The inner self : stress and anger

PART I

Text 1

THE INNER SELF: STRESS AND ANGER

Every day you read in newspapers, books and magazines that it is important to avoid stress. Stress can kill, they say. Stay calm. Be relaxed. Slow down. Don't worry so much and don't work so hard. Unfortunately, this is difficult. There are always money problems and family problems. Our cities are full of traffic and noise. Stressful situations seem to be everywhere.

When people are under stress they react in different ways. Some people find it difficult to stay calm and often become tense. Little things, like a baby crying, can make them irritated. They get very annoyed if they have to wait just a few minutes too long - in a shop or restaurant. These people are usually very moody. One minute they are fine and the next they can be really angry - absolutely furious. Other people seem to stay calm almost all the time and rarely get angry. For example, if they are caught in bad traffic, they don't get frustrated. They sit calmly in their cars, telling themselves that there is nothing they can do about the situation. These people are not moody at all. They don't change from moment to moment, but always seem to be in control of their emotions.

Some doctors give names to these two personality types: Type A people and Type B people. Type A people work very hard, worry a lot, and are often bad-tempered. Type B people are the opposite. They don't worry. Work is not so important to them and they don't get angry easily. They like to relax a lot and have fun. These doctors say it is better for your health and your heart if you are a Type B person.

Vocabulary:

calm - спокійний

relaxed - розслаблений

to be under stress - бути напруженим

tense - напружений

irritated - роздратований

to get annoyed - дратуватися

moody - у поганому настрої, похмурий, капризний

angry - сердитий

furious - розлютований

to get frustrated - засмучуватися

bad-tempered - злий, роздратований

 

Questions:

1. So what type are you? Type A or Type B? Why?

2. What makes you angry?

3. Do you agree with doctors who say that it is a bad habit to have a Type A personality? Why? Why not?

4. What can you do to become a more relaxed person?

5. Decide whether these characteristics belong to a Type A or a Type B person according to the information in the text:

a) is moody

b) seldom relaxes

c) stays calm

d) is not annoyed by a baby                                                        crying

e) gets frustrated in traffic

f) enjoys life and work

g) is usually in a good mood

h) overworks

i) lives longer

j) does not get tense

k) worries a lot

l) doesn't like waiting

m) is relaxed

n) is often bad-tempered

Text 2

THE INNER SELF: FEAR

"Are you a man or a mouse?" When people ask this question they want to know if you think you are a brave person or a coward. But you will never really know the answer to that question until you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave, but when they come face to face with real danger, they act like cowards. Other people think of themselves as cowardly, but when they meet danger, act like heroes.

Lenny Skutnik had always thought of himself as a nervous person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life is to be safe and healthy. Then, on 5^th January, 1982, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. Then he saw a woman in the ice-cold water. Suddenly Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very calm and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into the river, swam to the woman and kept her head above the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny Skutnik, it was not seventy-nine.

When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin. With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and are ready to fight or run away. However, when you are absolutely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this happens, the muscles become very hard and you find that you cannot move at all. You are then paralyzed with fear. That is why, when we are very frightened, we sometimes say that we are "petrified". This word comes from the Greek word "petros" which means "stone". We are so frightened we have become like a stone.

 

Vocabulary:

brave - хоробрий

coward - боягуз

cowardly - боягузливо

nervous - схвильований, збуджений

to get worried - хвилюватися

safe - безпечний

to feel afraid - боятися

calm - спокійний

courageous - хоробрий

dangerous - небезпечний

to be terrified - бути наляканим

fear - страх

to be frightened - злякатися

to be petrified - остовпіти, закам'яніти

    Questions:

1. What frightens you most?

2. What are the differences between adult fears and children's fears?

3. Can fear be enjoyable?

4. What do people do to make themselves afraid?

5. What methods are there to help people who have strong fears?

Text 3

Text 4

Questions:

1. Are people born intelligent or do they become intelligent with the help of good parents and teachers?

2. Do intelligent people always do well at school? Why? Why not?

3. Do you know any intelligence problems?

 

Text 5

THE INNER SELF: LOVING

Sally Jones is fifteen years old and she has never been in love. She likes boys. She goes out with them and sometimes she even kisses them. There are several boys she is fond of, and there are several boys who care about her. But she has never felt true love for anyone. And, oh, how she wants to adore someone and be adored, the way it is in the movies. She is very worried. Maybe, she thinks, there is something wrong with her. Maybe she will never fall in love. Maybe, and this is the worst possibility of all, there is no such thing as true love.

Her friend, Darsy, is very different. She is always falling in and out of love and goes out with a different boy each week. Last week she was madly, passionately in love with Micky. This week she has decided to stop seeing Micky and is dating Jim, who she is crazy about.

Next week she probably won't be interested in Jim any more, but will be going out with Dave. She fancies Dave and is attracted by him very much.

