How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think.Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps(竖琴)in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors.

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum.The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A. Central Library B. Trinity College Library

C. Geisel Library D.TU Delft Library

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____________.

A. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

B. it has a roof of grassy hill

C. famous writers often deliver speeches there

D. it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can _________________.

A. drink cocktails B. buy souvenirs

C. enjoy sci-fi films D. see the old harp

When you tidy your messy bedroom, it gets a lot easier to find things. Dreams may work the same way for a messy brain, helping you learn by organizing memories and ideas.

To test how much dreams can help learning, Robert Stickgold had some students play a shape-fitting game called Tetris (饿罗斯方块) for a few hours and then go to sleep. Soon they were dreaming of falling Tetris shapes. Interestingly, the worst Tetris players had the most Tetris dreams and improved their game the most. Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills.

As we dream, many important tasks are getting done. The brain decides what to keep and what to forget. It is connecting new experiences to older learning. In fact, the brain is learning all night long.

Another important task of dreams may be to help us deal with emotions(情绪). At night, emotions are in the driver's seat. People who have had an upsetting experience often dream about it afterward. Often the dream event changes somehow--another way the brain tries to make the memory less upset. So if your best friend moves away, you might dream that you're the one who's moving. In fact, dreams have a proven power to improve mood, and people who dream about what's bothering them usually feel better sooner than those who don't.

Everybody dreams for a couple of hours every night--in the course of your life, you'll spend about 25 years asleep and 6 years dreaming. There's probably no single answer to the question why we dream, but there doesn't have to be. One dream might help you remember your math facts, while another might lead to a new invention, or give you a fun, crazy story to tell your friends. It's all in a night's work for our busy, mysterious brains.

1.Robert Stickgold's test shows that________.

A. games are useful for memory

B. tasks can only be settled through dreams

C. players stop learning in dreams

D. dreams can help improve skills

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that_______ .

A. dreams can get rid of sufferings

B. only drivers can deal with emotions

C. one may be less upset after a dream

D. dreams can copy what one experienced

3.Which of the following does the author probably agree with?

A. Dreaming does harm to one's mood.

B. Dreaming affects the quality of sleep.

C. It's not so important to know the cause of dreaming.

D. It's hard to find out the secrets of dreaming.

4.What does the text focus on?

A. Dreams and memories. B. The patterns of dreams.

C. Dreams and emotions. D. The benefits of dreams.

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