EigoPro 2級 読解 — Why We Dream

Why We Dream Almost everyone dreams, yet few of us can say for certain what dreams are for. People have wondered about them for thousands of years. Ancient cultures often believed that dreams were messages from gods or signs of the future. Today scientists take a different approach, studying the sleeping brain in laboratories — but even now, the true purpose of dreaming remains one of the great mysteries of the mind. Several theories try to explain why we dream. One popular idea is that dreams help us deal with our emotions. According to this view, the brain replays difficult or frightening experiences in a safe way, helping us feel calmer about them when we wake. A second theory connects dreams to memory: while we sleep, the brain may sort through the day's events, keeping what is important and letting go of the rest. A third, more surprising idea suggests that dreams have no purpose at all, and are simply the result of random brain activity during sleep. What scientists do agree on is that most dreaming happens during a stage of sleep called REM, when the eyes move quickly behind closed lids and brain activity is high. People woken during this stage usually report vivid dreams. Interestingly, although we may dream every night, we forget most of our dreams within minutes of waking, which is one reason they are so hard to study. Perhaps the honest answer is that no single theory explains everything. Dreams may serve more than one purpose at once, or different dreams may do different things. For now, the science of dreaming reminds us how much we still have to learn about something that happens to each of us, quietly, almost every night of our lives.

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この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

2級 · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What is the main idea of the passage?

  • Scientists have finally proved exactly why everyone dreams.
  • Only children dream, while adults almost never do.
  • Scientists have several theories about why we dream, but the purpose is still unknown.
  • Dreams are certainly messages sent to us by gods.
Phrase

the true purpose of dreaming remains one of the great mysteries of the mind

夢の真の目的は心の大きな謎の一つ

2級読解科学記事主旨
⚡ひとことで

記事の主旨は「夢の目的について諸説あるが、科学でもまだ確定せず、心の大きな謎のままである」。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Scientists have several theories about why we dream, but the purpose is still unknown.」

正解

第1段落 "the true purpose of dreaming remains one of the great mysteries of the mind" と全体 (古代の考え → 複数の理論 → 未確定) が主旨。remain ~ = 「〜のままである」、a mystery = 「謎」。記事は答えを断定せず諸説を紹介する。

  • 「Scientists have finally proved exactly why everyone dreams every night.」

    = 夢の理由を完全証明済み ━ 本文 "remains one of the great mysteries" "no single theory explains everything" と矛盾。

  • 「Dreams are certainly messages sent to us by gods in order to warn of the future.」

    = 夢は確実に神の使い ━ それは ancient cultures の考え、現代科学の立場ではない。

  • 「Only children dream, while adults almost never dream at all.」

    = 子供だけが夢を見る ━ 本文 "Almost everyone dreams" と矛盾。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
the purpose of ~〜の目的the purpose of dreaming
remain a mystery謎のままであるremains ... a mystery
take a different approach異なる手法を取るtake a different approach
for certain確かにsay for certain
wonder about ~〜を不思議に思うwondered about them
❝例文

  • Almost everyone dreams.

    ほとんど誰もが夢を見る。

  • The purpose of dreams is still a mystery.

    夢の目的はまだ謎だ。

  • Scientists have several theories.

    科学者は複数の説を持つ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問の鉄則 ―― "remains one of the great mysteries" が記事の立場 (未確定) を示す。誤答は本文と逆 (完全証明) / 古代の考えを現代の結論にすり替え / 本文の事実 (everyone dreams) と矛盾で誘導。

問 2

Which theories about dreaming does the passage describe?

