环球英语 — 158：Healthy Working

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Stress, the pressure of life, pushing down on our minds, bodies and emotions. It makes us angry. It can make us tired. It can even harm our bodies. One of the most common reasons for stress is work. Something that all people do.
Today’s Spotlight is on healthy work behaviour.
Voice 2
Dan and Sam were in a good relationship. They had been dating for a while. One day they decided² to move away from their home in the United³ Kingdom. Sam quit her job to prepare for the move. Dan worked more during the week to make enough money to move. He worked every day.
Voice 1
Dan had no time to do the things he wanted. He did not have time to rest. His head often hurt. And when Dan did return home at night, he could not quickly rest. Dan said,
Voice 3
“I was very tired. But when I got home I would not be able to rest. I would have to stay awake until I could calm down. I was able to do this for the four months, but could not have done it any longer.”
Voice 2
Sam noticed that their relationship was suffering.
Voice 4
“The hours Dan was working would change from day to day. But he would never come home before nine or ten at night. Things were not easy. I found myself getting angry. I would shout at him because he was at work ... He was getting very tired all the time. He was getting sick. He is not as fit and healthy as he used to be.”
Voice 1
Today, Dan and Sam are doing much better. They moved to New Zealand and are happy with their new life. But Dan was not alone in his work behaviour. Scientists have found that around twelve million [12,000,000] people in Britain put work before their friends and family. The experts also say, those numbers are increasing.
Voice 2
But Britain is not the only place where people work too much. Working too much, and stress from work, is also a serious problem in Japan. In Japan, it is common for people to work twelve hours a day. Workers usually have up to thirty [30] days of paid time away from work. But many people only use five or six of these days.
Voice 1
This work pressure causes problems for people. More people have been dying⁴ at work. And the Japanese Labor⁵ Ministry⁶ says more people have been killing⁷ themselves because of stress at work. The Japanese call it Karoshi, meaning death by working too much.
Voice 2
Scientists have known⁸ for a long time that stress can cause health problems. But recently, they have found a clear connection between work stress and metabolic⁹ syndrome¹⁰. The researchers found that people with high levels of work stress are much more likely to suffer from high blood pressure. Work stress also increases the chances of having high cholesterol¹¹ levels in the blood. Both these problems lead to other health problems such as diabetes¹² and heart disease¹³.
Voice 1
Researchers also found that these health problems can become more dangerous on particular days. A Japanese study shows that a person’s blood pressure is higher on Monday mornings. This is the day that most people return to work. The stress of a new week of work can be dangerous for some people. In the United Kingdom twenty [20] percent more people have heart attacks on Monday mornings. If a person already has heart problems, the stress of returning to work may push them to have a heart attack.
Voice 2
Work is a necessary part of life. There are things a person can do to reduce stress at his job. These suggestions come from the BBC¹⁴.
First, balance your work-life. Here are some ways to do that.
Voice 1
Make lists to stay organized. This helps to plan the work-day.
Voice 2
Be realistic¹⁵ with your goals. Do not say something will take ten [10] minutes if it will take an hour. This will help you work better with other people at your job.
Voice 1
Get others to help. Sharing work duties can make work less stressful.
Voice 2
And take some time away from work. This may be just a few minutes, hours or even a few days. Taking time away from work helps you to concentrate¹⁶ on your work!
Voice 1
The second way to reduce stress from work is to get more sleep. Often, people cannot sleep because of the stress. Here are some ways to improve your sleep behavior.
Voice 2
Before you go to sleep write down what you need to do the next day. Worrying about the next day can affect your sleep.
Voice 1
Do something calming and enjoyable before you sleep. This can help you to stop worrying.
Voice 2
At night, do not drink coffee, or other drinks that contain the chemical caffeine. They will prevent you from sleeping well.
Voice 1
The third way to reduce stress from work is to avoid it. Here are some ways to avoid stress.
Voice 2
Learn what causes you stress. Maybe it is sudden¹⁷ changes, or social situations. Knowing what causes you stress helps you solve the problem.
Voice 1
Talk to someone you trust about your problems. Sharing your worries and problems can help.
Voice 2
Take time to be calm. Stretch your body. Take deep breaths¹⁸. Listen to calming music. This can reduce stress.
Voice 1
Think good thoughts. Thinking that something may go wrong, makes stress worse. Do not worry about the things that you cannot control.
Voice 2
And finally, eat healthy food and exercise. A healthy body helps the mind to stay healthy as well.
Voice 1
Christians¹⁹ believe it is good to share your stress with God. He will help us in difficult times.
Voice 2
Work is an important part of life. We work to support ourselves and the people we love. Our jobs should make our lives better, not worse. And most importantly, our jobs should never harm our health. What can you do today to reduce stress in your job? How can you make work less stressful for other people too?
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

4 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

9 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

10 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

11 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

12 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

13 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

14 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

15 realistic   

adj.现实的，逼真的，现实主义的，实在论的

参考例句：

• She is a realistic woman.她是位很实际的女人。
• He will go down in history as a realistic poet.他将作为一个现实主义诗人而永载史册。

16 concentrate   

vt.集中；聚集；浓缩；vi.集中；全神贯注

参考例句：

• You should concentrate on the road when you're driving.开车时注意力应集中在路上。
• Concentrate your mind on study,Don't look around.专心学习，别东张西望的。

17 sudden   

n.突然，忽然；adj.突然的，意外的，快速的

参考例句：

• All of a sudden he turned about and saw me.他突然转过身来看见了我。
• The horse was badly frightened by the sudden noise.那匹马被突然而来的嘈杂声吓坏了。

18 breaths   

n.（一次）呼吸( breath的名词复数 )；气息；呼吸的空气；微量

参考例句：

• My breaths were coming in gasps. 我急促地喘起气来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The chill wind whipped in and out in gusty breaths. 一阵阵寒风像鞭子一样抽打着行人。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

19 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。