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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

WORRY
MORE, LIVE
LONGER
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1 Warm-up

What situations cause you stress? Do you consider stress as positive or negative?

2 Medical words and expressions

Match the expressions on the left with their definitions on the right.

1. the immune system a. a branch of medicine for or relating to old people

2. geriatric medicine b. a disease in which a person’s joints become painful and stiff

3. arthritis c. a disease in which cells in the body grow in an uncontrolled way

4. cancer d. a medical operation

5. heart disease e. the body’s ability to protect itself against infection

6. exhaustion f. the speed with which a person’s heart beats

7. surgery g. the state of being extremely tired

8. heart rate h. when blood containing oxygen cannot reach the heart

3 Check the answers

Decide if the following statements are true or false and read the text quickly to check your answers:

1. Most people believe that stress is bad. 4. Stressed people have worse memories.
2. People with less stressful lives live longer. 5. All types of stress are bad for your health.
3. Stress can help to prevent cancer. 6. Most people know when they feel stress.

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Worry more, live longer

Stress may not be the one-way ticket to an early grave that most of us assume. In fact, it could benefit
the immune system and even prevent cancers.

By Kate Hilpern

1.
Dr. Marios Kyriazis, a GP and expert in geriatric 6.
"If you think about it, all this is entirely logical.
medicine, is among a growing number of health If your body is stressed, it is stimulated and
professionals claiming that stress isn’t the one-way therefore continually has its immune system tested
road to illness and an early grave that most of us and provoked, which strengthens it," says Kyriazis.
assume. In fact, if it’s relatively short-term, it appears 7.
The general advice on recognizing good stress from
that stress can benefit the immune system and aging bad is asking yourself whether you feel a sense
process. In addition, it can prevent diseases such as of accomplishment or excitement either during or
Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and certain cancers. afterwards. An overwhelming feeling, on the other
2.
"We tend to blame stress for everything from hand, generally points to bad stress. If stress
exhaustion to bad moods to heart disease, but it’s all continues longer than 24 hours, it can also start to
a myth. Contrary to popular belief, stress is vital for spoil the good benefits of stress.
survival. I advise people to seek out stress because 8.
Anne Phillips, a health psychologist, is sceptical,
it can make you live longer. It’s people who have though, about whether people are really aware that
routine, uncomplicated, unchallenging lives that tend they are stressed. "When we get people to do
to be harder hit by ill-health," explains Kyriazis, who is calculations under time pressure, some participants
president of the British Longevity Society and author say they found it really stressful and yet we don’t find
of the book Anti-Aging Medicines. much of a reaction. Others say they felt relatively
3.
It’s the degree of stress that is important. "Research unstressed and yet their heart rate was up by 20
indicates that mild and moderate stress benefits the beats a minute."
body by increasing the production of special proteins 9.
It wouldn’t be fair to ignore the studies that suggest
that nourish brain cells," he says. short-term stress can precipitate severe illness and
4.
In particular, short-term stress benefits your memory even sudden death. Increases in the number
and can even protect against diseases such as of victims of heart attacks were recorded after
Alzheimer’s, says Kyriazis. Some research also earthquakes hit California, Greece, and Japan and
suggests stress may help to prevent breast cancer. during military conflicts.
Meanwhile, another study found that people who 10.
Dr. John MacLeod, a GP and reader at Bristol
experience moderate levels of stress before surgery University, is certainly unconvinced there is a proven
had a better recovery than those with high or low link with stress. One of his studies - of 5,600 men
levels. in 27 workplaces in Scotland - found a lower rate of
5.
Research by Texas University even revealed that heart disease and death overall in those most likely
people who spent most of their lives in undemanding to say their lives were stressful.
jobs had a 43 percent risk of dying prematurely - 11.
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
indicating that a regular amount of pressure at work
could keep the doctors away.

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4 Checking understanding

Answer the following questions:

1. What typical negative effects do people blame stress for?

2. What are the possible benefits of stress mentioned in the article?
3. Who is more likely to suffer from health problems, according to Dr. Kyriazis?
4. How can somebody recognize good stress from bad stress?
5. What evidence mentioned in the article contradicts the idea that short-term stress is healthy?

5 Find the words

Read the text again and find the words which mean:

1. dying young (phrase, SUBTITLE)

2. necessary, extremely important (adjective, P2)
3. too soon, before the natural expected time (adverb, P5)
4. very large or intense (adjective, P7)
5. destroy, reduce the good effects of something (verb, P7)

6 Phrases in the text

Match the words on the left with expressions on the right to form appropriate phrases:

1. prevent an illness (= to suddenly cause an illness to start)

2. blame brain cells (= to provide brain cells with what they need to grow and stay healthy)

3. nourish diseases (= to stop diseases from happening)

4. precipitate stress (= to say that stress is responsible)

7 Grammar - Emphatic structures

Study the following examples (1-2) from the text and decide how they differ from the sentences (a-b):

1. It’s the degree of stress that is important.

2. It’s people who have routine, uncomplicated, unchallenging lives that tend to be harder hit by
ill-health.

a. The degree of stress is important.

b. People who have routine, uncomplicated, unchallenging lives tend to be harder hit by ill-health.

