Rosie: And I'm Rosie.
Chris: And today we are going to talk about a new invention that promises to
influence our dreams.
Rosie: Oh, that sounds exciting! I love new inventions!
Chris: That's good, Rosie! But calm down - hold your horses - because we have to
start with the usual challenge for our listeners. Now, I want to put a question
to you and the answer is linked to sleep and dreams. What do the former
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the former French leader Napoleon
Bonaparte and the famous English nurse Florence Nightingale have in
common?
Rosie: Oh, that's difficult because I didn't think they had very much in common.
Chris: Let me make it easier for you by giving you three options. What do Margaret
Thatcher, Napoleon Bonaparte and Florence Nightingale have in common? Is it
that:
a) They all dreamt of becoming farmers when they were children.
b) They all suffered from a recurring nightmare of being bitten by spiders.
c) They all usually slept for just four hours a night.
Rosie: Mmm… dreaming of being farmers… I dream about being a movie star!
Chris: Well, farmer or movie star, they ended up becoming famous due to their
remarkable achievements. I will give you the answer by the end of the
programme. Now, let's talk about this interesting invention that got you so
fired up. It works in smartphones, Rosie.
Rosie: That's so cool! I just adore my iPhone and have loads of applications on it!
Chris: An 'app' or application is what Professor Richard Wiseman from the
University of Hertfordshire has developed to influence dreams. It plays
specific sounds to you while you are sleeping. You select the sound and the
phone automatically plays it when you're dreaming by monitoring your
movements. Let's hear a report by the BBC's John McManus.
BBC John McManus:
Professor Wiseman says most people have about five dreams every night, but if they are
pleasant, they can lead to people feeling more positive and being more productive during
the day. A recent survey found that most people would choose sounds that prompted
relaxing visions, perhaps set in woods filled with birdsong. Others though, wanted some
night time adventure.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012
Page 2 of 4
Rosie: So some people wake up feeling better after an agreeable, or a pleasant,
dream. They are able to work more and are more productive. You know, I
feel really sleepy when I get up and I need about three hours before I actually
feel awake.
Chris: And what sort of sounds would make your mind produce – or prompt –
relaxing visions, Rosie?
Rosie: Oh, I'm not too sure. But I am thinking about those nature CDs, the ones with
the waterfall sounds and birds in the forest and things like that.
Chris: Well, for me a dream is all about adventure - all about going up a mountain
and discovering somewhere new or exploring a new country. But it's good to
keep in mind that this technology is in the experimental stage. They even plan
to find a way so that when you wake up, the app will prompt you to
feedback exactly what your dream was and how you felt.
Rosie: So they are still working to develop this project.
Chris: Yes, they are. But let's listen to the final part of John McManus's report to find
out how the technology might be used if it is successful.
BBC John McManus:
A successful experiment could lead to new ways of treating depression and stress. It may
also enhance creativity – Paul McCartney was said to have woken from a dream with the
Beatles hit 'Yesterday' going through his mind, and Mary Shelley was inspired by a dream to
write the horror story 'Frankenstein'. Most of us of course, will be hoping for sweeter dreams
than that.
Rosie: I liked the idea that it could make us even more creative. John McManus said
that it may enhance creativity and the mention of the ex-Beatle Paul
McCartney is really enticing. He came up with so many great songs!
Chris: And the English novelist Mary Shelley was also very creative when she wrote
the horror story, Frankenstein.
Rosie: I would have thought that Frankenstein is more of a nightmare.
Chris: Talking about nightmares, let's go back to our challenge, Rosie. I will repeat
the question, the three options and you can guess the right one. What do the
former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the former French leader
Napoleon Bonaparte and the famous English nurse Florence Nightingale have
in common? Is it:
a) They all dreamt of becoming farmers when they were children but ended
up becoming something else.
b) They all suffered from a recurring nightmare of being bitten by spiders.
c) They all usually slept for just four hours a night.
Rosie: Oh, that's a very difficult question. I think I'm going to go for (b) – the
nightmare of being bitten by spiders.
Chris: Okay. Well, the answer is actually (c) - Margaret Thatcher, Napoleon
Bonaparte and Florence Nightingale usually slept for just four hours a night.
Most people only feel rested after seven or eight hours of sleep but for these
guys four hours would do.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012
Page 3 of 4
Rosie: That's incredible! So they didn't even have much time to dream?
Chris: Some people might say that they didn't have time enough for nightmares
either! Unfortunately we've run out of time ourselves and have to finish the
programme now. But we leave you with today's words.
Rosie: And here they are:
hold your horses
remarkable
fired up
application (or app)
pleasant
productive
prompted
enhance
Chris: Thank you, Rosie. And that's all for today. Bye for now and sweet dreams.
Rosie: Bye.
