Lower-INT GROUP READING 2

Transcription

1 Lower-INT GROUP READING 2 EUSTRESS OR YOU STRESS? Instructor s Copy 1

2 SFL/METU Spring 2018 Dept. of B.E. BEFORE YOU READ DISCUSSION 1. What are the main causes of stress in your life? Give some examples.. 2. Read the following situations and decide how you feel in each situation. Put a tick in the appropriate column. I feel stressed I don t feel stressed 1) if I have to wait long for the ring service to come to class. 2) if I spend my pocket money before the end of the month. 3) before I give a presentation in front of the class. 4) if I see dogs while I am walking to the dormitory alone late at night. 5) when I have an argument with my roommate. 3. Read the quotations below and discuss what they mean. It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it. Hans Selye Remember that stress doesn t come from what s going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what s going on in your life. Andrew Bernstein 4. Take a look at the title of the text. What do you expect to read? GLANCING AT THE TEXT Look through the text in 2 minutes to see if your predictions are correct. 2

3 I. Rewrite these sentences by using the CORRECT form of the modals or modal like expressions in brackets. Later you will use the sentences to fulfil a task in PART II. a) It is impossible for us to control what happens to us. We cannot control what happens to us. (must/can) b) They have the ability to deal with stress in a more positive and effective way. They can deal with stress in a more positive and effective way. (can/may) c) It is possible for your body to prepare your heart and lungs to help you escape the potential danger as quickly as possible. Your body might prepare your heart and lungs to help you escape the possible danger as quickly as possible. (should/might) d) It is necessary for some students to decide to work or study full-time. Some students must decide to work or study full-time. (could/must) e) It is likely for distress to have negative effects on the body, including headaches, stomach pain, and muscle pain. Distress could have negative effects on the body, including headaches, stomach pain, and muscle pain. (could/have to) 3

4 1 II. Read the text below and choose the correct sentence (from PART I) which best completes each blank and write the letter of the sentence in the blanks provided. The sentences in PART I are not in the correct order. EUSTRESS OR YOU STRESS? Change is good, according to one old saying. However, according to psychologists Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maistro, people actually dislike change because it threatens their natural desire to keep things as they are. Most people want the things in their lives to be orderly, continuous, and predictable. Therefore, anything, good or bad, that requires change is stressful. The stress is bigger when the change that is required is greater. Everybody feels stressed, but not all kinds of stress are the same. Psychologists say there are two types: good stress and bad stress. The type of stress that we feel depends on the type of personality we have Eustress is the good type of stress. This type of stress is good for you as it is actually designed to help you survive. When humans encounter a dangerous situation, their breathing becomes faster, their heart rate increases, and their throat and nose muscles open up to allow more air to get into the lungs. This physical reaction is called the fightor-flight response, and it prepares the body either to fight the danger or to avoid it. For example, if you are alone on the street and encounter a stranger late at night, 1) c. Without eustress, you can never get this advantage. Eustress does not just occur in dangerous situations, however. Anytime we are required to perform, the same physical reactions take place to help us handle the situation. For instance, when runners are about to race in a marathon, eustress gives them optimal strength for the race by pumping more blood to their muscles. Public speakers feel the same kind of stress just before giving a speech, and feeling anxious actually helps them concentrate and perform better. Distress, or bad stress, is the opposite of eustress. People often feel distress when they experience a major change in their lives, such as a divorce or the loss of a loved one. 2) e. It can even weaken our immune system, which is the part of the body that is responsible for fighting illnesses. Distress also reveals itself emotionally. With too much of it, people can become angry, frustrated, or depressed. Very often, such feelings are caused by the problems of everyday life, like waiting in long lines or sitting in traffic for too long. In addition, conflicts with others, such as arguments with friends or loved ones, can lead to negative stress. People that feel undecided between two or more demands or goals can also feel distressed. For instance, 3) d as they desire both of them, but are forced to give up one or the other. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between which kind of stress we feel. Stress is sometimes meant to benefit us, but this does not always happen. Some students think that stress from taking tests improves their performance, while others feel that taking tests makes them forget everything they know. Why is this? Whether we feel eustress or distress depends on more than just the situation. Psychologists note that the type of stress we feel is also tied to the type of personality we have Type A or B. People with Type A personality frequently feel distress. They tend to be very competitive and are often labelled workaholics because they devote a lot of time and energy to their work in order to ensure their success. Unfortunately, focusing too much on work and deadlines can make them feel excessively distressed, and this makes it difficult for them to relax. On the other hand, people with Type B personality are relaxed and easy-going. While the Type A person would become very upset over sitting in a traffic jam, the Type B would not let it affect how he or she feels. As these people find it easier to adapt to change, 4) b.this results in their experiencing more eustress than distress. Stress is both external and internal. Sometimes, 5) a, but we can control how we react to situations. With the right attitude and determination, people can convert distress into eustress and make their lives happier as a result. 4

