1、Reading 1WHAT IS STRESS?The term stress has been defined in several different ways. sometimes the term is applied to stimuli or events in our environment that make physical and emotional demands on us, and sometimes it is applied to our emotional and physical reactions to such stimuli. in this discu
2、ssion, we will refer to the environmental stimuli or events as stressors and to the emotional and physical reactions as stress.压力这个词已经有几种不同的定义。有时候这个术语适用于我们环境中的刺激或事件，这些刺激或事件会对我们产生身体和情感方面的要求，有时也适用于我们对这种刺激的情绪和身体反应。 在这个讨论中，我们将环境刺激或事件称为压力，并将情绪和身体上的反应称为压力。Many sorts of events be stressors, including disas
3、ters, such as hurricanes or tornadoes; major life events, such as divorce or the loss of a job; and daily hassles, such as having to wait in line at the supermarket when you need to be somewhere else in 10 minutes. What all this events have in common is that they interfere with or threat our accusto
4、med way of life. when we encounter such stressors, we must pull together our mental and physical resources in order to deal with the challenge. How well we succeed in doing so will determine how serious a toll the stress will take on our mental and physical well-being.许多事件都是压力源，包括灾难，如飓风或龙卷风; 重大生活事件，
5、如离婚或失业; 每天都有麻烦，比如当你要在 10 分钟内到别的地方去却不得不在超市排队等。 所有这些事件都有共同之处，就是它们干涉或威胁我们习惯的生活方式。 当我们遇到这样的压力时，我们必须整合我们的精神和物质资源来应对挑战。我们如何成功地做到这一点将决定压力对我们身心健康将产生多大的影响。Reacting to stressorsThe Canadian physiologist Hans Seyle has been the most influential writer on stress. Seyle proposed that both humans and other animal
6、s react to any stressor in three stages, collectively known as the general adaptation syndrome. the first stage, when the person or animal becomes aware of the stressor is the alarm reaction. In this stage the organism becomes highly alert and aroused, energized by a burst of epinephrine. After the
7、alarm reaction comes the stage of resistance , as the organism tries to adapt to the stressful stimulus or to escape from it. If these efforts are successful, the state of the organism returns to normal. If the organism cannot adapt to the continuing stress, however, it enters a stage of exhaustion
8、or collapse.加拿大生理学家 Hans Seyle 在压力方面一直是最有影响力的作家。 塞尔提出，人类和其他动物在三个阶段对任何压力源作出反应，统称为一般适应综 合症。 第一阶段，当人或动物意识到应激源时，就是警报反应 。 在这个阶段，机体变得高度警觉和激起，并被一阵肾上腺素所激发。 当警 报反应进入抵抗阶段后，机体 试图适应压力刺激或逃避压力。 如果这些努力成功，机体的状态就会恢复正常。 然而，如果生物体不能适应持续的压力，它就进入衰竭或崩溃的阶段。Seyle developed his model of the general adaptation syndrome as a r
9、esult of research with rats and other animals. In rats, certain stressors, such as painful tail-pulling consistently led to the same sorts of stress reactions in humans, however, it is harder to predict what will be stressful to a particular person at a particular time. Whether a particular stimulus
10、 will be stressful depends on the persons subjective appraisal of that stimulus. How threatening is it? How well have I handled this sort of thing in the past? how well will I be able to handle it this time? for one person, being called on to give a talk in front of a class is a highly stressful sti
11、mulus that will immediately produce such elements as a pounding heart and a dry mouth. for another person, being called on to give a talk is not threatening at all, but facing a deadline to complete a term paper is extremely stressful. in humans, moreover, the specific stress reaction is likely to v
12、ary widely; some stressful situations give rise predominantly to emotions of fear, some give rise to anger, and some give rise to helplessness and depression.由于对老鼠和其他动物的研究， Seyle 开发了他的一般适应综合征模型。在老鼠身上，某些压力因素，比如痛苦的尾巴拉扯，一直导致和人类出现同样的压力反应，然而，在特定的时间很难预测什么会对某个人造成压力。一个特定的刺激是否会产生压力取决于该人对该刺激的主观评价。这有多大威胁？我 过去如
13、何处理这类事情？ 这次我能处理多好？对于一个人来说，在班级面前讲话是一种高度 压力的刺激，会立即 产生心跳和口干等元素。对另一个人来说，讲话根本不是威胁，但是面对完成学期论文的期限是非常 紧张的。此外，在人 类中，特定的应激反应可能差异很大;一些压力的情况主要是恐惧情绪，一些引起 愤怒，一些引起无助和沮丧。Reading 2COPING WITH STRESS 应对压 力It is Friday evening and two young lawyers get phone calls at home. The trial data for an important case has been
