单选题 When lab rats sleep, their brains revisit the maze they navigated during the day, according to a new study (1) yesterday, offering some of the strongest evidence (2) that animals do indeed dream. Experiments with sleeping rats found that cells in the animals' brains fire in a distinctive pattern (3) the pattern that occurs when they are (4) and trying to learn their way around a maze.
Based on the results, the researchers concluded the rats were dreaming about the maze, (5) reviewing what they had learned while awake to (6) the memories.
Researchers have long known that animals go (7) the same types of sleep phases that people do, including rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which is when people dream. But (8) the occasional twitching, growling or barking that any dog owner has (9) in his or her sleeping pet, there's been (10) direct evidence that animals (11) . If animals dream, it suggests they might have more (12) mental functions than had been (13) .
"We have as humans felt that this (14) of memory—our ability to recall sequences of experiences—was something that was (15) human," Wilson said. "The fact that we see this in rodents (16) suggest they can evaluate their experience in a significant way. Animals may be (17) about more than we had previously considered."
The findings also provide new support for a leading theory for (18) humans sleep—to solidify new learning. "People are now really nailing down the fact that the brain during sleep is (19) its activity at least for the time immediately before sleep and almost undoubtedly using that review to (20) or integrate those memories into more usable forms," said an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】released发表，发行。The new motion picture was released yesterday．昨天发行了一部新的影片。related叙述，使联系；retained保持，保留；relieved减轻，解除。句意：实验鼠睡眠时，其大脑重现了它白天走过的迷宫。昨天发表的一项新的研究报告如是说。这为动物确实会做梦提供了迄今为止最有力的证据。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】as yet至今。as yet迄今，到目前为止，如：As yet，no man has set foot on Mars，到目前为止还没有人登上火星。 still仍旧；however(然而)用在此显然不通；by then到那时为止，前文并未出现过去的某个时间点，本短语也无法用在这里。因为strongest是形容词的最高级，所以应有一个隐含的限定，as yet的作用是限定时间。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】首段首句谈到老鼠睡着时大脑会重访迷宫。也就是说睡着时大脑的状态跟醒时走迷宫的状态很相似。本空白前是睡眠时的pattern，空白后是“the pattern that occurs when they are...and trying to learn their way around a maze”，可以判断出空白后应该指醒时走迷宫的pattern。显然两者应该是相似的，故resembling正确。intersecting(相交)、differing(不同)容易排除。paralleling意为“平行”。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】不难判断空白后的“reviewing what they had learned...”是对空白前的“dreaming about the maze”的进一步解释，故[D]in essence(实质上)正确。句意：根据这些研究成果，研究人员断定，老鼠梦见迷宫，实质上是回顾它们醒着的时候走迷宫的过程以增强记忆。这个分词短语进一步说明了研究人员的看法。in circles=in a circle在原地兜圈子，毫无进展；in accord与with连用，意为“与…一致”；in case万一。这三项用在这里不合逻辑，无法表达出文中的解释作用。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】consolidate巩固，加强，文中正是指对白天大脑记忆的东西在晚上做进一步巩固，故consolidate符合题意。erase抹去，擦掉，显然不符文意；discipline训练，文中并非指有意识的训练；improve改善，睡眠并不是使记忆力改善，而只是帮助巩固白天所经历的东西。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】through经过。go through经历，如：They have all gone through the war．他们都经历过这场战争。句意：研究人员早就知道动物经历的睡眠阶段和人类一样，包括人做梦时的快速眼动(REM)睡眠在内。go for追求； go by从…旁走过，顺访；go in进入，参加，此三项均无“经历”之意。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】apart from除…之外(还有)。如：Apart from a few words，I do not know any French at all．除了很少的几句外，我对法语一无所知。句意：但是，除了任何一位狗的主人都能看见的其宠物睡眠时偶尔出现的抽搐、低吼或轻吠之外，几乎没有动物会做梦的直接证据。instead of代替(有否定之意)；as well as也，又(并列关系)；except for除…之外(不包括)。如：The article is well written，except for a few spelling mistakes．这篇论文写得不错，只是有几处拼写错误。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】此处语境意为：如果动物做梦的话，这就意味着它们有更……的脑部机能。由前文的内容可以看出人们没有想到动物会做梦，也就是说没有想到它们的脑部能有这么复杂。故此处应选表示“复杂”含义的词。 complex复杂，符合题意。confused表示混乱的，迷惑的，不合文意。vigorous充满活力的，一般不能修饰“functions”。instantaneous瞬间的，与上下文逻辑不符。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】此处语境为：如果动物做梦，这意味着它们的脑部机能比以前人们认识得更复杂。recognize认识，认知，符合题意。validated证实，以前研究者并没有确切的证据，因此谈不上证实。calculated计算，文中也没有谈到计算的问题。evaluated评估，文中并没有谈到估测的问题。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】由四个选项可知此处应填助动词。因为“The fact”是刚刚发现的客观现实，所以suggest不能用将来时，而且suggest这个动作是作者正在提出的观点，因此也不能用过去将来时，故只能用一般现在时，因此只有 [B]“does”正确。它用在这里起强调作用。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】why。why引导的宾语从句，作介词for的宾语。句意：这些发现也为人类睡眠是因为要巩固新学到的东西这一主导理论提供了新的证明。破折号后的不定式短语进一步解释why humans sleep，可视为它的同位语，when，how，where各有其义，放在这里显然不合适。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】此处语境意为：用这种复习来……或整合记忆。显然这里“to…or integrate…”是目的状语。空白处应是动词不定式并与integrate形成并列关系。再考虑末段首句破折号后的“to solidify new learning”，可以看出本处应选solidify的同义词，故[A]“consolidate”正确。transform变形、reorganize重新组织、renovate革新，均与前文没有意思上的联系。