 

Vocabulary:

to be in love (with) - бути закоханим (в)

to go out (with) - виходити в люди, зустрічатися (з)

to kiss - цілуватися(ся)

to be fond of smb. - любити, захоплюватися, цікавитися ким-н.

to care about smb. - цікавитися ким-н., любити

to adore - обожнювати

to fall in love - закохатися

to fall out of love - розлюбити

passionately - пристрасно, безумно

to be madly in love with smb. - пристрасно закохатися

to date smb. - призначати побачення, зустрічатися з ким-н.

to be crazy about smb. - бути закоханим до безтями у кого-н.

to fancy - подобитися, любити

to attract - привертати

 

Questions:

1. What advice would you give to Sally Jones?

2. Do you believe in true love?

3. Are there different types of love?

4. What do you think these English expressions mean:

a) Love is blind.

b) Love me, love my dog.

c) All is fair in love and war.

 

Text 6

THE INNER SELF: MARRIAGE

 

Dolores Valentine knows all about love. She is sixty-five years old and has been married six times. The first time she was a bride, her wedding was on her seventeenth birthday. The last time she got married, she was sixty-two. Her bridegroom that day was seventy-five and he died two weeks later.

Dolores Valentine has been married six times, but the remarkable thing is that she has never been divorced. All six of her husbands died while they were married to her. Six times she has been a loving wife and six times she has been left a widow.

Now she is engaged again and is going to be married in six weeks' time. But this time she is going to marry a man much younger than herself. Her fiancй is a thirty-nine-year-old farmer - strong and healthy. This time Dolores feels pretty sure that she is going to be the one to die first and leave her husband a widower. But Dolores isn't worried. Until then she is going to have a good time and enjoy life, because Dolores knows that you are only as old as you feel.

 

Vocabulary:

to be married - бути одруженим (заміжньою)

bride - наречена

wedding - весілля

bridegroom - жених

to be divorced - бути розлученим

husband - чоловік

wife - дружина

widow - вдова

to be engaged - бути зарученим

fiancй - жених

widower - вдівець

Questions:

1. What do you think is the best age to get married?

2. At what age do people usually get married in your country?

3. Do you think it is better to marry someone older or younger than yourself? Why?

4. In your country, who usually keeps children if parents get divorced?

 

 

PART II

 

Text 1

MEMORY

If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this, and nobody would think of questioning this fact. Yet there are many people who do not seem to know* that the memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practise by exercising it regularly, either consciously or unconsciously. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough opportunity to become strong. The position is exactly the same as that of two people, one of whom exercises his arms and legs by playing tennis, while the other sits in a chair or a motor car all day.

If a friend complains that his arms are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think his parents are to blame,** or that he is just unlucky, and few of us realize that it is just as much his own fault*** as if it was his arms and legs that were weak. Not all of us can become extremely strong or extremely clever; but all of us can, if we have ordinary bodies and brains, improve our strength and our memory by the same means - practice.

Have you ever noticed that people who cannot read or write usually have better memories than those who can? Why is this? Of course, because those who cannot read or write have to remember things: they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember dates, times, and prices, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. ****

So if you want a good memory, learn to practise remembering.

Notes

*do not seem to know - певно, не знають

    ** his parents are to blame - треба звинувачувати його батьків

    *** just as much his own fault - тією ж мірою його власна провина

    **** is … being exercised - тренується

Vocabulary:

memory - пам'ять

to question the fact - сумніватися у якомусь факті

to mean - мати на увазі

either consciously or unconsciously - свідомо чи несвідомо

poor memory- погана пам'ять

to complain - скаржитися

one's own fault - чиясь власна провина

brain - мозок

by the same means - тим же самим способом

Questions:

1. Why do people who cannot read or write have better memories? Do you think it is always so?

2. Whose fault is it that a person's memory is poor? Do you agree that it is his or her own fault?

3. Have you ever thought about the quality of your own memory?

4. Why is it necessary to give it enough exercise?

5. What sort of information do you remember better: names, numbers, dates, times?

 

Text 2

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN

Your brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. And because remembering is such a big part of your brain's job, you can strengthen your memory too.

Here are some easy tricks you can use to help you remember anything, from football plays to shopping lists to information on tests at school.

Build Chain Links

Chain links are memory tricks in which you link the unfamiliar with something familiar. One type is an acronym, a word made up of the first letters of other words. For example, to recall the names of the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior - just remember the word "homes". It has the first letter of each lake.

Rhyming is another helpful chain link tool. You can make up your own rhymes to recall those hard-to-remember facts. For example, to remember the capital of Texas, just think, "I got lost in Austin".

Use Peg Words

When you have to remember a list of words, create a set of rhyming words to associate with your list. These words will serve as mental pegs on which to hang the words on your list.

First make the pegs: Number one might be a ton because it rhymes with one…two a shoe…three a tree, and so on. Now, when you must remember a set of items, think of some sort of image to match your item to the peg word.

Let's say you're shopping for a patrol hike and the first item to buy is apples. Picture a ton of apples. If hot chocolate is second on your list, visualize a shoe, for two, stepping into a puddle of hot chocolate. Crackers next? Picture a tree with crackers for leaves. The wackier you make the picture, the easier the item will be to remember.

Read and Remember

To get an A in history class, you have to remember what you read in that thick textbook. Cramming the night before a test rarely works. Here's one method suggested by Ron Fry, author of a set of how-to-study books, including "Improve Your Memory":

§ Skim pages to get the general idea of the chapter.

