EPISODE 106
LEVEL B2

 

READING COMPREHENSION 

 

BEATING STRESS                                                            

It is often said that stress is a fact of life and to a certain extent stress is good for us as it keeps us on our toes. We all know people who actually thrive (=to grow, develop, or be successful) in stressful situations such as exams and successfully dealing with stress can improve our self-esteem (=belief and confidence in your own ability and value) . However, our bodies are not designed to handle (= cope with) stress for long periods of time and stress can have an extremely detrimental (causing harm or damage) effect on our well- being. Indeed, it is estimated that 85% of all illnesses and diseases is caused by stress. It is also pretty much common knowledge that exercise is a great stress-beater. Prolonged stress will make you feel lethargic (= having little energy; feeling unwilling and unable to do anything), jaded (= not having interest or losing interest because something has been experienced too many times) and uninspired. Even a brisk 10minute walk can be invigorating (= energizing) –it get your blood pumping, fills the lungs with fresh air and helps focus the mind. Oxygen is the most important source of energy but when you are feeling uptight (= worried or nervous and not able to relax) , your breathing tends to become shallow (= not deep). Because of this your body sends you messages that that you need more energy so it’s tempting to eat something sugary. However, sugary snacks can supply temporary energy to balance it in the body.

 

EXERCISE 1 

Put the words below into two categories.

  • jaded
  • invigorating
  • lethargic
  • high self-esteem
  • detrimental
  • thrive
  • uninspired
  • shallow
  • uptight
POSITIVE NEGATIVE

ENGLISH IN USE  

You can use 'I wish’ to complain about the present situation, to express your dissatisfaction with the present state of things and, at the same time, to talk about your wishes and dreams concerning the present. So, in fact, it’s just dreaming and imagining a situation which stands in contrast to the real situation.


To talk about the present situation, we need 'I wish’ followed by Past Simple/Continuous, e,g,

I wish it wasn’t raining! (= but it is raining)
I wish you lived in Warsaw. (= but the person doesn’t live here)
I wish we didn’t have to work so hard. (= but we do)


’I wish’ can be replaced by 'If only”- which is just a bit more emphatic than 'I wish’, otherwise they have a similar meaning and function.

If only you were here! (= but you are not)
If only my husband could speak English. (= but he can’t)
If only she didn’t have so many things to do. (= but she has a lot of work)

 

 EXERCISE 2 

Fill in the sentences with wish:

  1. I feel sick. I wish I (eat) …………………………….. so much cake. 
  2. I’m fed up with this rain. I wish it (stop) ……………………………. raining.
  3. It’s a difficult question. I wish I (know) ………………………….  the answer. 
  4. I should have listened to you. I wish I (take) ………………………………..your advice. 
  5. I wish Annie (be) ………………………… here. She’d be able to help us.
  6. Aren’t they ready yet? I wish they (hurry up).

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

FOR NO APPARENT REASON = without an obvious cause

WIND SB UP = make sb angry or upset

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

TAKE STH IN = accept sth as real

STIR STH UP = make sb feel or think sth

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the questions and answer them:

1.What kinds of things in life tend to wind you ……………………………..?

  1. Does your mood change for no ……………………………. reason?
  2. Does the news stir you ………………………………. every day?
  3. Can you take ……………………………………… everything your friends tell you?

 

NEWS

 

MOOD SWINGS

“I don’t know why i am feeling like that

Most people feel bad from a time to time without understanding why. While its completely OK to experience few moments where you feel bad without a reason still it becomes a big problem if it started to occur more often. If you don’t know why you are feeling bad then don’t worry as there are few steps that can help you understand your unwanted emotions.

Here is how to know why you feel bad:

If you feel bad without a reason or without knowing why then one of the following problems might be the cause:

  • Emotions are messages: One very important aspect about emotions that you must be aware of is that emotions are just messages sent to you by your mind in order to motivate you to take a certain action. If you feel bad then it’s time to ask yourself what is your subconscious mind truing to draw your attention to.
  • Over sensitivity: over sensitive are subject to mood swings and different bad moods that they can’t understand. In addition over sensitive people have more empathy than others, this empathy can sometimes let them feel bad just when they find themselves around someone who is feeling bad or who needs help.”

 

GLOSSARY: 

Occur = happen

Subconscious = the part of your mind that notices and remembers information when you are not actively trying to do so, and influences your behaviour even though you do not realize it:

 

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>>Answers

KEY TO EXERCISES  

Ex. 1

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

Invigorating

High self-esteem

thrive

Jaded

Lethargic

Uninspired

Shallow

uptight

Ex. 2

  1. I feel sick. I wish I (eat) ………hadn’t eaten…………………….. so much cake. 
  2. I’m fed up with this rain. I wish it (stop) ………would stop……………………. raining.
  3. It’s a difficult question. I wish I (know) …………knew……………….  the answer. 
  4. I should have listened to you. I wish I (take) ……………had taken…………………..your advice. 
  5. I wish Annie (be) ……would be…………………… here. She’d be able to help us.

6.Aren’t they ready yet? I wish they ………would hurry up……….(hurry up).

Ex. 3

1.What kinds of things in life tend to wind you up?

  1. Does your mood change for no apparent reason?
  2. Does the news stir you up every day?
  3. Can you take in everything your friends tell you?

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