外刊阅读：Solving a problem by sleepi

一般认为，我们睡觉的时候大脑在休息。而科学研究发现，在睡觉时大脑仍然在处理信息。有时候，暂时解决不了的难题，一觉醒来就迎刃而解了。

Solving a problem by sleeping on it

by Christian Cotroneo

New research from Northwestern University suggests that the best way to solve a problem may be to sleep on it.

suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 暗示

You probably heard that one before. We're often told that if we can't seem to think our way out of a challenge, get a good night's sleep – and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning. That's assuming, of course, we can get a good sleep when one of life's riddles is rattling around in our head.

assume /əˈsjuːm/ v. 假定
riddle /ˈrɪd(ə)l/ n. 谜、难题
rattle /ˈræt(ə)l/ around in 在…中游荡

According to the new research, expected to be published in the journal Psychological Science, the sleeping brain opens a window that enhances our problem-solving skills. And music played at just the right time plays a crucial role in unlocking it.

publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
psychological /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 心理学的（由psychology加后缀-ical变成形容词）
enhance /ɪnˈhɑːns/ v. 增强
crucial /ˈkruːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 至关重要的
unlock /ʌnˈlɒk/ v. 解锁（由lock加上表示否定的前缀un-）

"We know that people rehearse or 'consolidate' memories during sleep, strengthening and reorganizing them," lead author Kristin Sanders, a doctoral student in psychology at Northwestern explains in a news release. "It's also known that this natural process can be boosted by playing sounds associated with the information being rehearsed."

rehearse /rɪˈhɜːs/ v. 背诵、（在脑中）演练
consolidate /kənˈsɒlɪdeɪt/ v. 合并、使成为一体
strengthen /ˈstreŋθ(ə)n/ v. 加强、强化（由strength加后缀-en变成动词）
reorganize /riːˈɔːɡ(ə)naɪz/ v. 重新组织（由organize加上表示再次的前缀re-）
doctoral /ˈdɒkt(ə)r(ə)l/ student 博士生
psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/ n. 心理学
news release /rɪˈliːs/ 新闻通稿
process /ˈprəʊses/ n. 过程
boost /buːst/ v. 提高、增强
associate /əˈsəʊsieɪt/ v. 联系、关联

To test that theory, researchers looked at 57 students over the course of three days and two nights. At the outset, they were given a series of demanding problems – spatial（与空间有关的） and verbal puzzles. Crucially, each of those puzzles was presented with a unique snippet（片段） of sound. Participants were asked to not only solve each puzzle, but recall the sound that accompanied it.

theory /ˈθɪəri/ n. 理论
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
course /kɔːs/ n. 发展过程
outset /ˈaʊtset/ n. 开始
series /ˈsɪəriːz/ n. 一系列（单数和复数都是series）
demanding /dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ/ adj. 耗时费力的
verbal /ˈvɜːb(ə)l/ adj. 言语的、词语的
puzzle /ˈpʌz(ə)l/ n. 谜题、难题
crucially /ˈkruːʃ(ə)li/ adv. 至关重要的是（由crucial加后缀-ly变成副词）
present /prɪˈzent/ v. 呈现
unique /juːˈniːk/ adj. 独一无二的
participant /pɑːˈtɪsɪp(ə)nt/ n. 参与者
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ v. 回忆、回想起
accompany /əˈkʌmpəni/ v. 伴随

In all, they managed to decipher（破解） all but six puzzles. Those are the ones they went to bed with. They also lugged（用力拖） home sleep-monitoring equipment and a sound system designed to play music while they slept. Some of the tracks corresponded with the problems they couldn't figure out that day.

manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ v. 成功做到
monitor /ˈmɒnɪtə(r)/ v. 监控
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 装备
track /træk/ n. （唱片上的）一首歌
correspond /ˌkɒrɪˈspɒnd/ v. 对应
figure out 解决

When they woke up, it seemed their brain had spent much of the night weighing those unsolved riddles. The experiment, repeated over the next two days, yielded an eye-opening conclusion: The students were 55% more likely to solve puzzles on their second attempt when they heard the sound clip that was linked to it in their sleep. It didn't matter the kind of puzzle either. Both spatial and verbal riddles were solved at the same success rate.

weigh /weɪ/ v. 权衡、斟酌
unsolved /ʌnˈsɒlvd/ adj. 未解决的（由solve的过去分词加上表示否定的前缀un-）
yield /jiːld/ v. 产出、产生
eye-opening 令人瞠目的、让人惊奇的
conclusion /kənˈkluːʒ(ə)n/ n. 结论
clip /klɪp/ n. 剪辑、片段
link /lɪŋk/ v. 联系
rate /reɪt/ n. 率、比率

The key may be that stretch of sleep when the brain enters the slow-wave stage – the deepest phase of non-rapid eye movement. That's long been considered the time when the brain organizes its filing cabinet of memories. It may be a time when the brain takes a fresh approach to a new memory, as it tries to file it in that cabinet.

key /kiː/ n. 关键
stretch /stretʃ/ n. （连续的）一段时间
stage /steɪdʒ/ n. 阶段
phase /feɪz/ n. 阶段
non- 前缀，表示否定
movement /ˈmuːvmənt/ n. 移动、运动（由move加后缀-ment变成名词）
file /faɪl/ v. （把文件等）归档
cabinet /ˈkæbɪnət/ n. 储藏柜（这里是比喻，指大脑中存放记忆的地方）
approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ n. 方法、手段

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