【篇上】
Jim在走廊上遇到同事Claire，跟Claire打招呼。
Jim: Hey Claire, you've been really quiet these last few days. Is something wrong?
Claire: I've been really stressed. It's the end of the year and I've got so much stuff to do! I feel like I'm drowning in work.
J: Well, stress is a real thing. It's not an imaginary condition.
C: It's seriously affecting my life! I can't sleep, I don't have much of an appetite and my husband says I've been kind of short tempered. Other people seem to handle stress okay...why am I so weak?
Claire最近一直不太说话，原来是因为到年底了，有做不完的事情，I've been really stressed. 她感觉压力特别大。Claire说，I feel like I'm drowning in work. Drown, d-r-o-w-n, drown 溺水，在这里是一种比喻的说法，drown in work 意思是自己快要被工作压垮了。Claire不仅睡眠不好，食欲差，而且还动不动就发脾气，short tempered。大家都有压力，是不是只有Claire承压能力差呢? Jim说，
J: You're not weak...you're stressed out! Stress has been a part of the human condition for millions of years. Back when we still lived in the trees we had to watch out for predators...and as you might imagine, that was pretty stressful.
C: Yeah, but I don't see any tigers or leopards roaming around our office. My stress is just about silly paperwork!
J: But you're actually having the same reaction as our tree-dwelling ancestors! It's called the "flight or fight" response. Each time you feel like something's threatening you, your body decides whether to run away or fight...it causes all sorts of chemical reactions in the body.
Jim安慰Claire说，这是身体对过度压力所做出的反应，就好像原来住在树上的老祖宗，随时随地要watch out for predators警惕捕食者的来袭，虽然现代人压力的来源变了，但是Claire面对压力，身体做出的反应还是一样的，这种反应叫flight or fight response，要在逃跑还是交战之间做出选择。Claire似懂非懂。
C: So a deadline will cause that same reaction?
J: It could. Modern humans actually have more "flight or fight" responses than our ancestors did. They just had a couple of close calls every day, but today, we have dozens or even hundreds!
C: So the life of a cave woman was less stressful than my life?
Jim说，跟生活在树上的老祖宗相比，现代人每天面对的flight or fight的情况更多。他们以前每天可能只有几次遇到危险，close calls，a close call指险些发生的厄运，比如 I was almost run over by a car. It was a close call.(我差点没被车撞到，太悬了)。如果真像Jim说的，现代人比史前人类cave man或是cave woman面对的压力还大了?
【篇下】
Claire最近工作上压力很大，同事Jim和Tina给她出主意，如何减压。
T: You really have to make an effort to relax, and each person is different. My husband swears by classical music. He goes and sits in his room, turns on his stereo and listens to his favorite classical composers.
J: For me, sometimes I just need a good hard workout. I like to put on boxing gloves and hit a punching bag...makes me feel much better!
C: I've tried chanting and meditating a couple times, but I couldn't stop my brain from thinking about work. I can't seem to get in the zone.
Tina说，她老公觉得听古典音乐特别管用。He swears by classical music. swear by something 意思是坚信某事的功效，用在人身上，to swear by somebody则是很信任某个人。Jim说，他释放压力最行之有效的办法是去健身，I just need a good hard workout. Claire说，她也试过冥想，但就是无法get in the zone进入状态。
T: I saw a news article yesterday that says chocolate helps relieve stress. Maybe you just need a chocolate bar!
C: Now there's a therapy I can get behind!
J: I think the main thing to keep in mind here is that stress is a serious issue. You're not weak. You're not a loser. You just have to find what works for you. Everybody's different. Maybe rock music is what works for you.
Tina说，头天看报纸上说，吃巧克力可以减压，Claire开玩笑说，Now there's a therapy I can get behind. 意思是这种疗法我愿意尝试。不过言归正传，压力不是儿戏，身体对压力做出反应，并不意味着你脆弱，也不意味着你这人没用。每个人都需要找到对自己有效的减除压力的办法。
T: Speaking of rock music...there's a great concert happening downtown tomorrow night. We could all use a break. What do you say?
C: Sound like fun. and thanks.... you guys are true friends.
J: We're all in the same boat. Modern life is very stressful.
T: That's why we need friends.
C: You said it. See you tomorrow night!
T: It's a date!
Tina说，明晚有一场rock music摇滚音乐会，问Claire和Jim要不要一起去, We could all use a break. 意思是我们都需要放松一下。use在这里是享用的意思。比如 I could use a cup of coffee. 意思是我想喝杯咖啡。I could use some encouragement. 我需要点鼓励。Claire对朋友的帮助表示感谢，Jim说，We're all in the same boat. 我们的处境都一样，大家生活都很紧张，都需要学会放松。
今天的新概念英语相关内容就先说到这里了，下一期我们会介绍关于新概念英语更精彩的内容来展现给广大朋友们，同时您有什么好的意见或建议也可以通过在线客服进行留言哦，我们期待您关于新概念英语的宝贵意见！
京公网安备11010802021790号
