轉發物件 | 高中及以上水平學習者
說明
《英語時文閱讀》適合高中水平閱讀，分為二輯，每輯有24個模組，每個模組5篇文章。文章基本按照由易到難的順序排列。每篇文章後面都有問題、詞彙表和註釋。後面附有答案，供閱讀時參考。
Passage 4
Leisure
休閒
Does it seem like everyone you know is stressed out， too busy， or tired？ Do you feel like you never have time to just relax？ Do you dream about being on vacation？ Well， you are not alone。 Most people have too much to do， and too little time。 In addition， people in the United States think it is very important to get things done and keep busy。 It is not surprising that stress is a common part of everyone’s life。
We often think that a vacation will help us relax。 But most of us find that after a few days back at work or school， we feel the usual stress。 The question is， how can we make relaxation and leisure time part of our daily lives？ Here are some ways to reduce stress in your everyday life。
1。 Exercise！ Exercise is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce stress。 When we exercise， our stress level automatically goes down。 If your day is stressful， take 20 minutes or more for a walk， a bike ride， or a sport。
2。 Get enough sleep。 If you don’t get enough sleep， you may feel more nervous。 In addition， you will have a harder time doing your work。 When you can’t work well， you make stress for yourself。 When you have a good night’s sleep， you will wake up with a good attitude about the day。
3。 Enjoy a sense of humor。 Having a good laugh about something relaxes us。 Laughter helps us take a break。 Take time to read the jokes in the newspaper， watch a comedy on TV or at the movies， or share jokes with a friend。
4。 Eat properly。 Eat regular meals， and don’t eat too much sugary food。 Sugar gives quick energy， but soon you will feel tired again。
5。 Practice relaxation techniques。 There are many different relaxation techniques that can help you reduce stress。 Some techniques just take a few minutes， and can be done at any time during the day。 Some common relaxation techniques are： deep breathing， meditation（冥想）（sitting still and quieting the mind）， massage（按摩）， or yoga（瑜伽）。
6。 Make time for some leisure activity every day。 What do you like to do that relaxes you？ Is there something you enjoy doing that always makes you feel better？ Think about hobbies or activities that give you pleasure。 Perhaps you like to cook， or garden， or read a book。 Some people like to watch a TV show， or go shopping。 Make a list of leisure activities that only require 30 or 40 minutes。 These are the things you will probably have time to do during the week。 But even a short break from your “to do” list will make a difference in your stress level。
Exercises:
1。 Choose the right answer according to the passage：
1） Does vacation help reduce stress？
A。 Yes， but only for a short time。
B。 No， not at all。
2） Why is exercising a good way to relax？
A。 Exercise reduces stress levels in our bodies。
B。 Exercise is easy to do。
3） How does sleep affect your stress level？
A。 Sleep is relaxing。
B。 If you don’t get enough sleep you may be more nervous。
4） Do you need a special place to do a relaxation exercise？
A。 Yes， always。
B。 Sometimes。
2。 Answer the following questions：
1） What happens if people don’t eat well？
2） How can you reduce stress if you don’t have much time？
Vocabulary Builder:
stress n。 壓力 v。 加壓， 強調
in addition 另外
reduce v。 減少；降低
effective adj。 有效的
automatically adv。 自動地
attitude n。 態度
sense of humor 幽默感
comedy n。 喜劇
properly adv。 適當地
energy n。 能量
make a difference 起作用
Notes:
1。 In addition， people in the United States think it is very important to get things done and keep busy。
另外，美國人很看重把事情做完而且忙忙碌碌。
2。 Sugar gives quick energy， but soon you will feel tired again。
糖能很快給人提供能量，但不久你就再次感覺疲勞。
3。 But even a short break from your “to do” list will make a difference in your stress level。
但是，即使從拋開你的“必做”列表進行的短暫休息也能改變你的壓力水平。
Key to the exercises:
1： 1） A 2）A 3） B 4） B
2：
1） They will get tired easily。
2） Take a short break。
［英漢對照］現代美文閱讀-114 | TV Fascination