14、 moved up. Both of the lawyers will now have to prepare a report for the case by Monday morning. It is a threatening situation for both. Each must do extensive research and write a complex document of some 40 pages, all in a single weekend. furthermore, each knows that her work will be evaluated by
15、the firms partners, and how well she does may greatly in fluence her future in the firm.现在是星期五晚上，两位年轻 律师在家接到了电话。一个重要案件的审判数据已被公布。 现在两位律师都必须在星期一早上准备一份报告。 这对双方都是一种威胁。 每个人都必须进行广泛的研究，并在一个周末内完成大约 40 页的复杂文档。 此外，每个人都知道她的工作将由公司的合作伙伴进行评估，而且她做得如何可能极大地影响她在公司的未来。One of the lawyers finds the situation extremely s
16、tressful; she feels tremendous anxiety, experiences headaches and stomach upset, and has difficulty working. she somehow manages to produce a report, but she is not at all happy with it. the other lawyer, although she too feels the pressure of the situation, sees it not so much as a threat but as a
17、challenge-an opportunity to show how good she is. she moves into the firms offices for the weekend and sleeping only three hours a night, completes a brilliant report with a clear mind and a surge of energy. as this example helps illustrate, stress is caused not so much by events themselves as by th
18、e ways in which people perceive and react to events.其中一位律师认为情况极其紧张; 她感到非常焦虑，经历头 痛，胃部不适，而且很难工作。 她以某种方式设法做出报告，但她 对此并不满意。 另一位律师虽然也感受到了这种情况的压力，但并不认为这是一种威 胁，而是一种挑 战 - 一个显示她有多好的机会。 她周末进入公司办公室，每晚只睡三个小 时，精神清醒，精力充沛，完成了一篇精彩的报告。 正如这个有力的例子说明的那样，压力不是由事件本身引起的，而是由人们对事件的感知和反应的方式引起的。Degree of control 控制程度An importan
19、t influence on peoples ability to cope with stressful situations is the degree of control that they feel they can exercise over the situation. both animals and humans have been found to cope better with painful or threatening stimuli when they feel they can exercise some degree of control rather tha
20、n being passive and helpless victims. such a sense of control can help minimize the negative consequences of stress, both psychological and physical. in one well-known experiment, Jay Weiss administered electric shocks to pairs of rats. In each pair, one of the two animals was given a degree of cont
21、rol over the situation; it could reach through a hole in the cage and press a panel that would turn off the shock both for itself and for its partner. Thus, the two rats received exactly the same number of shocks, but one was passive and helpless, and the other was in control. after a continuous 21-
22、hour session, the animals were sacrificed and their stomachs examined for ulcers. those rats that could exert control had much less ulceration than their helpless partners. 人们应对压力的能力的一个重要影响是他们觉得自己可以对局势进行控制的程度。当动物和人类觉得自己可以行使某种程度的控制权，而不是被 动 和无助的受害者时， 动物和人类都能更好地应对痛苦或威胁的刺激。 这种控制感可以帮助最大限度地减少心理和生理 压力的负面影响
23、。在一个众所周知的 实验中，杰伊 韦斯（Jay Weiss）对成对的老鼠进行电击。在每一对中，两只动物中的一只受到一定程度的控制，它可以通 过笼 子里的一个洞，并按下一个面板，可以为自己和它的伙伴关 闭震动。因此，这两只老鼠受到的冲击数量完全相同，但是一只被动无助，另一只控制住了。连续 21 小时后，将动物处死并检查其胃部是否溃疡。那些可以控制的老鼠比他们无助的伴侣溃疡要少得多。The ability to control painful stimuli often benefits humans, too. For example, the loud music coming into yo
24、ur ears from your iPod is probably not stressful; in fact, its quite enjoyable. but the same music coming from your neighbors house can be terribly and stressful. merely knowing that one can control a noise makes it less bothersome. Thats one reason why your loud music does not bother you-you know y
25、ou can turn it off.控制疼痛刺激的能力也经常使人类受益。 例如，从你的 iPod 进入你的耳朵大声的音乐可能没有压力， 事 实上，这是相当愉快的。 但是来自你邻居家的同样的音乐可能会让你非常紧张。 只知道一个人能控制噪音会减少麻烦。 这就是为什么你的嘈杂音乐不会打扰你 - 你知道你可以把它关掉。Predictability 可预测性Even when you cannot control them, unpleasant events tend to be less stressful if they are predictable - if you at least kno
