Hello, everyone. Today I invite you to join me in an exploration off the causes of depression. There ate many factors involved, but I believe some deserve special attention.

Heredity certainly plays a role. .The tendency to develop depression may be inherited; there is evidence that this disorder may run in families.

Physiology is another factor related to depression. There may be changes or imbalances in chemicals which transmit information in the brain called neurotransmitters. Many modern antidepressant drugs attempt to increase levels of certain neurotransmitters so as to increase brain communication. While the causal relationship is unclear; it is known that antidepressant medications do reliever certain symptoms of depression.

Researchers also study psychological factors. They include the complex development of one’s personality and how one has learned to cope with external environmental factors, such as stress. It is freeqently observed that low self-esteem and self-defeating thinking are connected with depression. While it is not clear which is the cause and which is the effect, it is known that sufferers who are able to make corrections to their thinking patterns can show improved mood and self-esteem.

Another factor causing depression is one’s early experiences. Events such as the death of a parent, the divorce of the parents, neglect, chronic illness, and severe physical abuse can also increase the likelihood of depression later in life.

Some present experiences may also lead to depression. Job loss, financial difficulties, long periods of unemployment, the loss of a spouse or other family member, or other painful events may trigger depression. Long-term stress at home, work, or school can also be involved.

It is worth nothing that those living with someone suffering from \\depression experience increased anxiety which adds to the possibility of their also becoming depressed. Depression-causing Problem Description Solution Factors Heredity It is inherited and run in families. Physiology changes or imbalances in Antidepressant drugs chemicals called relieve certain neurotransmitters, which symptoms of transmit information in the depression. brain Psychological Low self-esteem and Sufferers who make Factors self-defeating thinking are correction to their connected with depression. thinking patterns can show improved mood and self-esteem. Early Experiences Event like the death of a Present Experiences Living somebody depression parent, the divorce of parents, neglect, chronic illness, and severe physical abuse can increase the likelihood of depression. Job loss, financial difficulties, long periods of unemployment, the loss of a spouse or other family member, or long-term stress may trigger depression. with This causes increased with anxiety, which adds to the possibility of their also becoming depressed. VI. Further Listening and Speaking

Task1: Reason and Emotion Script

Emotion is sometimes regarded as the opposite of reason; s is suggested by phrase such as” appeal to emotions rather than reason” and “don’t let your emotions take over”. Emotional reactions sometimes produce consequences or thoughts which people may later regret or disagree with; but during an emotional state, they could not control their actions. Thus, it is generally believed that one of the most distinctive facts about human beings is a contradiction between emotion and reason.

However, recent empirical studies do not suggest there is a clear distinction between reason and emotion. Indeed, anger or fear can often be thought of as an instinctive response to observed fact. The human mind possesses many possible reactions to the external world. Those reactions can lie on a continuum, with some of them involving the extreme of pure intellectual logic, which is often called “cold”, and others involving the extremes of pure emotion not related to logical agreement, which is called “the heat of passion”. The relation logic and emotion merits careful study. Passion, emotion, or feeling can reinforce an argument, event one based primarily on reason. This is especially true in religion or ideology, which frequently demands an all-or-nothing rejection or acceptance. In such areas of thought, human beings have to adopt a comprehensive view partly backed by empirical argument and partly by feeling and passion. Moreover, several researchers have suggested that typically there is no “pure” decision or thought; that is, no thought is based “purely”” on intellectual logic or “purely” on emotion—most decisions are founded on a mixture of both.

1. What results does the speaker may some from emotional reactions?

2. What is the popular belief about reason and emotion? 3. What does the speaker mean by “cold “?

4. According to the passage, what should people do in religious matters? 5. What is the speaker’s conclusion? Keys: 1.A 2.B 3.C 4.C 5.D

Task 2: Depression

Script

Pat: You look depressed. Are you feeling blue? I’ve come to cheer you up. Ted: But there’s nothing that can cheer me up. I’m down in the dumps. Life’s

miserable

Pat: You have to try to get your mind off things.

Ted: But I can’t. I just feel there’s too much pressure on me sometimes! Pat: You can’t let things get you down. Learn to relax and stop worrying all

the time. What’s your problem?

Ted: I failed my last exam, and another exam is coming, I get bored.

Pat: If I were you, I’d start working hard. If you work hard for a long time,

you’re bound to get better grades. You see, “no pain, no gain”.

Ted: It’s easier said than done! If I read for fifteen minutes, I get bored. Pat: You have to learn some self-discipline.

But how can I stay cheerful all the time?

Ted: Worse than that! If I read for half an hour, I get a headache. Then I start

to worry about passing the next exam.

Pat: It’s all in your mind. If you stay cheerful like me, everything will soon be OK.

