语言与心理健康
Language and Mental Health
慢速| 考研 偏易 | 539词| 4min46s
刘立军 供稿
Part I. QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
Q1. How did the pandemic affect people’s mental health according to the text?
A. It helped improve their mental health.
B. It caused no significant change in their mental health.
C. Many felt isolated and struggled more with their mental health.
D. Only a few people felt isolated and alone.
Q2. What is the meaning of “mental health” as described in the passage?
A. It refers to the absence of any kind of illness.
B. It is about one’s physical well-being.
C. It is a condition affecting one’s mind, personality, or emotions.
D. It signifies the conditions around one’s mental and emotional well-being.
Q3. According to the passage, how should we refer to someone dealing with a mental illness?
A. By using the adjective form of their mental health condition.
B. By using person-centered language that respects their situation.
C. By avoiding mentioning their condition entirely.
D. By using medical terms only.
Q4. Which word is noted in the text as potentially harmful and should be avoided in discussions about mental health?
A. Psycho.
B. Disorder.
C. Anxious.
D. Illness.
Q5. What is the main idea of today’s Everyday Grammar section as mentioned in the final thoughts?
A. To discuss the impact of the pandemic on mental health.
B. To explore different types of mental illnesses.
C. To advocate for better mental health facilities.
D. To identify respectful language when discussing mental health.
Part II. TRANSCRIPT
Language and Mental Health
In recent years, more and more people have been talking about mental health. (Q1) The pandemic made many people feel isolated or alone. The isolation caused some people to struggle more with their mental health. Different countries and cultures have different ideas about mental health. In the United States, conversations about mental health and mental illness are changing. Many well-known people have come forward and shared their mental health journeys through books and social media. As ideas about mental health change, so does the language we use to talk about the issue. In today’s Everyday Grammar, we will talk about the language of mental health. Let’s start with the question, “What is mental health?”
pandemic n.（全国或全球性）流行病；大流行病
What is mental health?
(Q2) “Mental health” contains the adjective “mental” and the noun “health.” Together, the words become a compound noun meaning the conditions around one’s mental and emotional well-being. If someone has good mental health, they are in good emotional and mental condition. Now let’s look at “mental illness.” Mental illness is a compound noun with the same adjective “mental,” but with the noun “illness.” If someone has a mental illness, they have a medical condition that affects their mind, personality or emotions. The illness harms their mental functioning and can affect their thinking, feelings and behaviors. Examples of mental illnesses include depression and anxiety. The word “disorder” may also be used with some mental illnesses. For example, you may know someone who has an anxiety disorder.
Person-focused language
(Q3) When we talk about someone’s mental health, it is important to use the right words. We want to be respectful of the person and understanding of their situation. We can use language that is centered on the person rather than their mental health issues. One way to do this is to say a person is “living with” their condition. The structure for this is: Subject + verb live + preposition with + noun form of illness. “Kurt lives with anxiety.” Another acceptable and simple way to describe Kurt would be to say “Kurt has anxiety.” The structure for that is: Subject + verb have + noun form of illness. We can use this instead of using an adjective form of their mental health condition, as in “Kurt is an anxious person.”
Avoid stereotypes
It is also important to avoid certain words in some settings. (Q4) For example, words like “psycho” and “crazy” may seem informal and acceptable to use, but they can cause harm. The word “psycho,” when used informally, means an unstable and aggressive person. For example: Her ex-boyfriend is such a psycho. “Psycho” is related to “psychosis,” a mental disorder in which a person has a disconnection from reality. Experts say using such words outside of a mental health discussion can lead to stigma. Stigma is a set of negative beliefs that a culture has about something. Stigma can prevent people from seeking help with their own mental illnesses.
psychosis n. 精神病
disconnection n. 分开，分离
Final thoughts
(Q5) In today’s Everyday Grammar we talk about the best words and language to use when talking about mental health. We learned how to use person-centered language to talk about someone with a mental illness. And we learned that some words should be avoided to help end the stigma around mental illness. I’m Faith Pirlo.
Part III. KEY
1. C．细节题。文章中提到：The pandemic made many people feel isolated or alone. The isolation caused some people to struggle more with their mental health. 意为：“大流行使许多人感到孤立或孤独。这种孤立使一些人在心理健康方面更加挣扎。”因此答案为C。
2. D．细节题。文本中指出：‘Mental health’ contains the adjective ‘mental’ and the noun ‘health.’ Together, the words become a compound noun meaning the conditions around one’s mental and emotional well-being. 意为：“‘心理健康’包含形容词‘心理的’和名词‘健康’。这两个词组合在一起成为一个复合名词，意指一个人心理和情感的健康状态。”因此答案为D。
3. B．细节题。文章中提到：When we talk about someone’s mental health, it is important to use the right words. We want to be respectful of the person and understanding of their situation. We can use language that is centered on the person rather than their mental health issues. 意为：“当我们谈论某人的心理健康时，使用正确的词语很重要。我们要尊重那个人并理解他们的处境。我们可以使用以人为本的语言，而不是以他们的心理健康问题为中心。”因此答案为B。
4. A．细节题。文章中提到：For example, words like ‘psycho’ and ‘crazy’...can cause harm. 意为：“例如，像‘精神病患者’和‘疯子’这样的词……可能会造成伤害。”这表明psycho这个词可能有害，应该在讨论心理健康时避免使用。因此答案为A。
5. D．主旨题。最后一段提到：We talk about the best words and language to use when talking about mental health. 意为：“我们讨论了在谈论心理健康时要使用的最佳词汇和语言。” 这概括了今天“每日语法”栏目的主要内容。因此答案为D。
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