologist (药理学家) and winner of a Nobel Prize. Loewi had spent years studying the chemical transmission of nerve impulses (脉搏). A tremendous breakthrough in his research came when he dreamed of an experiment three nights in a row. The first two nights he woke up and wrote down the experiment quickly and untidily on paper. But the next morning, he couldn’t tell what the notes meant. On the third night, he got up after having the dream. This time, instead of making notes he went straight to his laboratory and performed the important experiment. Loewi later said that if the experiment had occurred to him while awake he would have rejected it.
Loewi’s experiment gives some insight into using dreams to produce creative solutions. Nervous feelings are reduced during dreaming, which may be especially useful in solving problems that require a fresh point of view.
Being able to take advantage of dreams for solving is improved if you “set” yourself before retiring. Before you go to bed, try to think intently about a problem you wish to solve. Bury yourself in the problem by stating it clearly and reviewing all relevant information. Then use the suggestions listed in the previous section to catch your dreams. Although this method is not guaranteed to produce a novel solution or a new insight, it is certain to be an adventure. About half of a group of college students using the method for a week recalled a dream that helped them solve a personal problem.
44. The main idea of this passage is that _________.
A. very little is really known about the meaning of dreams
B. it is possible to “catch” one’s dreams by planning before going to sleep
C. dreams can be useful in producing creative solutions to one’s problems
D. Loewi’s experiment helped in the study of transmission of nerve impulses
45. The first paragraph is mainly organized by _________.
A. classifying types of experiments
B. summarizing the work of one researcher
C. comparing and exploring historical cases
D. telling in time order about one man’s research
46. If Loewi had thought of the experiment while awake, he would have _________.
A. asked someone else to do it B. thought it was a bad idea
C. tried it out on his own D. thought it was a wise idea
47. The author probably thinks that _________.
A. nervous feelings may stop someone thinking of useful ideas
B. dreaming is of very little value to most people
C. Loewi should not have conducted his experiment
D. college students should not try out dream experiments
答案：
44.C. 主旨大意题。根据第一段第一句可知。
45.D. 篇章结构题。根据第一段的时间连词可知是以时间为线索展开的记叙文。
46.B. 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句reject一词可知。