Ted: But how can I stay cheerful all the time? Pat: Try to look on the bright side of things. Ted: But what if there isn’t a bright side?

Pat: You know the saying: Every cloud has a silver lining. It means there’re

always tow sides to everything—both the dark and the bright sides. So, try to identify your strengths and bring then into full play.

Ted: Oh, no! Your corny old sayings are making me even more depressed. Keys: TFFTF

Task3: Anger

Script

Anger is an emotion that can be hard to control. Despite this, we should learn how to manage anger in a constructive manner. In the most intense moments of anger, we usually have two choices: to fight or to run. Some choose the option of violence, which is a negative reaction to anger; and others choose to run. Some may think running means you are a coward. But the option of walking away and claiming down is the more productive method of handling anger. It is difficult to walk away, especially when your heart is racing, and your anger is boiling over.

There are constructive ways of handling anger in any situation. First, you have to stop for a brief moment and think before you act. Take that moment and calm down id you feel yourself being pushed.

At that moment you should admit you are angry. If you refuse to admit you’re angry or hurt, or if you make it appear that everything is peaches and cream, you are not managing angry in a productive way. You should first admit you are angry and let your feelings out before you blow up. Foe example, you can stay in a quiet place by yourself and shout; or you can talk to a close friend to vent your rage. If you do not acknowledge your anger, it only builds up inside you and will eventually explode like a volcano

Then, in order to manage your angry, you can ask yourself an important question that we all must ask ourselves, “What made me angry?” When you get the answer, and then ask yourself, “Why did that made me angry?” Through such logical reasoning, one tends to calm down and move toward a sensible solution.

News Report

U.S. Roller Coaster Script

The world’s first 4D roller coaster, “X”, took on its first passengers last week at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, just outside Los Angeles. After climbing on board and properly securing their safety harnesses, “X” riders are first to a height of over 66meters. At the top, the passenger train is released and builds up enough speed to race and plummet around the track at speeds of over 130km an hour.

The rider takes the daring passengers down an incredible 66m dive and over the top of a 62m loop, in cars that spin independently of the roller coaster train. This unique design allows riders to spin360degree, both forwards and backwards, through the entire ride.

Passengers hurtle through this ride often moving in many different directions at the same time ad the cars somersault back and forth and the roller coaster twists, loops, and dives.

The complicated series of maneuvers includes two raven turn, one front flip, one twisting front flip, and two back flips. Since passengers aren’t always facing the right direction to see what’s coming up next, the element of surprise is high. For “X” riders, this adds to the thrill of the ride.

The track of this newest roller coaster runs a total length of a little over1, 100meters. The passenger trains measure 6meters wide and 21meters long, large enough to carry 28 passengers at a time. At full capacity, the trains can take 1,600passengers for the ride of their lives each hour.

The entire ride lasts for only a total about 2minutes, but you can tell from the exhilarated faces of passengers returning to the boarding dock that they were two of the most thrilling minutes of heir lives.

Uint2

II. Basic Listening Practice

3. Script

W: Did you hear? Helen got modeling jib! She’s going to be sashaying down the catwalk.

M: Wow, that’s great! All that walking practice really paid off. And foe once she won’t be complaining about being so tall. Q: Why did Helen get modeling job?

4. Script

M: Julia, come and see the Miss America contest on TV. All those beautiful girls are walking around in bathing suits, so the judges can decide who has the best figure.

W: Bah! That’s the worst kind of exploitation. They are treating women like toys for people to enjoy. I would never take part in this kind of contest. Q: What do the man and the woman think about the beautify contest?

3. Script

W: What shall I do? I’m fat. I want to be slim and beauty, but I’m fat. I’ve tried all the new ideas, high carb and low carb, but nothing works. M: Those diets are just fads, popular for a while and then forgotten. Just follow the usual diet with fruits, vegetables, fish, water, and get plenty of exercise. Before long you’ll see results. Q: What has the woman tried?

4. Script

W1: I think Lily is really attractive. She’s half Spanish and has this really

sultry look about her.

W2: That explains why she tans so well. I’ve always been jealous of her skin

color in the summer.

Q: Which of following is true of Lily?

5. Script

M: Trust me, it was tight there on the Internet: “Plastic Surgery Increasing at a Faster Rate Among Men”. Apparently more and more men are trying to improve their appearance.

W: I saw it too on the news. Face-lifts, nose jobs, and box to hide wrinkle are now very popular with men. Men say it’s for business reasons, but we know it’s vanity.

Q: What does the woman think the real reason is that men have plastic surgery? Keys: 1.B 2.A 3. C 4D 5B

III. Listening In

Task 1: A Friendly Stylist

Stylist: Morning, sir. This chair, please. What can I do for you? Nick: A simple haircut: short on the back and sides.