Stress

Part 1: Language Focus

Words and expressions

be under /suffer from stress 在压力下

the stresses and strains of modern life 现代生活压力和紧张

bring pressure to bear on sb 对某人施加压力

put pressure on sb to do sth 迫使某人做某事

take it easy 放轻松

a tense moment 令人紧张的时刻

a tense situation 令人紧张的局势

constrain 强迫

relax 放松

oppressive 压迫的

yield 放弃

overcautious 缩手缩脚

Sentence Pattern

• I'm pressed for time

• A lot of work is piling up.

• There are piles of works to be finished.

• I feel completely washed out after an ordinary at the office.

• I'm exhausted.

• I'm losing my mind.

• I can't take it any more.

• I need a break.

• Everything is getting on my nerves.

• He works best under pressure.

• She is under much pressure and it is affecting her health.

• I can't relax because I have too many things on my mind.

• I'm falling apart at the seams.

• I'm totally stressed out at the end of the day.

• I can't take much more of this.

• I'm going crazy.

Part 2: Sample Dialogue and Sample Discussion on the Topic

Dialogue 1

A: I don't feel doing anything.

B: You look exhausted. Are you ok ？

A: I'm under heavy pressure, working day and night.

B: Come on. Look on the bright side. You get a good salary here.

A: Yes, but the hours are too long.

Dialogue 2

A: I'm under a lot of pressure at work.

B: What makes you think that?

A: There's too much work to do everyday.

B: Do you need a hand?

A: Thank you very much. I think I can manage it.

Dialogue 3

A: What have you been up to lately?

B: I've got so much to do. I've worked overtime for two weeks.

A: let's go out for tea.

B: I'd like to. But I can't leave this job at the moment. I have to finish the paper before five o'clock.

A: You'll get twice the result with half the effort if you have a good rest.

B: Well, you have probably right.

Statistics show that stress comes from every detail in our life. As students in the university, we are also under our special stress. While study, having to take various tests and submit a project against a deadline may put a great expectation on us than we could reach. Later, when we are likely to graduate, some other problems will also annoy us. I think we will worry a lot about our ability to compete in the job market and how we can best use what we have learned at college in our future job.

People usually say they can not live in the sun except they escape from stress. It's unwelcome. Yes, however, very necessary. Just image a world where stress does not exist and people lead their life in a very comfortable way. But is this kind of living condition as perfect as we hope? Without stress, they may feel very satisfaction with the current life but lack of power to discover new things. Too much satisfaction result in nothing except a countermarch of the society. No stress, no development.

In fact, however, stress isn't the bad thing it is often supposed to be. Unless it gets out of control ， a certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and challenge ， and to give purpose and significance to an otherwise meaningless ， idle life. People under stress tend to express their full range of potential and to actualize their own personal worth——the very aim of a human life.

Here is the last thing I want to add to my topic, face to it and overcome it, stress is also a piece of cake.

Part 3: Classroom Activities

• 一个同学以承受较大心理压力的患者的身份向另一名作为心理医生的同学做有关如何释放和缓解心理压力方面的咨询 —— 情景内容：心理压力的产生原因，客观表象，解决和治疗方法。

• 请几位同学以个人的经历为例介绍自己在过去的学习生活中曾经面对怎样的学习压力和来自其他各个方面的压力，并介绍有哪些释放压力的办法。

• 设计一个小型辩论会：主题为压力对人的进步是阻力还是动力。

Part4. Supplementary Vocabulary on the Topic

willies 心惊肉跳 worry 担心 afraid 担忧的 timidity 胆小

bravery 勇敢 boldness 大胆 imperence 冒失 conquer 克服 mentality 心理 achievement 成绩 fruit 成果 celebration 庆贺 cowardice 怯懦 gainingiving 疑虑 burden 负担 tension 紧张

ease 缓解 mental stress 精神性应激

negative stress 负应力 body stress 体应力 damaging stress 损伤应力

Part5 Reference Questions for Discussion

How much does stress influence our daily lives?

How much does stress influence our lives long-term?

Is this kind of living condition as perfect as we hope?

How to do with ourselves when stress suddenly break into our life?

What is stress source for young people? How can they deal with it?

Part6. Everyday English

过年 Guo-nian; have the Spring Festival
对联 poetic couplet: two successive rhyming lines in poetry
春联 Spring Festival couplets
剪纸 paper-cuts
年画 New Year paintings
买年货 special purchases for the Spring Festival ; do Spring Festival shopping 灯笼 lantern: a portable light
烟花 fireworks

农历 lunar calendar
正月 lunar January; the first month by lunar calendar
除夕 New Year\\'s Eve; eve of lunar New Year
初一 the beginning of New Year
元宵节 The Lantern Festival

1. physical health 体能健康素质

1) We are constantly learning more about how our mental health affects our physical health .

2) The new term of 2005 Students' Physical Health Standards will be implemented in schools at all levels across the province.

2. personal handy-phone system 小灵通 ( 个人移动通讯系统 )

1) The Personal Handy-phone is a lightweight portable wireless telephone that functions as a cordless phone in the home and as a mobile phone elsewhere.

2) The personal handy-phone system service that began in Tokyo , Sapporo , and other major cities in July has now been expanded to cover urban areas throughout the country.

3. whipping boy: scapegoat 代罪羔羊

1) Just as some American politicians blame Japan for the recession, the U.S. is a popular whipping boy in Europe .

2) She felt she had been made a whipping boy for her boss's incompetence.

4. cliché 陈腔滥调

1) The reigning cliché of the day is that in order to love others one must first learn to love oneself.

2) She trotted out the old cliché that ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved'.

5. given cold-shoulder 闭门羹

1) Scottish brush with success is given cold shoulder .

2) Seven years afterward finally Greek commission has reached some conclusion and given its report and to my surprise government once gain is not satisfied with the work of the commission, has given cold-shoulder to it