§ Go back and read the text carefully. Take notes on important parts. Just the act of righting notes will help you remember.

§ Review notes. Come up with questions you think will be on your test - and make sure you know the answers.

Study in Your Sleep

A good night's sleep can help you remember what you learned the day before. Experiments have found that students who sleep after studying recall more information than students who stay up all night studying. Other experiments have found dreaming may cement information into your memory.

Jog Your Memory

Playing basketball, running or swimming may make you smarter. Any kind of exercise sends more blood, oxygen and glucose, your body's fuel, to the brain. Studies show that people who exercise remember more than people who don't exercise.

O.K., so you're going to give these tricks a try, but you're still nervous about that big history test. What to do? Start studying. Don't wait until the last minute. You'll remember more if you learn a little at a time rather than during a weekend of cramming. One more thing: Relax. You'll do just fine.

Vocabulary:

to strengthen - зміцнювати

chain - ланцюжок

link - зв'язок

familiar - знайомий

acronym - акронім

to rhyme - римувати

tool - тут засіб

to get lost - заблукати

peg - вішалка, гачок

list - список

to hang (hung; hung) - вішати

item - окремий предмет (у списку); пункт

patrol - загін бойскаутів

hike - подорож пішки

puddle - калюжа

wacky - жарг. дивний, ексцентричний

an A - "відмінно"

cramming - розм. зубрячка

rarely - рідко

to suggest - пропонувати

to improve - покращувати

to skim - поверхово переглядати

to recall - згадувати

to cement - цементувати, скріплювати

oxygen - кисень

fuel - паливо

Questions:

1. What should one do if he/she wants to have a good memory?

2. What easy tricks can help us remember anything?

3. What is an acronym?

4. Can you create any "peg" words of your own?

5. Do you cram the night before exams? Does it work?

6. Have your ever noticed any connection between your physical exercising and the quality of your memory?

7. What other useful means of training one's memory could you suggest?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Text 3

Text 4

DREAMS

The fascination of dreams has been felt by all people at every stage of human history. In primitive societies it is sometimes believed that the soul takes leave of the body during sleep and actually visits the scenes of the dream. In general, however, the view that dreams are illusory experiences is universally accepted.

To the psychologist, the dream is a form of natural expression which occurs only when the activity of the brain is depressed by sleep or by the influence of anesthetics or drugs. It has much in common with the fantasies and day-dreams of waking life, and differs from them mainly in being expressed in a dramatic form in which the dreamer himself appears to play a part. When dreaming, moreover, one tends to believe in the "reality" of the dream world, however inconsistent or illogical it may be. It is only when one awakes that happening of the dream dissolving into a half-forgotten fantasy.

The sense of time is often said to be greatly altered in dreams. There is some evidence that dream happenings which seem to occupy a very considerable time occur, in fact, within a few seconds.

People differ very much in the frequency of their dreams. Some claim to dream every night, others but very occasionally. Although it is probable that there exist real individual differences in the capability to dream, it must be borne in mind that some people appear to forget* their dreams much more rapidly than others and are therefore apt to claim that they seldom dream.

Many superstitions and occult practices have been built round the supposed power of dreams to foretell the future. Instances of dreams which have later turned out to be "prophetic" have often been recorded.

Do animals dream? Unfortunately we cannot be sure of the answer. Everyone knows that a sleeping dog often behaves as though he were dreaming, but it is impossible to tell whether it is really dreaming. By analogy with human experience, however, it is reasonable to suppose that at least the higher animals are capable of dreaming.

 

Note:

*some people appear to forget - деякі люди, певно, забувають

Vocabulary:

the fascination of dreams - чарівність снів

soul and body - душа і тіло

to accept - визнавати

to occur - траплятися

influence - вплив

to have much in commom with - мати багато спільного з

to differ from - відрізнятися від

inconsistent - непослідовний, суперечливий

to awake - прокидатися

to dissolve - розчинятися, танути

altered - змінений

evidence - свідчення

to differ - відрізнятися

frequency - частота

to claim - заявляти, стверджувати

occasionally - час від часу, зрідка

capability - здатність

to bear (bore; borne) in mind - пам'ятати

rapidly- швидко

apt - схильний

superstition - забобон

supposed power - можлива сила

to fortell - провіщати

instance - окремий випадок, приклад

to turn out - виявлятися

prophetic - віщий

to behave - поводитися

experience - досвід

Questions:

1. How often do you dream?

2. Do you generally dream at the beginning or at the end of your sleep?

3. Do you often forget your dreams?

4. Why do we remember some of our dreams for a long time?

5. Why do dreams fascinate all people at every stage of human history?

6. What may a definition of a dream be?

7. What kind of "reality" is the "reality" of a dream world?

8. How is the sense of time affected by the dream?

9. Why are dreams so closely connected with various superstitions and occult practices?

10. Have you ever had meaningful (or "prophetic") dreams?

Text 5

THE FIRST FOUR MINUTES

When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first four minutes together, according to the book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book "Contact. The First Four Minutes" he offers this advice to anyone interested in starting new friendship: "Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that".