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Rewrite the following sentences emphasizing the noun or phrase in bold:

1. The neighbors brought the boy to the hospital and saved his life.

2. Heart disease is often caused by high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

3. Paolo’s main problem is lack of exercise.

4. Rising unemployment might have serious economic and social consequences.

5. Tom broke a window, not a table.

6. Eric’s doctor didn’t advise him to take the day off work.

8 Linking words and phrases

Look at the following sentences from the article and the underlined expressions in the table on the
next page.

Stress may not be the one-way ticket to an early grave that most of us assume. In fact, it could
benefit the immune system and even prevent cancers.
In addition, it can prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and certain cancers.
Contrary to popular belief, stress is vital for survival.
In particular, short-term stress benefits your memory and can even protect against diseases such
as Alzheimer’s.
An overwhelming feeling, on the other hand, generally points to bad stress.
Anne Phillips, a health psychologist, is sceptical, though, about whether people are really aware
that they are stressed.

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Talking in general: generally

Saying that something is the opposite of what is in fact contrary to popular belief
considered to be true:
Making a contrast with what was said before: on the other hand though
Giving an additional point: in addition
Giving an example: in particular

Add the following expressions to the table above:

actually for instance furthermore however on the whole overall

Now complete the following text with suitable words and phrases:

The health benefits of green tea

1 2
, green tea is not made from a different plant than traditional tea. ,
it is made from the same plant as normal, black tea, but the leaves are preserved by steaming
them.
The health benefits of green tea have been known to the Chinese since ancient times. It has
been used to treat a variety of illnesses and conditions, including infections, headaches, and
3
depression. , many people believe these medical benefits are a myth. Recently,
4
, there has been increasing scientific evidence which proves that green tea is
5
indeed very good for you. , it has been found to have a high level of anti-
6
oxidants, substances which help the body fight illness. , there is research
7
indicating that the drink lowers total cholesterol levels. , researchers from the
University of Purdue in the United States, concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits
8
the growth of cancer cells. , the FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
stated that there was little credible evidence to support the claim that green tea can prevent
cancer.
9
, we can say that if only half of the reported medical benefits are true, drinking
green tea is very good for your health and it is recommended that humans drink as many as
3-4 cups of it a day.

9 Talking point

Which serious illnesses are common in your country? What are the typical reasons for this - lifestyle
/ climate / pollution etc.?

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Key

2. Medical words and expressions

Some medical terms featured in this lesson, especially the names of certain diseases and biological substances,
will need to be translated into the students’ own languages. Write the translations on the board where necessary.
In a multi-lingual class, the students should make use of their bilingual dictionaries.
1. e 2. a 3. b 4. c 5. h 6. g 7. d 8. f

3. Check the answers

1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F

4. Checking understanding

1. illness, exhaustion, bad moods, heart disease, early death

2. It can strengthen the immune system, prolong the aging process, benefit memory, and protect against certain
diseases such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and some types of cancer such as breast cancer. It can also help patients
recover from surgery.
3. people who have routine, uncomplicated, and unchallenging lives with undemanding jobs
4. Good stress produces a sense of accomplishment or excitement either during or afterwards. Bad stress
produces an overwhelming feeling and occurs when stress continues longer than 24 hours.
5. increases in the number of victims of heart attacks as a result of earthquakes and military conflicts

5. Find the words

1. an early grave 2. vital 3. prematurely

4. overwhelming 5. spoil

6. Phrases in the text

1. prevent −→ diseases (= to stop diseases from happening)

2. blame −→ stress (= to say that stress is responsible)
3. nourish −→ brain cells (= to provide brain cells with what they need to grow and stay healthy)
4. precipitate −→ an illness (= to suddenly cause an illness to start)

Have the students ask and answer questions about the text using the collocations, e.g., "What can prevent
diseases?" "Moderate stress."

7. Grammar - Emphatic structures

In 1 and 2, the writer wants to draw attention to particular parts of the sentences (’the degree of stress’ and
’people who have routine, uncomplicated, unchallenging lives’.) These particular types of emphatic structure are
known as cleft sentences. Point out their structure: ’It is/was etc., + emphasized noun or phrase + that + verb’
1. It was the neighbors who/that brought the boy to the hospital and saved his life.
2. It’s high levels of cholesterol in the blood that often cause heart disease.
3. It’s lack of exercise that is Paolo’s main problem.
4. It’s rising unemployment that might have serious economic and social consequences.

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5. It was a window that Tom broke, not a table.

6. It wasn’t Eric’s doctor who/that advised him to take the day off work.

8. Linking words and phrases

Point out the way the different structures are used in developing an argument. ‘In particular’ is used to introduce
the most important example. ‘Furthermore’ is used in more formal contexts.
1. Talking in general: generally; on the whole; overall
2. Saying that something is the opposite of what is considered to be true: in fact; contrary to popular belief;
actually
3. Making a contrast with what was said before: on the other hand; though; however
4. Giving an additional point: in addition; furthermore
5. Giving an example: in particular; for instance
1. Contrary to popular belief
2. In fact/Actually
3. However
4. though
5. For instance/In particular
6. In addition/Furthermore
7. In addition/Furthermore
8. However
9. Overall

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