26、w when they will occur. This was demonstrated by Weiss in another study with rats. One group of rats heard a buzzer about 10 seconds before they would receive a shock; although the animals could not escape the shock at least they had a chance to prepare themselves for the expected pain. A second gro
27、up of rats received no such warnings; The shocks came unpredictably. Weiss found that the rats that were forewarned of the shocks developed fewer ulcers than the rats that were not forewarned. This finding has parallels in human life. the death of a loved one, for example, is usually less traumatic
28、when it is anticipated than when it is unexpected. On a less tragic level, many students find surprise quizzes to be more upsetting than scheduled quizzes that they can prepare for.即使你无法控制他们，如果不愉快的事件是可 预测的，那么往往会减轻压力 - 如果你至少知道他们什么时候会发生。 Weiss 在另外一项关于老鼠的研究中证实了这一点。 一组老鼠在接到电击前约 10 秒钟听到蜂鸣声， 虽然动物至少不能逃避震荡，
29、但他们有机会为预期的痛苦做好准备。 第二组老鼠没有收到这样的警告; 冲击变得难以预料。 Weiss 发现，预先警告的老鼠发生的溃疡比没有预先警告的老鼠要少。 这一发现与人类生活相似。 例如，所 爱的人的死亡在预期的时候通常没有比在意想不到的时候痛苦。 在不那么悲惨的水平上，许多学生发现突击测验比他们可以准备的定期测验更令人不安。Personality factors 个性因素Are some people generally better than others at coping with stress? Research suggests that the answer is yes -
30、that there is a certain kind of person who has a relatively stress-resistant personality. The leading researcher in this field has been Suzanne Kobasa. Dr.Kobasa found that people who cope well with stress tend to have three characteristics: They are committed to what they are doing, they feel in co
31、ntrol (rather than powerless), and they welcome moderate amounts of change and challenge. In studies of people facing stressful situations, Kobasa and her associates found that those with stress-resistant personalities- that is, those who are high in commitment, control, and challenge-experience few
32、er physical illnesses than those whose personalities are less hardly. 有些人一般比其他人更好地应付压力吗？ 研究表明答案是肯定的 - 有某种人具有相应对抗压力的性格。 这个领域的 领先研究者是 Suzanne Kobasa。 Kobasa 博士发现，处理压力的人倾向于有三个特点：他们致力于他们正在做的事情，他 们 感到可控的（而不是无能为力），他们欢迎适度的变化和挑战。 在面对压力情况的人们的研究中，Kobasa 和她的同事发现那些有抗性的个性 - 即那些高度承诺，控制和挑 战的人 - 比那些性格不那么强壮的人经历更少的身体
33、疾病。Until quite recently, it was generally believed that to maintain good health people should strive to avoid stressors in their lives. Such a strategy can be quite limiting, however. The desire to avoid stress may also lead people to avoid potentially beneficial changes in their lives, such as job
34、changes or promotions. Moreover, the attempt to avoid stress is often unrealistic. How, for example, can a person avoid such shocks as a parents death? in fact, if people do not confront a certain amount of stress in their lives, they will end up being bored and unstimulated, which also can be physi
35、cally harmful. In the last analysis, each person needs to come to terms with stress in his or her own way, sometimes trying to avoid it, but sometimes accepting it or even seeking it out as a challenge to be mastered.直到最近，人们普遍认为，要保持良好的健康，人们应该努力避免生活中的压力。 然而，这样的策略可能相当有限。 避免压力的愿望也可能导致人们避免潜在的有益的生活变化，如工作
36、变动或晋升。 而且，避免压力的尝试往往是不现实的。 例如，一个人如何避免父母死亡这样的冲击？ 事实上，如果人们在生活中不面对一定的压力，他们最终会感到无聊和没有受到刺激，这也会造成身体上的 伤害。 在最后的分析中，每个人都需要用自己的方式来应对压力，有时试图避免压力，但有时候会接受压力，甚至把压力看作是一个挑战。Reading 3STRESS AND ILLNESS 压力和疾病In many stressful situations, the bodys response can improve our performance we become more alert, and better
37、able to take effective action. But when stress is encountered continually, the bodys reactions are more likely to be harmful than helpful to us. As will be seen later in this unit, the production of stress-related hormones seems to make people more susceptible to heart disease. And stress reactions