You may have noticed that the average person does no give his undivided attention to someone he has just met. He keeps looking over the other's person shoulder, as if hoping to find someone more interesting in another part of the room. If anyone has ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much.

When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says: "People like people who like themselves".

On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to seem interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his own needs, fears, and hopes.

Hearing such advice, one might say: " But I am not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to act that way".

In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our social habits. We can become accustomed to any changes in our personality. "It's like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one."

But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honesty" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, a certain amount of playacting may be best for the first minutes of contact with strangers. That is not the time to complain about one's health or mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions.

Much of what has been said about strangers also applies to relationships with family members and friends. For a husband and wife or a parent and a child problems often arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together should be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed they should be dealt with care.

The author declares that interpersonal relations should be taught in every school, along with reading, writing and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other people. That is at least as important as how much we know.

Vocabulary:

according to - згідно з

every time - кожного разу

in a social situation - у товаристві, на людях

one's undivided attention - усю свою увагу

to keep doing something - продовжувати (не переставати) робити

to become accustomed to / to get used to - звикнути до

an unpleasant matter - неприємне питання

at least - принаймні

Questions:

1. How would you express the main idea of the text in a most general way?

2. What features are most important for human relations?

3. What kind of situation may be called a social situation?

4. How does an average person behave when someone is introduced to him/her at a party?

5. Is it polite to ignore the person you've just met?

6. Why is it important to seem interested in a new acquaintance?

7. What makes us sometimes change our social habits? Is it an easy process?

8. Have you ever employed a certain amount of playacting while dealing with people? In what situations?

9. Do you agree that "total honesty" is not always good for social relationships?

10. What is your idea of success in life?

Text 6

PUBLIC SPIRIT

Each nation has its own peculiar character which distinguishes it from others. But the peoples of the world have more points in which they are all like each other than points in which they are different. One type of person that is common in every country is the one who always tries to do as little as he possibly can and to get as much in return as he can. His opposite, the man who is in habit of doing more than is strictly necessary and who is ready to accept what is offered in return, is rare everywhere.

Both these types are usually unconscious of their character. The man who avoids effort is always talking about his "rights": he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his share talks of "duties": he feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual. As a result of their views, neither of these men these men thinks that he behaves at all strangely.

The man who tries to do as little as he can is always full of excuses: of he has neglected to do something, it was because he had a headache, or the weather was too hоt - or too cold - or because he was prevented by bad luck. At first, other people, such as his friends and his employer, generously accept his stories; but soon they realize what kind of person he is. In the long run he deceives only himself. When his friends become cool towards him and he fails to make progress in his job, he is surprised and hurt. He blames everyone and everything except himself. He feels that society is failing in its duties towards him, and that he is being unjustly treated. He soon becomes one of the discontented members of the society he lives in.

His public-spirited opposite is never too busy to take on an extra piece of work: that is the strangest thing about the whole business. If you want something done in a hurry, don't go to the man who has clearly not much to do. He will probably have a dozen excellent excuses for not being able to help you, much as he claims he would like to. Go to the busiest man you know, particularly if you are sure that he has not a spare minute in the week. If your work is really important, he will make time for it.

Vocabulary:

a peculiar character - особливий характер

a common type of person - звичайний тип людини

rights and duties - права і обов'язки

bad luck - невезіння

in the long run - у кінці кінців

to be in debt [det] - бути у боргу

a discontented member of society - незадоволений член суспільства

a public spirited man - свідома людина

a spare minute - вільна хвилина

Questions:

1. What two types of people are common in every nation in the author's opinion?

2. How can we distinguish a public-spirited person from his/her opposite?

3. What is the general attitude towards these types of people?

Text 7

THE ART OF TALKING

Last night was a bore. Several people came to my place for a chat hoping to enjoy themselves. But what an awful evening it was!

One young man talked to us for a full hour on every subject under the sun. None of us could get in a word, not even me, though I am supposed to know* how to do it - I've been a journalist for many years now. So what should have been** a pleasant social get-together became an awful bore.

Our speaker, for I cannot call him less, was as exciting as a reading of last week's laundry list.*** He is eighteen, and that, I think, excuses him, for he hasn't been practicing the art of talking for too many years.

He will learn, I hope, that a good conversationalist is a man who has something interesting to say, and at the same time he tries to make his audience feel comfortable. He is also a good listener and shows by his interest that he wants to hear what others have to say. He enjoys talking but realizes that everyone will get more pleasure from conversation if all get a chance to take part. He speaks clearly enough for all to hear comfortably; he is never monotonous, and his speech is full of interesting things; and, by the way, unlike some people, he looks his listeners in the eyes, and not into space.

Unfortunately all too often**** we suffer from bad conversationalists. They are all the same - they are always boring, and yet they differ. You can even talk of several types here. To begin with, there is the so-called "monopolizer", for instance. This type of conversationalist wants to do all the talking. After you have been listening to him for 10 minutes, you know you are not going to be able to add more than a "yes" or a "no" to something he has said because he will probably continue talking until he is so tired he can't speak any more.

