© Pearson Education Polska 2008 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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Starting off

Which situations are the most stressful? Work by yourself and put the situations below in order:

going to the dentist’s

having an interview

taking an examination

flying on a plane

giving a public talk

watching a horror film

Now work in small groups and compare your ideas.

Before you read

Look at the sentences below and try to decide if they are true or false.

Which activity/activities take you up into the sky?

1. Stress can make you physically sick.

T ☐

F ☐

2. Stress does not help us to work hard.

T ☐

F ☐

3. Being a perfectionist can make you feel more stress.

T ☐

F ☐

4. Taking breaks and eating regularly will help you cope with stress

T ☐

F ☐

5. Doing exercise helps you get less stressed in the future.

T ☐

F ☐

First reading

Read the text quickly to check your answers.

© Pearson Education Polska 2008 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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Students worksheet

Vocabulary 1

Eight words and phrases in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.

1. succeed in dealing with a difficult problem or
situation

2. only achieved by doing something that could harm
the other person or thing

3. likely to do or say something or to behave in a
particular way, often because of a natural tendency

4. use all of something so none is left

5. a large quantity that is enough or more than enough

6. worried or nervous especially because you are
expecting something bad to happen

7. covered or wet with sweat

8. a disease that affects a particular part
of your body and is caused by bacteria
or a virus

(all definitions adapted from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words or phrases from Vocabulary 1. You may need to
change the form of the word.

1. The cost doesn’t matter. We’ve got ____________________ money.
2. I need a shower. All that running has made me ____________________.
3. He’s so bad-tempered. He’s just ____________________ start shouting at any moment.
4. You need to clean that cut. Otherwise you might get an ____________________.
5. I finished the report only ____________________ my weekend! I had no free time whatsoever.
6. He’s always very ____________________ his team are playing.
7. It won’t be easy with so little time but we’ll just have to ____________________.
8. You’ll have to go to the shops - sorry! I ____________________ all the eggs when I made breakfast.

Second reading

Six sentences have been taken out of the text. Working with a partner, try to decide where they belong.

1. First paragraph:

> Well, perhaps th

e first question should be ‘What is stress?’ <

2. Second paragraph:

> When we feel stress our bodies get ready for a special effort. <

3. Third paragraph:

> Stress is not always bad. <

4. Fifth paragraph:

>

There’s no perfect way to deal with stress, unfortunately. <

5. Sixth paragraph:

> Again, it may be tempting to keep working as long as possible. <

6. Seventh paragraph:

> We often see small things as enormously important. <

Speaking

The text gives five tips for reducing or coping with stress. What do you think of them?
What other techniques do you have for dealing with stress? Work in a small group and try to add some more
points to the text. Try to write five more tips.

© Pearson Education Polska 2008 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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We have all felt it

many times. Trembling
hands,

sweaty

palms,

inexplicable clumsiness
and worse. Stress can
stop us from performing
as well as we might and,
in extreme cases, cause
us to be physically sick.
So how can we beat
stress?

After all, if we

wish to beat something we
must first know what it is.

What is stress?

Stress is a feeling of tension,

excitement and fear which helps us to
make a big effort in whatever we are
trying to do. For example, they begin
producing

adrenaline

and

other

chemicals which help us to react to
danger or other challenges.

Why is stress bad?

Stress is natural; it is part of

normal life and it can help us to
perform better. However, stress can be
bad for us. It can make us irritable and

jumpy

, cause us to be rude to others,

make us tired and, paradoxically, at
the same time unable to sleep. Stress
can also make it harder for us to
concentrate and make us less able to
resist viruses and

infections

.

What causes stress?
The causes of stress can be external,
such

as

exams,

job

interviews,

dentist’s appointments and so on, or
internal

– worrying about the future,

trying to do too much or being a
perfectionist, for example.

How can we beat
stress?
There are, thought,
some things we can
remember to do and -
more

importantly

-

some things we can
remember not to do
which will help.

Five

tips

for

managing stress

1.

G

ET

PLENTY OF

SLEEP

.

This may be obvious, but it is very
important. Stress causes problems
with sleep but a lack of sleep can
cause stress.

2. O

RGANISE YOUR TIME

. One of the

most common causes of stress is
the feeling that ‘I can’t

cope

’.

Often, an impossible amount of
work becomes quite manageable if
it is organised sensibly.

3. EAT PROPERLY. When you have

a lot of work, the temptation is to
spend all your time on it, often

at

the expense of

eating. This is a

bad idea: eating properly will help
you to work better.

4. TAKE REGULAR BREAKS. The

fact is, though, you will be more
productive and less stressed if you
take regular breaks.

5. GET SOME EXERCISE. Physical

exercise is one of the best ways to
cope with stress. As well as letting
you

use up

some nervous energy,

it will make you less

liable to

get

stressed later.

Keep a perspective

Remember, a lot of stress

comes from our own heads.

Keeping a

perspective can make a big difference.