5 A. What do the following words refer to? 1. it (para.1) : change 2. them (para.2) : public speakers 3. their (para.3) : people s 4. it (para.4) : (sitting in) a traffic jam B. Mark the best choice. 1. Which of the following is TRUE about eustress? a) It prevents us from concentrating. b) It results from pumping more blood. c) It is generally experienced late at night. d) It helps us to perform better in many situations. 2. Which of the following is FALSE about distress? a) It leads to a major change in one s life. b) It has emotional effects. c) It can result in physical pain. d) It can be caused by undecidedness. 3. The word conflicts in para. 3 probably means. a) expeditions b) disagreements c) contributions d) accomplishments 4. A person who prepared very well for a job interview but could not say anything at the interview is probably. a) a Type A with eustress b) a Type A with distress 5. The word convert in para. 5 probably means. c) a Type B with eustress d) a Type B with distress a) attach b) determine c) change d) sink C. Mark the following statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text. T T F 1. People do not like change as it prevents them from keeping things the way they are. F 2. Situation and personality are the two things that determine the type of stress we feel. D. Answer the following questions according to the text. 1. Find two adjectives from the text to describe a Type A and Type B personality. Type A: distressed and competitive Type B: relaxed and easy-going 2. How can people change distress into eustress? With the right attitude and determination They can control how they react to situations. / By controlling how they react to situations. 5

6 E. Study the outline of paragraphs 2 and 3. Parts of it are incomplete. Read the text and fill in the missing parts. You may need to change the forms of the words when necessary. TYPES OF STRESS Eustress good stress: helps you 1) (to survive) how people react to a dangerous situation: their breathing becomes faster 2) their heart rate increases their throat and nose muscles open up with fight-or-flight response: the body is ready to 3) fight the danger or to 4) avoid it in addition to dangerous situations, examples of situations when people experience eustress: in a marathon: provides the runners with 5) (optimal) strength for the race by 6) pumping (more) blood to their muscles during a speech: improves public speakers 7) concentration and performance Distress bad stress: results from a major change in people s lives, like 8) a divorce or 9) the loss of a loved one negative effects of distress on the body: headaches, 10) stomach pain, and 11) muscle pain as well as weak immune system emotional effects of distress: anger, 12) frustration, or 13) depression. causes of distress: having problems of everyday life such as 14) waiting in long lines or 15) sitting in traffic for too long, experiencing conflicts with other people or feeling undecided between two or more goals or demands DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Now that you have read the text, discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. Take a look at the chart you have filled in on page 1. Decide what each situation exemplifies: eustress (E) or distress (D)? 1) D 2) D 3) E 4) E/D 5) D 2. Look at the answers you gave to the statements on page 1. Which one do you experience more: eustress or distress? 3. Are you a Type A or Type B person? Explain. 4. How often do you experience distress in your life? Why? 5. Can you convert distress into eustress? Why or why not? 6

