Stress is a type of alarm reaction, involving heightened mental and bodily states - it is both a psychological and a physiological response to the environment. Your brain produces a stress reaction when you are in a situation that is physically or mentally demanding.
压力是一种报警反应，涉及高度的精神和身体状态--它既是对环境的一种心理反应，也是一种生理反应。当你处于对身体或精神要求很高的情况下，你的大脑就会产生压力反应。
Stress is normal. Some stress is good for you - it keeps you alert and protects you in times of danger or when you need to act or think quickly. Physical training to keep fit places stress on your body, but that stress has a beneficial effect (provided you don't overdo it!).
压力是正常的。有些压力对你有好处--它使你保持警觉，在危险时或需要迅速行动或思考时保护你。为保持身体健康而进行的体能训练会给你的身体带来压力，但这种压力会产生有益的影响（只要你不过度使用！）。
Feeling a bit stressed about exams is normal - it may help you to focus your energy into revising well. Prolonged and unwanted stress, however, may lead to mental and physical health problems.
对考试感到有点压力是正常的--它可能帮助你把精力集中在复习上。然而，长期的和不必要的压力可能会导致心理和身体健康问题。
When psychologists talk about 'stress' they may refer to the causes of stress reactions ('stressors') or to the effects of stress reactions on our physical and mental functioning.
当心理学家谈到 "压力 "时，他们可能指的是压力反应的原因（"压力源"）或压力反应对我们身体和精神功能的影响。
Psychologists are interested in causes of stress, ways in which stress affects us and stress management.
心理学家对压力的原因、压力对我们的影响方式和压力管理感兴趣。
Your brain is on the look out for anything that threatens to upset its equilibrium - if there are serious 'stressors' around, it triggers off an 'alarm reaction'.
你的大脑在寻找任何有可能破坏其平衡的东西--如果周围有严重的 "压力源"，它会触发 "警报反应"。
The alarm reaction prepares your body for action - sometimes known simply as the 'fight or flight reaction'. Stress hormones and the action of the sympathetic nervous system prepare your body for vigorous muscular activity as follows 警报反应使你的身体做好行动准备--有时被简单地称为 "战斗或逃跑反应"。压力荷尔蒙和交感神经系统的作用使你的身体为剧烈的肌肉活动做好准备，具体如下:
So, what if you are not in a situation in which it's OK to suddenly get up and run a four-minute mile round the block?
那么，如果你不在一个可以突然站起来绕着街区跑四分钟的情况下呢？
Well, that's when various unpleasant effects may set in, such as throbbing headaches, irritability, tense neck and shoulders, dried up mouth and butterflies in the stomach. Sound familiar? Most people experience this sort of stress sometimes.
那么，这时各种不愉快的影响可能会出现，如刺痛的头痛、易怒、紧张的脖子和肩膀、口干舌燥和胃里的蝴蝶。听起来很熟悉吧？大多数人有时会经历这种压力。
The flow diagram below shows what goes on in the body when the brain detects a potentially harmful 'stressor'
下面的流程图显示了当大脑检测到潜在的有害 "压力源 "时，身体里会发生什么变化
All the stress hormones circulating in the bloodstream and the neural effects of the sympathetic nervous system combine to create the 'fight-or-flight' response.
所有在血液中循环的压力荷尔蒙和交感神经系统的神经效应结合在一起，形成了 "非战即逃 "的反应。
The hypothalamus plays a key role in the control of the endocrine system. There is a complex feedback system between the hypothalamus, sympathetic nervous system, the pituitary gland and the secretions of the adrenal glands.
下丘脑在控制内分泌系统方面起着关键作用。在下丘脑、交感神经系统、垂体和肾上腺的分泌物之间存在着一个复杂的反馈系统。
The adrenal glands are found on top of your kidneys - they secrete epinephrine (otherwise known as adrenaline) and other 'stress hormones'. The activity of your adrenal glands is crucial to your mood, energy levels and ability to cope with stress.
肾上腺位于你的肾脏顶部 - 它们分泌肾上腺素（又称肾上腺素）和其他 "压力激素"。肾上腺的活动对你的情绪、能量水平和应对压力的能力至关重要。
In extreme cases of stress your adrenal glands may become enlarged, the spleen and thymus glands may shrink and deep bleeding stomach ulcers may occur. (Not very nice!)
