It's Just a Dream, or Is It? 夢的解析

Anything can happen in a dream. What's more, people often have dreams with similar themes. Here are the 10 most common types of dreams, along with how experts interpret their meanings. The first kind involves car troubles. Have you ever dreamed that you were in a car that had no brakes1 or that the car was about to go off a cliff? Pretty scary, isn't it? However, the meaning is not as simple as being afraid of cars. In fact, you are feeling powerless over something or are headed for disaster in real life. 在夢裡，任何事都有可能發生。而且人們夢到的情節常常都很類似。以下就來介紹十種人們最常夢到的夢境，以及專家是如何解讀這些夢的意義。第一種夢境是關於車禍事故。您曾經夢到您駕駛著一輛煞車失靈或是即將要墜落懸崖的車嗎？這還挺嚇人的，可不是嗎？不過這種夢的意思不是只有害怕車子那麼簡單。事實上，這意味著您在現實生活中對某種事物感到無能為力，或者您即將面臨一場災難。 　　Dreams about phones or other machines that don't work properly mean that you are feeling cut off from the world. Then there are dreams about being lost or trapped. Maybe you can't get out of a forest or are caught in a spider web. These reflect your inability to make the right choice in real life, leading to the feeling of being stuck. Scenarios2 where you dream about missing a plane or a bus by mere seconds refer to a sense of frustration as well as missing important opportunities in real life. These often occur when you are struggling over a critical decision. The fifth type of dream is about failing a test, which commonly occurs in people who have been out of school for a long time. Experts say this not only shows that the person is feeling tested in some way in reality, but that they fear being unprepared as well. 夢到電話或其它機械故障則代表您覺得被隔絕在這個世界之外。然後還有那些與迷路或受困有關的夢境。您也許無法走出一片森林，抑或是被蜘蛛網困住了。這些情景反映的是您在現實生活中無法做出正確的決定，因此導致您感覺受到束縛。夢到只晚了幾秒鐘而錯過飛機或公車的情節就表示您在現實生活中倍感挫折以及錯失一些重要的機會。這些夢境通常會發生在您難以做出某個重要決定的時候。第五種類型的夢則跟考試不及格有關，做這種夢的人通常已經離開校園很長一段時間。專家表示，這不僅代表著此人覺得在現實生活中受到某種考驗，也意味著他們害怕沒有做好準備。

Building Your Vocabulary

1. interpret　vt. 解讀，闡釋
The researcher spent days trying to interpret all the data he collected.
那位研究人員花了好多天的時間嘗試要解讀他匯集到的數據。
2. inability　n. 無能為力
Samantha feels depressed about her inability to give her children a better life.
莎曼珊感到很沮喪，因為她無法讓她的孩子過更好的生活。
3. mere　a. 僅僅的，只不過的（須與不定冠詞 a 並用，置於名詞前）
The team won the game by a mere two points.
那支隊伍僅以兩分之差險勝這場比賽。
4. frustration　n. 沮喪；挫敗
Andrew felt a sense of frustration over not making the school team.
安德魯沒有被選進校隊裡，因此感到很受挫。
5. critical　a. 重要的，關鍵性的
Interest is a critical factor in learning a language.
興趣是學習語言的一個關鍵因素。

Phrases for Learning

1. be headed/heading for + 困境　　
遭受∕面臨某種困境
The company is heading for bankruptcy as a result of bad management.
這間公司因為經營不善而即將面臨破產的慘況。
2. be cut off　　被隔絕；被阻斷
The only road to the village was cut off by a huge landslide.
這場嚴重的山崩阻斷了通往那個村莊的唯一道路。
3. lead to...　　導致∕造成……
Rebecca's positive attitude leads to a happier life.
蕾貝卡積極正向的態度讓她的人生過得比較快樂。

Extra Words

1. brake　n. 煞車（常用複數）
2. scenario　n. 情節；情況

Grammar Check

However, the meaning is not as simple as being afraid of cars.
（不過這種夢的意思不是只有害怕車子那麼簡單。）
　　本句的"as...as..."為原級比較句構。"as...as..."
可用於肯定句或否定句中，而"so...as..."則只能用於否定句中。
　Bruce is so clever as Jack. (X)
→ Bruce is as clever as Jack. (○)
（布魯斯和傑克一樣聰明。）
　Kate is not as polite as John.
＝ Kate is not so polite as John.
（凱特並不像約翰那麼彬彬有禮。）