Lesson 4Stress: Some Good, Some Bad

By Nina

Foreign Languages College

Personal Health columnist for The New York Times.

Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book and Jane Brody’s Good Food Book.

The present text is from The New York Times Guide to Personal Health (1982)

Jane Brody

Pre-reading

Video --- managing stress

stagnate: cease to flow; exist in a changeless situation 不流动 ; 成为死水 ; 停滞 ; 不景气

His mind has stagnated since his retirement. stagnation n [U]. thrive If you thrive on a particular situation, you

enjoy it or you can deal with it very well, especially when other people find it unpleasant or difficult.

Some people thrive on a stressful lifestyle...

Text A

adverse: not favorable; contrary adverse winds adverse circumstances crumble to fall into small fragments or

particles; disintegrate. to give way; collapse The great empire began to crumble. crumble under pressure

crunch: a critical moment or situation, especially one that occurs because of a shortage of time or resources. 关键时刻

You can rely on my support when the crunch comes.

When the crunch is on When it comes to the crunch

stride: walk with long steps take sth in one's stride: deal with sth.

calmly and easily 不费力地处理 Some people find retiring difficult, but he

has taken it all in his stride. thwart: to prevent the occurrence,

realization, or attainment of sth. 阻挠 ; 阻止 The accounting firm deliberately destroyed

documents to thwart government investigators.

arousal a state in which you feel excited or very alert, for example as a result of fear, stress, or anger.

assault  n. a violent physical or verbal attack.突袭 ; 突击

churn v beat (milk or cream) to make butter (esp of liquids) move about violently 翻腾 His stomach churned with nausea.

jag  a period of concentrated activity, strong emotion, etc 一阵集中的活动等

a shopping jag a crying jag insomnia  n. chronic inability to fall asleep

clench  close (sth) tightly or press (two things) firmly together

clench one's fist//teeth afflict  v [usu passive] ~ sb/sth (with sth) t

o cause suffering or unhappiness to; distress greatly 使苦恼 , 折磨

She is afflicted with arthritis.

sneak into, out of, past, away, back, etc sth; go quietly and secretly in the direction specified

He stole the money and sneaked out of the house.

The cat ate the food and sneaked off. surveillance  n [U] careful watching of

someone, especially by an organization such as the police or the army. 监视 , 监督

The police are keeping the suspects under round-the-clock surveillance.

Kicking Your Stress Habits

Donald A. Tubesing, PhD

liken  v ~ sth to sth (fml ) show the resemblance between sth.; compare

Life has often been likened to a journey. accumulate collect or gather sth. over a

period of time 积累 , 聚积 An accumulation of something is a large

number of things which have been collected together or acquired over a period of time.

...an accumulation of experience and knowledge

grind  v (pt, pp ground) crush sth to very small pieces or to powder 磨碎 ; 碾碎

grind coffee beans ~ sb (down) (fig) treat sb. harshly and

cruelly, reducing one’s confidence or will to resist 虐待 ; 压迫

tyrants who grind down the poor

caution v to advise to take heed; warn or admonish. 警告 , 劝告

I would caution against undue optimism. gear up

To get ready for a coming action or event impair  v weaken or damage (sth) The blast left him with permanently impaired

hearing. impairment n [U].

gain, get, etc the upper hand (on/over sb) (idm) get the advantage (over sb); control sb

处於有利地位 ; 占上风 Don't let your feelings get the upper hand

over you. resort to sth make use of sth for help;

adopt sth 求助於 ; 诉诸 If other means fail we shall resort to force.  

repertoire  n. the stock of songs, plays, operas, readings, or

other pieces that a player or company is prepared to perform. 全部节目

the range or number of skills, aptitudes, or special accomplishments of a particular person or group. 全部本领

He has a wide repertoire of funny stories.

(idm) recharge one's `batteries (infml 口 ) have a period of rest and relaxation during which one's energy is built up again

rechargeable batteries

hassle v ~ (with sb) to argue or fight; 争辩 ; 争吵 to bother or harass 烦扰 ; 搅扰

fantasize imagining that sth. is happening, although it is untrue or unlikely to happen.

Her husband died in 1967, although she fantasized that he was still alive.

Transcendental refers to things that lie beyond the practical experience of ordinary people, and cannot be discovered or understood by ordinary reasoning. 超越经验的 , 形而上学的 , 先验的

transcendentalism n [U] 先验论（哲学观点 , 相信超凡的事物 , 认为精神存在比物质存在更重要） .

transcendentalist 先验论者 . transcendental meditation technique of

meditation and relaxation that originates in Hinduism and involves repeating a special phrase to oneself over and over again 超在禅定法（念诵梵文真言松心缓性法 , 源於印度教） .

Imagery: (Psychology) A technique in behavior therapy in which the patient uses pleasant fantasies to relax and counteract anxiety.

biofeedback生物反馈 The technique of using monitoring devices to obtai

n information about an involuntary function of the nervous system, such as body temperature or blood pressure, in order to gain some control over the function.

Biofeedback has been used to treat medical conditions such as hypertension and chronic anxiety.

revitalize v to impart new life or vigor to 使恢复生机 ; 使新生

try to revitalize a flagging economy. stamina  n [U] the physical or mental

energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time.

Marathon runners need plenty of stamina.

tune (sth) up Music to adjust an instrument to a desired pitch or key.

The orchestra were tuning up as we entered the hall.

to prepare (oneself) for a specified activity. tune-up n

sap gradually weaken or destroy I was afraid the sickness had sapped my

strength... sap is the watery liquid in plants and trees. Psychotherapy is the use of psychological

methods in treating people who are mentally ill, rather than using physical methods such as drugs or surgery.

fleeting  adj passing quickly; lasting only a short time 飞逝的 ; 短暂的

transitory  adj lasting for only a short time; transient 转瞬即逝的

Most teenage romances are transitory.= transient

savor: n. taste or flavor of sth. 味道 , 滋味 v1: to taste or smell, especially with

pleasure v2: to appreciate fully; enjoy or relish I want to savor this great moment of

accomplishment.