The "show-off" is not very different from the "monopolizer". Here is the person who wants to attract attention to himself. Even if he has nothing to offer he still wants to be in the centre of the talk.

And the "repeater" is a well-familiar type. He will repeat not only something he has said but also something someone else has mentioned. Hasn't this kind of talker bored us from time immemorial?

There is also the type that can be called the "detail man". He usually enjoys what he is telling so much that he cannot leave out the smallest detail. Quite often, after he has been speaking for a short time he finds he has lost his audience because they are not so interested in all the details as he is.

And now I almost want to say thank God for the "interrupter". The good thing about this type of conversationalist is that you can depend upon him to interrupt the "monopolizer" or the "detail man".

And, of course, there is the "silent" one. This speaker has nothing to say. It may be that he has no information to offer or it may be that he is afraid to say something because he is too shy. Or perhaps he is the one who remembers that silence is gold.

Not always, I must say. I, personally, believe that most communication is good. I am sure that to achieve progress one must discuss things.

I am all for discussing things, but the talker must remember that conversation must serve a purpose. What he says must always be to the point. For life is short, and nobody wants to spend hours listening to people that talk and talk and never think.

Notes:

*I am supposed to know - я маю знати

** what should have been - те, що повинно було стати

*** laundry list - список речей, які віддано до пральні

**** all too often - досить часто

Vocabulary:

last night - минулого вечора

to be a bore - бути нудним

a chat - розм. бесіда, розмова

none of us - ніхто з нас

a social get-together - "посиденьки", компанія

an exciting conversation - захоплююча бесіда

by the way - між іншим

since time immemorial - з незапам'ятних часів

to the point - доречний, умісний

Questions:

1. How many parts could you divide the text into?

2. What sort of classification does the author suggest?

3. What kind of a conversationalist do you belong to?

Text 8

WHICH DESK IS YOURS, THEN?

Take a look at your desk. Everyone you work with will have done so already, and from it formed an opinion about you. It will be the sort of opinion that is never voiced but will influence the way they treat you.

Desk space is highly personal. "Your desk surrounds you, like a car, like a second skin", says Donna Dawson, a behavioural psychologist who has just conducted a study into the subject.

Like your clothes, what you display on you desk is a social statement, whether you know it or not. And such statements are important because snap judgements carry far more weight than any of us like to admit. In the accelerated pace of office life, the first impression - which is formed in about 20 seconds, says Dawson - is often the lasting one.

Dawson has identified six types of desktop personality. The Super-Organized Personality is likely to be a pot office manager - "functional and very neat with no fuss or frills," says Dawson. The emphasis on functionalism should not be mistaken for impersonality. Personal relationships are very important to this personality. Such types are not cold: Dawson even uses the term "motherly" to describe them and "most charming and helpful when relied upon." Conversely, they are also capable of displaying an ugly side when they feel put upon. Beware of "a small chip on the shoulder - due to lack of appreciation".

The Super-Organized Personality is not to be confused with the Show Desktop Personality. This person is likely to hold a position somewhere around the middle of an organization - they may be a department head - and has exorcised all signs of personality. No matter how jolly they are away from their desks, once behind them the job expresses them, not the other way round.

The complete opposite of these two types are the Chaos Twins - Organized Chaos and Creative Chaos. The difference is that while Organized Chaos has to rummage through everything to find something, Creative Chaos is surrounded by irrelevant, but often fascinating clutter. Neither is a slob - the state of their desks reflects the frenetic pace of their lives. They both want everything within reach all at once. Organized Chaos, in particular, likes stimulation, so expect to find coffee cups and, where it's still allowed, an ashtray among the piles of paper, plus a series of ingenious charts and plans. Both are social types, too, likely to be friendly and obliging.

Just like the Show Desktop Type, the Personality Extension has also twigged that a desk says everything about it's occupier, and so dedicates every inch to this fascinating topic. Here you'll find teddy bears, family photos, cacti and that amusing postcard about the Italian staying in a London Hotel. It's very girlie.

Performance is all, for the last type - the Trophy Desktop Personality. A second glance at the odds and ends scattered around reveals that each is strategically placed and carefully selected to reflect glory of its owner. It reflects an exuberant personality with a taste for the larger-than-life. Even simple accessories will be garish. Expressions of displeasure will be larger than life, too, so be tactful.

It is only a game, but like all games there are winners and losers, so it is worth employing some degree of strategy - you never know when you will be judged, or by whom.

