In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events.They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Negative events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some positive life-changing events, like marriage. When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not reflect how you dealwith stress—it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you handle these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy.
By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow, the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women’s magazines ran headlines like “Stress causes illness!” If you want to stay physicallyand mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events.
But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many—like thedeath of a loved one—are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription (处方) for staying away from opportunities as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move.
The notion that all stress makes you sick also ignores a lot of what we know about people. It assumes we’re all vulnerable (脆弱的) and passive in the face of adversity (逆境). But what about human initiative and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental vigor than they had before.We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom, and physical and metal strain.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us ________.
A. the way you handle major events may cause stress
B. what should be done to avoid stress
C. what kind of event would cause stress
D. how to cope with sudden changes in life
2. The studies on stress in the early 1970’s led to ________.
A. widespread concern over its harmful effects
B. great panic over the mental disorder it could cause
C. an intensive research into stress-related illnesses
D. popular avoidance of stressful jobs
3. The score of the Holmes-Rahe test shows ________.
A. how much pressure you are under
B. how positive events can change your life
C. how stressful a major event can be
D. how you can deal with life-changing events
4. Why is “such simplistic advice” (Line 1, Para. 3) impossible to follow?
A. No one can stay on the same job for long.
B. No prescription is effective in relieving stress.
C. People have to get married someday.
D. You could be missing opportunities as well.
5. According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become ____.
A. nervous when faced with difficulties
B. physically and mentally strained
C. more capable of coping with adversity
D. indifferent toward what happens to them
1.[C] 事实细节题。根据文章的第1句话可知，这两位科学家对造成人们压力的事件列了一个清单,故C与此相符,为正确答案。
2.[A] 事实细节题。根据文章第2段第2句“…millions of Americans... worried over the reports.”可见此研究报告引起了 widespread concern,故选A。
3.[A] 事实细节题。根据第1段第4句中的does not reflect..., it only shows...可知本题答案应为破折号后的内容，其中how much指的是how much stress,故可知A为正确答案。
4.[D] 推理判断题。这里的建议是指第2段末尾提出的“避免带来压力的事”。根据第3段第3句“而且，警告人们远离压力，这个处方不仅使人避免麻烦，同时也使人放弃了机会”,故选D。
5.[C] 推理判断题。根据文章倒数第2句“很多人经历一段时间的压力后，无论是身体还是精神都比原来更有活力”，故选C。
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