38、can reduce the disease-fighting effectiveness of the bodys immune system, thereby increasing susceptibility to illnesses, ranging from colds to cancer. Other diseases that can result at least in part from stress include arthritis, asthma, migraine headaches, and ulcers. Workers who experience the gr
39、eatest amount of job pressure have been found to be especially likely to suffer from a large number of illnesses. Moreover, many studies have shown that people who have experienced major changes in their lives are at an unusually high risk for a variety of illnesses.在许多紧张的情况下，身体的反 应可以改善我们的表现 - 我们变得更
40、加警觉，并且能 够更好地采取有效行动。但是当压 力持续不断，身体的反 应更有可能是有害的，而不是对我们有帮助。正如本单元稍后将会看到的那 样， 压力相关激素的产 生似乎使人们更易患心脏病。而压力反应会降低人体免疫系统的抗病能力，从而增加感染疾病的可能性，从感冒到癌症。其他可导致压力的疾病包括关节炎，哮喘，偏头痛和溃疡。 发现工作压力最大的工作人员特别容易患上大量的疾病。此外，许多研究表明，那些经历过重大变化的人，患上各种疾病的风险非常高。As an example of stress-induced illness, take the case of stomach ulcers, small
41、 lesions in the stomach wall that afflict one out of every twenty people at some point in their lives. Ulcers are a common disorder among people who work in occupations that make heavy psychological demands from assembly line workers to air-traffic controllers. In such cases, stress tends to be the
42、culprit. Stress leads to increased secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Hydrochloric acid normally helps to break down foods during digestion, but in excess amounts it can eat away at the stomach lining, producing ulcers.以压力引起的疾病为例，以胃 溃疡为例，胃壁中的小病灶在生命中某一时刻每 20 人中就有一人受到折磨。在人们的工作中，从从事流水线工作人员到
43、空中交通管制 员都有强烈的心理需求，他们中溃疡是一种常见 的疾病。在 这种情况下，压力往往是罪魁祸首。 压力导致胃酸分泌增加。 盐酸通常有助于在消化过程中分解食物，但是过量的话，它可以在胃里吃掉， 产生溃疡。Stress and cancer 压力与癌症One of the least understood diseases, and partly for that reason one of the most feared, is cancer, which is the second leading cause of death in America. Medical scientists
44、 and researchers are still trying to understand the biological mechanisms of cell behavior that underlie the onset and development of cancer. However, studies seem to suggest that there may be links between emotions and cancer.最不了解的、部分由于这个原因最令人害怕的疾病之一是癌症，这是美国的第二大死亡原因。医学科学家和研究人员仍在试图了解细胞行为的生物学机制，这是癌症发
45、病和发展的基础。然而，研究似乎表明情绪和癌症之 间可能有联系。These links involve the functioning of the bodys immune system, a collection of billions of cells that travel through the bloodstream and defend the body against invasion by foreign agents, including bacteria and viruses, and against cells that become cancerous. Psycho
46、logical factors can influence immune functioning and the field of research on these influences is called psychoimmunology. It is believed that small cancers form frequently in everyone, but our immune system usually rejects them. However, prolonged stress may lead to elevated levels of corticosteroi
47、ds and to lower levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the brain. These and other changes apparently make it harder for the immune system to reject cancer cells. When the organism copes with the stress in an active way, these changes in the immune system seem to be minimized when the organ
48、ism reacts with helplessness and depression, the changes are maximized.这些环节涉及人体免疫系统的功能， 汇集在血液中的数十 亿细胞，保 护机体免受包括细菌和病毒在内的外来物质的侵袭，抵御癌 细胞的侵袭。 心理因素会影响免疫功能，对这些影响的研究领域称为心理免疫学。 人们相信每个人都会经常形成小癌症，但是我们的免疫系统通常会排斥他们。 然而， 长时间的压力可能会导致皮质类固醇水平升高，并导致脑内神经递质去甲肾上腺素水平降低。 这些和其他的变化显然使免疫系统更难排斥癌细胞。 当机体以一种积极的方式应对压力时，免疫系 统中的这些
49、变化似乎被最小化，当机体以无助和抑郁症反应时，这些变化会被最大化。Animal studiesThese links between stress, helplessness, immune function, and cancer have been demonstrated experimentally in studies with animals. In one study, conducted by Sklar and Anisman, three groups of mice were injected with the same number of cancer cells. One group was exposed to an electric shock that they could learn to escape by jumping over a barrier to safety. A second group was exposed to the same duration of shock, but had no means of actively coping with the stress. The third group was never shocked. The cancer
