Too much to do and not enough time to do it? Time-famine has become one of the greatest stresses of modern life, with serious implications for our health, relationships and wellbeing. Here's how to beat it.

   

1. Look at the following 11 sentences that have been taken from a text. In every one of the sentences there is a highlighted word or phrase. Which of the options (a, b or c) can be synonyms to it?

Why do this? The vocabulary activity will:
     help you understand the text better later on
     help you recycle vocabulary and learn new one

You may find it useful to work with a Dictionary of Synonyms or Thesaurus

1.- Remember when the usual answer to 'How are you?' was 'Fine?' Now, the reply most often given, by everybody, is 'Frantic'
A. frightened, sacred.
B. beside oneself,mad.
C. feeble, weak, fragile .

 

2.- It's no good hoping the next 10 years will be easier as technology finally frees us all from our frenzied existence.
A. agitated,hysterical.
B. peaceful, harmonious, free from strife.
C. fraudulent, false, phoney

3.- In his book Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything, James Gleick invents the word 'hurry sickness' to describe this modern malaise.
A. illness, angst, anxiety.
B. malpractice,abuse, misconduct.
C. fail, breakdown, malfunction.

4.- If you are ready to begin taking your time back, many of the principles to do it are common-sense.
A. in demand, popular.
B. customary, ordinary
C. down-to-earth, realistic

5.- An often overlooked but effective method of minimising stress is staying happy.
A. alert, attentive, observant.
B. ignored, neglected, forgotten
C. watchful, with an eye open

6.- Five years ago it was assumed that electronic mail would make postal communication redundant.
A. reformed, remodelled
B. get better, improved
C. inessential, superfluous

7.- Examine your relationship with technology thoroughly.
A. artificially
B. carefully, conscientiously
C. technically, fashionably

8.- We need to lose both our awe and our fear of technology.
A. admiration, respect
B. contempt, disrespect
C. attention, perception

9.- If you realise that work is the most important thing in your life, acknowledge it to yourself, if not to your family or partner.
A. notify, inform
B. get familiar with, adapt
C. admit, confess

10.- Slumping in front of the TV creates a lot of "dead time" and usually makes you more tired.
A. sleeping, dozing off
B. falling off, sinking, collapsing
C. smiling, laughing, grinning

11.- Make friends with yourself. Stop criticising and belittling yourself. Treat yourself kindly.
A. derogating, depreciating, disparaging
B. exalting, magnifying, praising
C. living, existing, enduring

   

 

 

 
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