contacto@speakactivenglish.com

First Review

1. Video Comprehension & Target Structures

Play the video "How stress can make you sick" and then answer the following questions. Answer using (or at least strongly attempting) the target structures: prepositions + verb-ing, wish, conditionals, passive voice, used to / get/be used to, verbs like stop / remember / etc + verb-ing.

Video taken form TEDEd

Questions: Answer in full sentences, integrating the target structures.

  1. After watching the video, what is one thing you wish you weren't doing in your daily life that contributes to your stress?
  2. How does the video explain what happens when the body is used to being in a state of chronic stress?
  3. What would happen if someone stopped doing one major stress-trigger activity mentioned in the video? (Use a conditional.)
  4. According to the video, which bodily systems are affected by being constantly exposed to stress and how?
  5. Describe a scenario from your own routine: what are you getting used to doing that you think should be changed because it raises your stress level?
  6. The speaker mentions that certain responses are triggered by being under stress. What are they and how might they be passively experienced?
  7. What's something you remember feeling when you were less stressed, and how is that different from now?
  8. If you used to have a calmer morning routine, how would your day be different now? (Use used to.)
  9. What's one thing you believe you should stop worrying about doing in relation to stress, and why?
  10. Imagine you had realised earlier the signs of chronic stress — what might have been different in your life? (Use the third conditional.)

2. Reading & Response

Here's a short reading passage on stress. After the reading, answer questions using the same range of structures.

Reading:

Many people today have become used to living in a state of constant pressure. They wake up and immediately start thinking about meeting deadlines, responding to messages and running to appointments. Sometimes stress is triggered by being stuck in traffic, or by having to deal with too many demands at once.

When someone is under chronic stress, the immune system may be weakened, the cardiovascular system may be compromised, and the sleep cycle may be disrupted. These effects are often passively experienced by the person — they don't notice until they become serious.

If a person stopped paying attention to their stress signals, they might later wish they had taken action earlier. They remember a time when life used to feel simpler and more relaxed. Now they are trying to adjust to a new normal: getting used to coping with high stress levels every day.

Answer the following questions:

  1. What have many people become used to doing daily?

  2. Which bodily systems may be compromised by chronic stress? Use passive voice in your answer.

  3. What might happen if someone stopped paying attention to their stress signals? Use a conditional.

  4. What is one thing the person in the reading remembers feeling?

  5. What are they getting used to coping with now?

  6. If they had realised their stress signals earlier, what might they have done differently? (Third conditional.)

  7. Name one example of something being triggered by stress.

  8. What is one thing you wish you weren't doing that this reading makes you think of?

  9. Think of an action you used to perform that helped you relax — describe it.

  10. How would your life be different now if you weren't used to living in such constant pressure?

3. Sentence Rewriting

Below are 10 sentences. Rewrite each using one of the target structures (prepositions + verb-ing, wish, conditional, passive voice, used to / get/be used to, stop/remember + verb-ing, etc.). Keep the meaning as close as possible but change the structure.

  1. I worry about my workload every morning.

  2. My body changes when I'm stressed.

  3. She doesn't notice how tired she is until she gets sick.

  4. We spend too many hours responding to emails after work.

  5. He felt relaxed when he was travelling last year.

  6. They ignore the warning signs of burnout.

  7. I want a life with less anxiety.

  8. Stress disrupts sleep for many people.

  9. She gradually adapted to working from home.

  10. If I realised the importance of rest earlier, I would have taken more breaks.