Vocabulary:

behaviour - поведінка

statement - ствердження

snap - миттєвий

pace - темп

desktop - кришка письмового столу

fuss - суєта

frills - непотрібні прикраси

conversely - навпаки

to put upon - обтяжувати

to beware - остерігатися

a chip on the shoulder - зухвала поведінка

exorcise - виганяти

jolly - розм. приємний

chaos - хаос

to rummage - перерити

clutter - безлад

slob - презирл. нечупара

frenetic - нестримний

within reach - під рукою

ingenuous - нехитрий

twig - розм. зрозуміти

cactus (pl. cacti) - кактус

trophy - пам'ятний подарунок

odds and ends - всяка всячина

exuberant - бурхливий, нестримний

larger than life - такий, що виходить за звичні межі

garish - кричущий

Questions:

1. Do you agree that what you display on your desk is a social statement?

2. Do you form an opinion about people from the way their desks look?

3. Define the six types of desktop personality identified by Donna Dawson.

4. What type of desktop personality do you think you belong to?

5. To your mind which of the types of desktop personality has better career prospects?

 

Text 9

EXAM STRESS

Whenever I've got exams coming up, I always get very tense and nervous. I find it harder to sleep, and sometimes I can't even make myself work for the exam, I'm so depressed. Is this normal? If not, is there anything I can do about it? I don't want to feel stress like this when the exam comes around.

Irini Nicolaou, Athens, Greece

You may be starting to get a little nervous. You may have "butterflies in the stomach", as the English saying goes. Of course, stress is quite normal. If you're feeling some, that's good. In fact, a degree of stress is vital for good performance.

But if your stress levels rise too far, it won't help you at all. Unfortunately levels of stress show in people in different ways. Some people just fall into depressed activity in the weeks before the exams - they can't do any work or revise. Some people lose sleep, some don't eat and some even have psychosomatic illnesses.

Apparently, the people affected most by stress levels like these are not those who think they'll fail, but those who expect a lot of themselves and are worried that they will do less well than they really can.

But it's important to remember that stress levels like these will prevent you doing well in your exams. So if you feel yourself getting too nervous, try to calm down. Talk to someone you trust about how you feel, and perhaps they'll help you to "come down" from those unhelpful levels of stress.

Text 10

Text 11

SAILING THROUGH THE BLUES

To understand why someone becomes an optimist or a pessimist, it helps to understand what distinguishes them. Say you crash your car. Do you expect good things to happen after the accident - an easy recuperation, a fat check from your insurer? Or do you worry that your neck will hurt forever?

Optimistic people tend to feel that bad thing s won't last long and won't affect other parts of life. Pessimists tend to believe one negative incident will last and undermine everything else in their lives.

Also important, researches say, is the story you construct about why things happen - your explanatory style. Optimists believe that bad events have temporary causes - "The boss is in a bad mood." Pessimists believe the cause is permanent - "The boss is a jerk."

Positive thinkers feel powerful. Negative thinkers feel helpless because they have learned to believe they're doomed, no matter what.

Such learned helplessness takes a huge toll on health. Studies show that optimists are better at coping with the distress associated with everything from menopause to heart surgery. Furthermore, scientists discovered that optimists have more disease-fighting T cells. Pessimists also don't believe in preventive care. Not surprisingly, positive thinkers live longer.

Experts say that optimism is a habit of thinking. Practice and it becomes as automatic as blinking. They suggest the following strategies.

Dispute your feelings. Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, favours a technique in which you learn to monitor and argue against the poisonous messages you give yourself. Foe example:

Adversity: Your ideas are not well received at a meeting at work.

Pessimistic Conclusion: "I'm an idiot."

Imagined Consequences: "I'm going to keep my mouth shut at the next meeting - assuming I'm not fired first."

Disputation: "I'm blowing this out of proportion.* wasn’t I the star of the previous meeting?"

New Outcome: "One mediocre meeting doesn't destroy a career."

Teach yourself a lesson. Psychologist Karen Shanor, author of "The Emerging Mind", says try to find something positive in a sad situation - a job dismissal, say - by figuring out what you gained from the experience. Ask yourself, what does getting fired tell me about myself? Maybe you weren't interested in your work, and spending time with your children has become your top priority. Try to learn from the negatives without dwelling on them.

Interrupt negative thoughts. Force yourself to think about something else. Say you're stuck in traffic. Before you give in to moping, relive a favorite memory or make a mental list of people to invite to a party.

Set realistic goals. Make chores specific ant manageable - instead of "clean the garage", try "put away tools" and "move boxes". Break down larger goals in the same way - "have more fun" might become "go to the movies every week".

Be good to yourself. Treating yourself to the things you love, says Greg Hicks, co-author of "How We Choose to Be Happy", is essential to maintaining a sense of internal happiness his suggestion is to write down everything that brings you pleasure - displaying freshly cut flowers, reading the newspaper over coffee. Do at least one thing on your list every day.

Dig for silver. Personal coach Cheryl Richardson, author of "Life Makeovers", has a trick for training yourself recognize silver linings:** in a journal, describe at least one positive thing that happens every day. Even something as simple as preparing a nice lunch is worth noting.

Fake it. Smiling when you are down makes you feel better, researchers say. "Project the mood that you want to get back", says Dr. Susan C. Vaughan, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City. "Never underestimate how contagious moods are between people. Often others will react and be nice back to you".