  • Dreams are all sent by gods to warn us of the future.
  • Dreams only happen to people who are feeling ill.
  • All scientists fully agree on one single explanation.
  • Dreams may handle emotions, help sort memories, or be just random brain activity.
Phrase

dreams help deal with emotions / connect to memory / no purpose, random activity

感情処理・記憶・無目的のランダム活動

2級読解科学記事詳細 (3つの理論)
⚡ひとことで

夢の3理論: ①感情の処理を助ける ②記憶の整理(重要を残し他を捨てる) ③目的はなく睡眠中のランダムな脳活動の結果。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Dreams may handle emotions, help sort memories, or be just random brain activity.」

正解

第2段落の3理論 "help us deal with our emotions" / "connects dreams to memory ... sort through the day's events" / "dreams have no purpose at all, and are simply the result of random brain activity" をまとめた選択肢が正解。deal with ~ = 「〜に対処する」、sort through ~ = 「〜をより分ける」、let go of ~ = 「〜を手放す」。

  • 「Dreams are all sent by gods in order to warn us about the future.」

    = 全て未来を警告する神の使い ━ それは古代の考え、第2段落の科学的理論ではない。

  • 「All scientists now fully agree on one single explanation for dreaming.」

    = 全科学者が一つの説で完全一致 ━ 本文は複数の競合理論を示す、不一致。

  • 「Dreams only happen to people who are feeling ill or very tired.」

    = 病気の人だけが夢を見る ━ 本文にそのような記述なし、創作。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
deal with emotions感情に対処するdeal with our emotions
connect A to BAをBと結びつけるconnects dreams to memory
sort through ~〜をより分けるsort through the day's events
let go of ~〜を手放すletting go of the rest
the result of ~〜の結果the result of random activity
❝例文

  • One theory: dreams handle emotions.

    一説: 夢は感情を処理する。

  • Another: dreams sort memories.

    別説: 夢は記憶を整理する。

  • A third: dreams are random.

    第三説: 夢はランダムだ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

複数理論設問の鉄則 ―― "One ... A second ... A third ..." の序数が理論の区切り。正解は3理論を網羅した選択肢。誤答は古代の説 (神) を混ぜる / 全員一致と誤る / 本文にない条件 (病気の人だけ) で誘導。

問 3

What do scientists agree on about dreaming?

  • The eyes stay completely still during all dreaming.
  • People remember all of their dreams perfectly for years.
  • Most dreams occur during REM sleep, and we forget them soon after waking.
  • Dreams happen only in the deepest, dreamless stage of sleep.
Phrase

most dreaming happens during REM ... we forget most of our dreams within minutes

夢の多くはREM中、起床数分で大半を忘れる

2級読解科学記事詳細 (合意された事実)
⚡ひとことで

科学者が一致する事実: 夢の多くは目が速く動くREM睡眠中に起き、起床後数分で大半を忘れるため研究が難しい。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Most dreams occur during REM sleep, and we forget them soon after waking.」

正解

第3段落 "most dreaming happens during a stage of sleep called REM" と "we forget most of our dreams within minutes of waking" より、合意事実 = 夢は主にREM中に起き、起床後すぐ忘れる。happen during ~ = 「〜の間に起こる」、within minutes of ~ = 「〜の数分以内に」。だから研究が困難。

  • 「Dreams happen only in the deepest stage of sleep, not during REM.」

    = 最も深い無夢の段階だけ ━ 本文は REM 中、矛盾 (dreamless とも矛盾)。

  • 「People remember all of their dreams perfectly for many years.」

    = 夢を何年も完璧に覚える ━ 本文 "forget most ... within minutes" と逆。

  • 「The eyes stay completely still during every stage of dreaming.」

    = 夢の間ずっと目は静止 ━ 本文 "the eyes move quickly" と逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
happen during ~〜の間に起こるhappens during REM
a stage of sleep睡眠の一段階a stage of sleep called REM
be woken during ~〜中に起こされるwoken during this stage
within minutes of ~〜の数分以内にwithin minutes of waking
hard to study研究しにくいhard to study
❝例文

  • Most dreams happen during REM sleep.

    夢の多くはREM睡眠中に起こる。

  • The eyes move quickly during REM.

    REM中は目が速く動く。

  • We forget dreams within minutes.

    私たちは数分で夢を忘れる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

事実設問の鉄則 ―― "What scientists do agree on is ..." が確実な事実の合図。正解は REM + 忘却をまとめた選択肢。誤答は本文と逆 (無夢の段階 / 完璧に記憶 / 目が静止) で誘導。

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