7 COLLOCATIONAL VOCABULARY LIST to deal with smo./sth. (phrasal verb): to take the necessary action, especially to solve a problem; to handle smo./sth. to threaten sth./to do sth. (v.): to be likely to harm or destroy sth. threat (to sth.) (n.): a person or thing that is likely to cause trouble, danger, etc. to pose a threat to require sth. (v.): to need smo. or sth. (to meet/fulfil/satisfy) a requirement (n.): a necessity; sth. needed to encounter problems/difficulties (v.): to experience sth., especially a problem to avoid smo./sth. (v.): to stay away from smo./sth. avoidance (of sth.) (n.): not doing sth. ; preventing sth. from existing or happening to handle smo./sth. (v.): to deal with a person, situation, etc. successfully to reveal sth. (to smo.) (v.): to make known or show sth. that is surprising or that was previously secret to reveal (that) to distinguish between A and B (v.): to recognize the difference between two people or things; to differentiate to distinguish A from B to depend on/upon sth. (phrasal verb): to be determined or decided by sth. dependence on/upon sth (n.) to tend to do sth. (v.): to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic * She has to deal with all kinds of people in her job. * How do you intend to deal with this problem? * He needs to learn how to deal with his anger. * Their actions threaten the stability of our environment. * Nuclear testing threatens to destroy our environment. * The country is a great/major/serious threat to world peace. * Drugs pose a major threat to our country. * Working with these children requires a great deal of patience. * A college degree is a requirement for this job. * She has met the minimum requirements for graduation. * We encountered a number of difficulties in the first week. * She avoids walking on dark streets at night. * A person s health improves with the avoidance of stress. * She is very good at handling her patients. * He handled the situation very well. * We all have to learn to handle stress. * Details of the murder were revealed by the local paper. * The doctors did not reveal the truth to him. * The report reveals (that) the company made a loss of 20 million last year. * He s color-blind and can t distinguish between red and green easily. * I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing Spanish from Portuguese. * We re not sure if we ll have the picnic. It depends on the weather. * Renewable green energy sources can help reduce pollution and dependence on petroleum products. * People tend to need less sleep as they get older. * I have a tendency to talk too much when I m nervous. to have a tendency to do sth. (n.) to devote sth to smo./sth. (phrasal verb): to use time, energy, etc. for a particular purpose; to dedicate yourself/sth. to sth. to devote yourself to sth. to ensure sth. / (that) (v.): to make certain that sth. happens or is done to adapt to sth. (v.): to change your behavior so that it is suitable for a new situation * She devotes most of her free time to charity work. * Some of the money they raise will be devoted to repairing the church s roof. * She devoted herself to her business. * They took steps to ensure the safety of the passengers. * Our new system ensures that everyone gets paid on time. * It takes time to adapt to a new working environment. 7

8 VOCABULARY PRACTICE A. Below are some sentences divided into two parts. Match the parts to make meaningful sentences with the help of the clues from the text. 1. Students who fail to meet f 2. When did you first encounter e 3. You are old enough to distinguish g 4. The hotel owner converted the hotel a 5. Smoking poses h 6. Does the quality of teaching depend b 7. When he talks, he has a tendency d 8. He devoted his life j 9. Most students have difficulty adapting i 10. Can you suggest some ways of dealing c a. into an apartment. b. on class size? c. with a difficult child? d. to get lost in details. e. these difficulties? f. the requirements of the course will be unsuccessful. g. between fact and fantasy. h. a serious threat to your health. i. to college life. j. to helping the poor. B. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word from the box. Be careful there are more words than you need. adapt convert threat reveals deal ensures avoid requires USING HYPNOSIS TO COMBAT STRESS distinguish tendency devote dependence Studies suggest that using hypnosis might prove useful especially for students who have exam anxiety. Some schools in Britain have already started to offer hypnosis to their students to help them to 1) deal with stress and thus improve their exam results. They believe that this will be beneficial especially to students who have exam anxiety as stress poses a serious 2) threat to student performance in many schools. If the plan is successful in schools in West Yorkshire, schools across Britain could adopt the new program which uses hypnosis for those who want the help. All the students who undergo hypnosis will be volunteers, and parents will have to give permission. As part of the program, the students who have a 3) tendency to get stressed easily will also learn breathing exercises and meditation to help them relax. Dr. Phil Jones, an educational psychologist and trained hypnotists, says People often get a wrong impression about hypnosis as it is usually difficult for them to 4) distinguish between a trained hypnotist and a stage performer. They don t know that hypnosis 5) requires qualified psychologists. In other words, it is necessary that qualified psychologists practise hypnosis. When it is practised by such people, hypnosis is very safe and it 6) ensures success. We really want to help children whose exam performances are affected negatively due to exam anxiety. It is not uncommon for many children to be nervous during tests and hypnosis can be of great help to these students who are nervous and who want to 7) avoid stress before and during exams. A recent research 8) reveals that this unusual way of trying to relieve school-time stress came after many educators criticized the examination system in Britain. They still say there is non-stop testing of youngsters, from the age of five to the time they finish secondary school. Although some educators agree that stress is a widespread problem among students, they are not sure if the students will be able to 9) adapt to the changes in their program with the use of hypnosis in schools. 8