Pre-reading questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- How could you tell if someone is stressed?
- What do you usually advise people who are stressed?
Vocabulary
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- anxiety /ang-ZAHY-i-tee/
- minor /MAHY-ner/
- interviewee /IN-ter-vyoo-EE/
- forgive /fer-GIV/
- assume /uh-SOOM/
[noun] – an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future
Her voice has a hint of anxiety.
[adjective] – having little importance, influence, or effect, especially when compared with other things of the same type
The program has undergone some minor adjustments.
[noun] – the person who answers the questions during an interview
The next interviewee is my former classmate.
[verb] – to stop being angry with someone who has done something wrong
Please forgive me for coming late.
[verb] – to accept something to be true without question or proof
Let’s assume that the plan will be successful.
Article reading
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
If you’re stressed, there’s no need to hide it. According to recent research, showing signs of anxiety may improve the response you receive from others.
People frequently touch their faces and hair, twist their mouths, lick their lips, and bite their nails, among other minor habits that are associated with nervousness. 133 participants were asked by Jamie Whitehouse, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University, to assess fake interviews that showed these tendencies. As predicted, the interviewees’ level of anxiety could easily be observed by viewers, and this appeared to be due to those recognizable nonverbal indicators. In addition, a recent study by assistant professor Christopher Thorstenson of Rochester Institute of Technology found that a small blush on the face increased the rating of embarrassment and sincerity, which also raised the likelihood that people would be forgiven. However, how people respond to our nonverbal messages will differ depending on the circumstance. Coworkers who see us scowling at the office may wrongly interpret our stress signals as rage without any indication of the source of our troubles.
By learning to accept our anxiety, we may stop worrying about it. It’s safe to assume that the person who receives our hints will react more positively than we could have possibly predicted.
People frequently touch their faces and hair, twist their mouths, lick their lips, and bite their nails, among other minor habits that are associated with nervousness. 133 participants were asked by Jamie Whitehouse, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University, to assess fake interviews that showed these tendencies. As predicted, the interviewees’ level of anxiety could easily be observed by viewers, and this appeared to be due to those recognizable nonverbal indicators. In addition, a recent study by assistant professor Christopher Thorstenson of Rochester Institute of Technology found that a small blush on the face increased the rating of embarrassment and sincerity, which also raised the likelihood that people would be forgiven. However, how people respond to our nonverbal messages will differ depending on the circumstance. Coworkers who see us scowling at the office may wrongly interpret our stress signals as rage without any indication of the source of our troubles.
By learning to accept our anxiety, we may stop worrying about it. It’s safe to assume that the person who receives our hints will react more positively than we could have possibly predicted.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What minor habits are associated with nervousness?
- What did the 133 participants of Whitehouse’s experiment do?
- What did Thorstenson find in his recent study?
- How do people respond to nonverbal messages of anxiety?
- According to the passage, how can people stop worrying about anxiety?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What things cause you stress?
- What relieves stress the most effectively for you? Please tell me more about it.
- If you were one of the viewers of the fake videos, how would you feel seeing the stressed interviewees?
- Do you agree that displaying stress-related nonverbal cues depends on the situation?
- In your opinion, why do we feel empathetic toward people showing signs of stress?