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How often do you sit still and do absolutely nothing? The usual answer these days is “never”, or “hardly ever”. As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down and unwind. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life. There is no way to avoid it, since it takes many and varied forms--driving in traffic, problems with personal relationships are all different forms of stress. Stress, in fact, is not the “baddy” it is often reputed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to level performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people thrive on stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others crumple at the sight of unusual difficulties.
When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact, we invoke the “fight” mechanism, which in more primitive days made the difference between life and death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however minimal the stress, it involves the same response. All the energy is diverted to cope with the stress, with the result that other functions, such as digestion, are neglected.
It is when such a reaction is prolonged, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease（冠心病）all have established links with stress. The way stress affects a person also varies with the individual. Stress in some people produces stomach disorders, while others succumb to tension headaches. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives, we need to find ways to cope with it.
1. The reason that many people find it very difficult to relax these days is that ___.
A. they are working harder than they used to be.
B. they are often too busy to find the time.
C. they are suffering from the effects of stress.
D. they are not clear of how to relax by themselves.
2. We learn from the passage that ___.
A. how much stress one can bear depends greatly on whether he knows the art of relaxation.
B. people in primitive days survived from stress because they found certain mechanism to cope with it.
C. if one gets into the habit of relaxing every day he can overcome stress easily.
D. stress can lead to serious health problem if one is exposed to it for too long.
3. The sentence “Stress, in fact, is not the ‘baddy’ it is often reputed to be” suggests that ___.
A. stress used to have a bad reputation of causing ill health.
B. we should not take it for granted that stress is unavoidable.
C. stress is not so terrible as people often believe it to be.
D. people do not think stress is as harmful as it was before.
4. The pronoun “it” at the end of the passage refers back to __.
A. ill health
B. exposure
C. reaction
D. stress.
5. What is writer’s attitude to stress according to the passage?
A. Stress as well as relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
B. Stress produces both positive and negative effects on people.
C. Stress should not be eliminated completely from the life.
D. People usually work better under stress if they are healthy.