 

Notes:

*I'm blowing this out of proportion - я це занадто роздуваю

**silver linings - скор. від every cloud has its silver lining - і у поганому можна знайти хороше

Vocabulary:

to sail through the blues - подолати нудьгу

to distinguish - відрізняти

recuperation - видужання

insurer - страховик

to undermine - шкодити

temporary - тимчасовий

jerk - розм. нікчема

doomed - приречений

to take toll - завдавати шкоди

cell - клітина

preventive - профілактичний

blinking - моргання

to monitor - радити; наставляти

to argue against - наводити докази проти

poisonous - згубний

adversity - невезіння

to fire - звільняти

outcome - результат

mediocre - бездарний

dismissal - звільнення (з роботи)

moping - нудьга

to relieve - оживити у пам'ті

chores - робота по дому

essential - необхідний

to fake - удавати

to be down - бути пригніченим

to project - жваво удавати

contagious - заразливий

 

Questions:

1. What are the characteristics of optimists and pessimists?

2. Why do positive thinkers live longer?

3. Do you agree that optimism is a habit of thinking and can become as automatic as blinking by practicing?

4. Comment on the strategies to become an optimist.

5. Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

 

Text 12

BRAIN

1. Read the following text consulting a dictionary where necessary.

 

Try these easy tricks for keeping things in your head.

Your brain is like а muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. And because remembering is such а big part of your brain's job, you can strengthen your memory too.

Here are some easy tricks you can use to help you remember anything, from football plays to shopping lists to information on tests at school.

 

Build Chain Links

Chain links are memory tricks in which you link the unfamiliar with something familiar. One type is an acronym, а word made up of the first letters of other words. For example, to recall the names of the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior - just remember the word "homes". It has the first letter of each lake.

Rhyming is another helpful chain link tool. You can make up your own rhymes to recall those hard-to-remember facts. For example, to remember the capital of Texas, just think, "I got lost in Austin."

 

Use Peg Words

When you have to remember а list of words, create а set of rhyming words to associate with your list. These words will serve as mental pegs on which to hang the words on your list.

First make the pegs: Number one might be а ton because it rhymes with one... two а shoe... three а tree, and so on. Now, when you must remember а set of items, think of some sort of image to match your item to the peg word.

Let's say you're shopping for а patrol hike and the first item to buy is apples. Picture а ton of apples. If hot chocolate is second on your list, visualize а shoe, for two, stepping into а puddle of hot chocolate. Crackers next? Picture а tree with crackers for leaves. The wackier you make the picture, the easier the item will be to remember.

 

Read and Remember

To get an А in history class, you have to remember what you read in that thick textbook. Cramming the night before а test rarely works. Here's one method suggested by Ron Fry, author of а set of how-to-study books, including "Improve Your Memory":

- Skim pages to get the general idea of the chapter.

- Go back and read the text carefully. Take notes on important parts. just the act of writing notes will help you remember.

- Review notes. Come up with questions you think will be on your test - and make sure you know the answers.

 

Study in Your Sleep

А good night's sleep can help you remember what you learned the day before. Experiments have found that students who sleep after studying recall more information than students who stay up all night studying. Other experiments have found dreaming may cement information into your memory.

 

Jog Your Memory

Playing basketball, running or swimming may make you smarter. Any kind of exercise sends more blood, oxygen and glucose, your body's fuel, to the brain. Studies show that people who exercise remember more than people who don't exercise.

O.К., so you're going to give these tricks а try, but you're still nervous about that big history test. What to do? Start studying. Don't wait until the last minute. You’ll remember more if you learn а little at а time rather than during а weekend of cramming. One more thing: Relax. You’ll do just fine.

 

From “Boys’ life”

            

 

2. Compose a short plan for retelling.

3. Retell the text according to your plan.

4. Write 10 incomplete statements according to the content of the text. Ask your partner to complete the sentences by choosing the answer that he/she thinks fits best.

5. Put 10 questions to the text. Write them down on a separate sheet of paper.

6. Work in pairs. Ask your partner the questions you have written. Listen to his/her answers.Do you agree with them? If not, prove your point of view. Trade roles.

 

Text 13

CAN BOYS DO BETTER?

1. Read the text using a dictionary.

The gap between high-flying girls and under-achieving boys is growing, and head teachers in British secondary schools are worried. Girls already do better than boys in every GCSE subject except Science, and generally out- perform them at А-level.

"А typical 13-year old boy can concentrate for four or five minutes while а girl of the same age can concentrate for 15 minutes", said Peter Downes, author of а hand book for schools called Can Boys Do Better? Boys evidently become disheartened when they see girls doing better than them and just switch off. "Some just go quietly to sleep and go on for аll subjects up to age 14, and for core subjects (like English, Maths and Science) up to GCSE.

People use to worry that girls were disadvantaged by being in the same class as boys. Now, it seems, it is boys who are the cause of concern.

 

2. Try to remember the following words:

high-flying	честолюбний
under-achieving	який вчиться нижче своїх можливостей
out- perform	устигати краще
A-level	Advanced level
GCSE	General Certificate of Secondary Education

 

3. Write 8 true and false sentences according to the content of the text.In turns read those sentences to the group and ask your fellow-students to decide whether they are right or wrong.

4. Compose a short plan for retelling.

5. Retell the text according to your plan.

 

Text 14

STUDENT LIFE

1. Read the following text and compose a sort plan for retelling.

The popular image of student life is of young people with few responsibilities enjoying themselves and doing very little work. This is often not true. Many older people now study at col1ege or university, sometimes on а part-time basis while having а job and looking after а family. These students are often highly motivated and work very hard.

