Question

The Nature of Stress

We are often faced with stressors that are outside of our control, from rare natural disasters to everyday traffic jams. There is a good deal of evidence that uncontrollable events are particularly stressful. This has been shown in studies of “executive rats,” in which two rats receive exactly the same electric shock, but one is given a lever（杠杆）that could be used to turn the shock off after it occurs. Over a long series of such trials, the partner rat, helpless to do anything about its pain, is more likely to develop ulcers (溃疡) than is the “executive”.

Stress is mostly caused by uncertain events. Uncertainty about an event makes it more disturbing. One study found that subjects who were told that they had a 5 percent chance of receiving an electric shock were actually more uneasy than those who were told that they had a 50 percent chance.

People make various attempts to deal with their stress---removing the cause of the stress, seeking the support of friends or reinterpreting the situation to make it seem less unpleasant. Richard Lazarus and his colleagues have made a useful distinction between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. Problem-focused strategies are those aimed at doing something to change the problem causing the stress.  Emotion-focused strategies tend to regulate our distressing emotional responses.

Psychologists Susan Folkman and Richard Lazarus examined undergraduate students’ coping strategies at three time periods---two days before a midterm examination, a week later two days before the grades were announced, and five days after the grades were posted. Before the exam, students tended to use such problem-focused strategies as studying---a guaranteed way to reduce the potential problems. After the exam, when their fates were sealed, if they sought out others, it was usually for emotional support.   

Like other animals, humans have always been safer in groups. Besides physical protection, people provide emotional support that can reduce the psychological and physiological symptoms of stress. A lack of support can increase our susceptibility（敏感性） to illness. For instance, short-term loneliness is associated with a decrease in immune response（免疫应答）. In contrast, people who have strong social ties are usually more resistant to disease. For instance, after being diagnosed as having a life threatening disease, married people are likely to survive longer than unmarried people.

People may provide appraisal support, helping us to evaluate and clarify how serious a problem is. If a professor tells you that he had also failed his first college algebra exam, the consequences of your failure will seem less devastating.  Others can also provide informational support, giving advice about how to deal with the problem. Finally, friends and relatives may give us instrumental support, providing material goods or services to overcome the stress. If your father lends you some money when your car breaks down, you can stop tearing your hair out and just fix it.

Title：The Nature of Stress

1._________ makes people more stressed	Events that can’t be 2.__________ are more stressful. Events that are3.________will make animals or people more stressed.
How to 4. _____stress	● Remove the cause of the stress. ●5.________to friends for help. ● Reinterpret the situation.
Do something to change the problem that 6._______ the stress.
Regulate our distressing emotional responses.
Effects of social support	Support and protection from society make people feel less7.____.
Strong social ties make people both physically and 8.___________ healthy.
Types of social support	Appraisal support 9.____________ evaluate and clarify a problem.
Informational support gives advice on how to solve a problem.
Instrumental support provides material goods or services to get10._______ the stress.

 

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.What

2.controlled / controled

3.uncertain

4.Turn

5.handle

6.causes

7.lonely

8.emotionally / mentally

9.helps

10.over

【解析】

试题分析：本文叙述了关于压力的来源，如何缓解压力，给出了一些建议，也谈到了社会支持的影响及社会支持的种类。

1.根据整篇短文的大意可知人们有压力的原因，这里缺少主语，故用What作主语。

2.根据that uncontrollable events are particularly stressful.故用controlled / controled.

3.根据Stress is mostly caused by uncertain events 故用uncertain.

4.根据seeking the support of friends，这里是短语turn sb for help向某人求助， 故用Turn

5.根据如何处理压力，故用handle处理。

6.根据doing something to change the problem causing the stress. 故用causes.

7.根据来自社会的支持和保护使人们感到有更少的孤独，故用lonely.

8.根据Besides physical protection, people provide emotional support that can reduce the psychological and physiological symptoms of stress.身体和精神上，故用emotionally / mentally.

9.根据People may provide appraisal support, helping us to evaluate and clarify how serious a problem is. 故用helps.

10.根据providing material goods or services to overcome the stress.故用over.

考点：摘录信息。

点评：考生要正确理解整篇文章的脉络结构，会总结段落大意，考查考生对于文章的一些有用的信息的整合能力，组织能力和分析能力，比阅读题有一定的难度。