在极端的压力情况下，你的肾上腺可能会变大，脾脏和胸腺可能会萎缩，并可能发生深层出血的胃溃疡。(不是很好！)
Selye pioneered stress research in the 1950s - he came up with the idea of the general adaptation syndrome. This is a collection of symptoms shown by the body in response to any stress - physical illness such as infection or injury, or stress due to psychological factors. The key thing is that it is 'general' - a non-specific response to any illness.
塞尔耶在20世纪50年代开创了压力研究的先河--他提出了一般适应综合症的概念。这是身体对任何压力--身体疾病如感染或受伤，或心理因素造成的压力--所表现出的一系列症状。关键是它是 "一般 "的--对任何疾病的非特异性反应。
The three main phases of the 'general adaptation syndrome' are 一般适应综合征 "的三个主要阶段是:
1) Alarm Reaction 报警反应
2) Resistance Stage 抵抗阶段
3) Exhaustion 衰竭期
The idea of the 'general adaptation syndrome' was drawn from very early research on stress.
一般适应综合征 "的想法来自于早期对压力的研究。
It has been criticised because it was based on work with animals and tells us nothing about psychological or emotional factors.
它受到了批评，因为它是基于对动物的研究，没有告诉我们任何关于心理或情绪因素的信息。
Physiologists have also argued that there may well be different physiological responses to different stressors and not just one 'general' syndrome.
生理学家也认为，对不同的压力源很可能有不同的生理反应，而不是只有一个 "一般 "综合征。
In other words, Selye's model to explain stress is too simple - in reality, the process is more complex.
换句话说，塞尔耶解释压力的模型过于简单--实际上，这个过程更加复杂。
Stress and illness 压力和疾病Research has shown strong links between prolonged stress and many disorders, mentally and physically. The immune system is easily affected by stress.
研究表明，长期的压力与许多精神和身体上的疾病之间有着密切的联系。免疫系统很容易受到压力的影响。
You should be aware that stress might lead to behaviour, such as smoking or overeating, which increases the risk of serious illness - so the link with the original source of stress is indirect.
你应该知道，压力可能会导致一些行为，如吸烟或暴饮暴食，从而增加患严重疾病的风险--所以与压力的原始来源的联系是间接的。
The incidence of cancer has been correlated with high stress levels.
癌症的发病率与高压力水平有关联。
Jacobs and Charles (1980) found that cancer patients - for example, child cancer patients, often suffered high levels of stress before the diagnosis of their illness.
Jacobs和Charles（1980）发现，癌症患者--例如，儿童癌症患者，在诊断出他们的疾病之前，经常遭受高水平的压力。
Tache et al (1979) found the incidence of cancer to be higher in those with a poor 'social support network' such as the widowed, divorced or separated.
Tache等人（1979年）发现那些 "社会支持网络 "差的人，如寡妇、离婚或分居的人，癌症的发病率更高。
It is difficult to rule out that undetected, developing cancer might cause stress, rather than stress due to external factors leading to cancer.
很难排除未被发现的、发展中的癌症可能导致压力，而不是由于外部因素导致癌症的压力。
The 'risk factors' linked with cardiovascular disease include diet, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise (or over-exercise) and stress. Indeed, stress may well be a cause of other behavioural factors.
与心血管疾病有关的 "危险因素 "包括饮食、吸烟、肥胖、缺乏运动（或过度运动）和压力。事实上，压力很可能是其他行为因素的一个原因。
Men are more susceptible to heart disease than women, even when diets are matched. Could it be that men have more stressful lives than women such as more job-related stress?
男性比女性更容易患心脏病，即使在饮食匹配的情况下也是如此。会不会是男性比女性有更多的生活压力，如更多与工作有关的压力？
For example, it was found that among 40 male tax accountants, blood cholesterol and clotting speeds were at dangerous levels in April (The end of the financial year)!
例如，有人发现在40名男性税务会计中，血液中的胆固醇和凝血速度在4月（财政年度结束）达到了危险的水平！这就是为什么男性比女性更容易患心脏病。
Perhaps women in this type of work would also show similar signs of stress. There have not been many studies into women's stress levels, but it is worth noting that the incidence of stress-related behaviour such as smoking is increasingly amongst women.
也许从事这类工作的女性也会出现类似的压力迹象。对女性压力水平的研究不多，但值得注意的是，与压力有关的行为（如吸烟）的发生率在女性中越来越多。
Here's how stress might lead to heart disease: Stress-related behaviour such as smoking or eating lots of fatty foods will speed up the hardening of the blood vessels stage…
下面是压力可能导致心脏病的原因：与压力有关的行为，如吸烟或吃大量高脂肪食物，会加速血管阶段的硬化。