Younger students are often thought to be lazy and careless about money but this situation is changing. In Britain reduced government support for higher education means that students can no longer rely on having their expenses paid for them. Formerly, students received а grant towards their living expenses. Now most can only get а loan which has to be paid back. From 1999 they also have to pay Ј1 000 towards tuition fees. In the US students have to pay for tuition and room and board. Many get financial aid package which may include grants, scholarships and loans. The fear of having large debts places considerable pressure on students and many take part-time jobs during the term and work full-time in the vacations.

Many students in Britain go to а university away from their home town. They usually live in а hall of residence for their first year, and then move into digs (=а rented room in а private house) or share а house with other students. They may go back home during vacations, but after they graduate most leave home for good. In the US too, many students attend colleges some distance from where their parents live. They may live on campus in one of the dorms (=halls), or off campus in apartments and houses which they share with housemates. Some students, especially at larger universities, join а fraternity or sorority, а social group usually with its own house near the campus. Fraternities and sororities often have names which are combinations of two or three letters of the Greek alphabet. Some people do not have а good opinion of them because they think that students who are members spend too much time -having parties. Many US colleges and universities encourage an atmosphere of political correctness to try to help students get on together.

In Britain the interests of students are represented by а range of societies, clubs and social activities including sports, drama and politics. One of the highlights (=main events) of the year is rag week, а week of parties and fund-raising activities in support of various charities.

Especially in their first year, US students spend а lot of time on social activities. One of the most important celebrations, especially at universities which place а lot of emphasis on sports, is homecoming. Many alumni (=former students) return to their alma mater (=college) for а weekend in the autumn to watch а foot-ball game. During homecoming weekend there are also parties and dances, and usually а parade.

When social activities take up too much time, students skip lectures (=miss them) or cut class (АmЕ) and take incompletes (АmЕ), which means they have to finish their work after the vacation. In the us this has the effect of lowering their course grades, but most US universities expect this behavior from students and do little to stop it. Students are thought to be old enough to make their own decisions about how hard they work and to accept the consequences. А few students drop out (АmЕ flunk out) but the majority try hard to get good grades and а good degree.

 

From “A Guide of British and American Culture”

 

2. Try to remember the following words:

grant	дотація, субсидія
loan	позика
tuition free	плата за навчання
board	харчування
financial aid package	грошова допомога
debt	борг
hail of residence	гуртожиток
for good	назавжди
campus	територія університету
fraternity	студентське земляцтво
sorority	жіноче земляцтво
rag	раг, студентський похід (по вулицях унiверситетськоro міста з виступами самодіяльності; проводиться раз на piк для збору пожертвувань з блаroдiйною метою)
homecoming	університетський вечір за участю колишніх випускників
to skip lecture	пропускати заняття
to drop out	виключати

 

3. Give the Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and word combinations.

Responsibility – __________________________________________

to reduce government support – _____________________________

to pay for tuition – ________________________________________

to get financial aid package – _______________________________

to take part- time jobs – ____________________________________

to live on campus – _______________________________________

a hall of residence – ______________________________________

4. Write out the most important 15 sentences from the text on a separate sheet of paper. Cut your paper into 15 pieces so that each piece should contain one sentence. Mix them and ask your partner to put the sentences into the correct order to make a summary of the text. Trade roles.

5. Compose a short plan for retelling.

6. This time you have to retell the text you have read according to your partner’s plan.

 

Text 15

CAMBRIDGE TRADITIONS

1. Study the following text.

Alison Richard squeals when I ask about а photograph that apparently shows her scrambling onto the bonnet of Harold Wilson's car. The year was 1967 and she was а young anthropology student at Newnham College, Cambridge, taking part in а demonstration against involvement in the Vietnam War. The then prime minister was on а visit to the city.

"That wasn't me! I never wore an anorak with а hood. I had long, dark hair. That's а man in that photo... And I wasn't the first onto that car – I wasn't that radical," she protests.

In October Professor Richard, 54, started her job as the first female vice-chancellor with full executive powers in Cambridge's history.

Perhaps surprisingly, she recently revealed details of her protester's past to the university newsletter; fondly reminiscing about а policeman carefully grabbing her knees, lowering her from the car and putting her on the pavement.

She may have become part of the Establishment but the radical bent of the Kent-born academic remains. While many vice-chancellors are champing at the bit to start charging students tuition fees of up to Ј3,000 а year, Richard – who took а pay cut from her previous job as provost at Yale to come to Cambridge - is more cautious. She won't support the government's proposal right now; although Yale charges а lot more – around Ј24, 000 for а degree.

Her bottom line is that if charging higher fees stops poor students coming to Cambridge then she won't agree that the university should do it. But she could be persuaded if the university can afford to cover the fees of all poor students with а bursary scheme.

So, one of the first tasks she has set herself is to work out whether Cambridge can afford а bursary scheme that would pay for every single bright student who is offered а place but would otherwise lack the money to come.