Direction: You are going to read some reading passages, each with 2-5 questions. For each question, choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

Do you feel stressed? Chances are, you do. Levels of stress in our society are increasing more and more these days, and this is true for both workers and students. There are a number of ways you can relieve stress, but there are also several ways in which you can avoid stress in the first place, and this article will focus on these. Here are four things you should avoid like the plague if you want to develop a more peaceful lifestyle.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a stressful day at work or college? Many of us collapse on the couch and reach for the TV remote. Don’t do it! Not only does the TV fill your living room with the stressful lives of on-screen characters, think about commercials. The aim of advertising is to make people feel that their lives are inadequate and unfulfilled. They often bring out negative emotions in viewers.

And while we are on the subject of television, have you noticed how much of the news we watch is bad news? Research states that over 90% of the news we watch, read or hear on the radio is bad news. In order to sell stories, the media bombard us with negative story after negative story. What is more, the stories which are reported are often ones which you have no control over, and this leads to a sense of powerlessness. Why not buy a local paper instead? The news is often far more optimistic, and you may be inspired to take action in a way that can have a positive effect on your own neighbourhood.

Avoiding television may also help you avoid another sort of stress – arguments. How often do you and your family row about what to watch on the television? Arguments will never help you feel better, and no-one ever wins an argument. When you feel that an argument is brewing, go for a walk or find a quiet place where you calm down, or you will only prolong the tension.
The last thing to avoid is caffeine. Anything which contains caffeine, and that includes coffee, tea, chocolate and even a nice soothing cup of cocoa, is a stimulant, and is more likely to keep you tense than relax you. Sugary drinks are also going to keep you buzzing. Have a cup of herbal tea and eat foods which are natural rather than processed.