1. To have a discussion that elicits expressions used to state that you have been busy;

2. To increase the familiarity and use of such expressions;

3. To translate the visual information from the video clip into the appropriate language; 

4. To use the audio information in the corresponding exercises;

5. To reinforce productively the language that has been learned. 

●  Think of the following questions and try to answer them.

1) What do you say in English when you have been very busy? 

2) Do you know any other expressions which express the same thing?

3) Do you feel like you are having a busy day (today)?

* Suggested answers:

1) “I’ve been very busy.” or “I’ve been as busy as a bee.” etc.

2) Yes, I do. I can say, “I’m busy with my work.” or “No, I don’t.”

3) Yes, I do. I’ve been busy moving from class to class.

●  Put a check next to the sentences that emphasize just how busy you are.

 1) Keeping myself busy. (  √  )

 2) That’s what I want to say. (  )

 3) Not a moment to spare. (  √  )

 4) I don’t even have time to breathe. (  √  )

 5) Everything’s going my way. (  √  )

 6) Ah, that explains why you’re so late. (  √  )

 7) There aren’t enough hours in the day. (  √  )

 8) I’m snowed under. (  √  )

 9) I’m sorry I have to run off. (  )

10) I’m looking forward to it. (  )

在汉语和英语文化中，表达自己多么繁忙的语言可谓丰富多彩。在理解或翻译时，应注意两种语言的各自特点，表达形式相似的当然可以做理想的对等互换。例如，英语中的“Not a moment to spare”可与汉语中的“忙得一点空闲时间都没有”对等互换。但是，“I’m snowed under”这一表达就需要在汉语中寻找意义接近的形式来对应，即“忙得气都喘不过来”。又如，非正式英语中的“I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off”可与汉语中的“忙得晕头转向”相对应，并可互译。

● Useful Language from the Video Episode

●  Watch the video clip before you check six items from the following list that are related to the scenes in it. Afterwards, complete the statements that follow with the help of the words you have chosen.

library (  )    sunbath (  √  )

breathe (  )  lawn (  √  )

jacket (  √  ) column (  √  )

worry (  )      blow (  √  )

break (  √  )  dictionary (  )

1) There is a huge lawn in front of the teaching building.  

2) People are lying on the lawn sunbathing. 

3) A soft breeze is blowing Shelley’s hair. 

4) Shelley is standing by a column, busy reading her notebook. 

5) The jacket looks terrific on Michael. 

6) Shelley and Michael are talking during a break between classes.

● A. Watch the video and then decide whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).

1) Shelley and Michael run into each other before class. (T)

2) Both of them have been as busy as bees. (T)

3) The course they have been taking has demanded much of them. (T)

4) Shelley has decided to quit the course, for it has too much unnecessary busy work. (F)

5) Shelley and Michael decide to work as a team on the final project. (T)

● B. Now watch the video again and then complete the following conversation. 

Michael: How are you doing, Shelley?

Shelley: Keeping myself busy. And how about yourself?

Michael:  Not a moment to spare. I don’t even have time to breathe! 

Shelley: I can imagine. There aren’t enough hours in the day. 

Michael:  That’s just what I feel like saying. 

Shelley: What do you think of the course we’re taking?

Michael:  I must say it’s very demanding. A lot to read. And a lot of busy work to take care of as well, don’t you think?

Shelley: Exactly. I’m snowed under, too.  

Michael:  Up to your ears, just like me, eh? By the way, do you have any ideas on what to do for the final project? It’s due soon.

Shelley: No, I don’t have any ideas. Any suggestions?

Michael:  We could do it together, as the instructor suggested.

Shelley: Why not? We’re usually a good team. We’ll make the due date then. 

Michael: Right. Oops, there goes the bell.

Shelley: We’d better hurry. C’mon!

● C. After you watch the video a third time, complete the following third-person account of the conversation.

      Shelley and Michael are taking a demanding course. They have a lot to read and write and a lot of time-consuming busy work, too, to take care of. So they do not have a moment to spare. They are so busy that they don’t even have time to breathe. But they are still planning to work together on the inal project, as the instructor has suggested. As for the deadline, they are conident that they will make it.

1) Watch the video again, with a female student doing Shelley’s voice. 

2) Watch the video once more, with a male student doing Michael’s voice.

3) Watch the video one last time, with a male student and a female student doing both of the voices for the whole conversation.

● 1. Familiarize yourself with these other expressions which state that you have been busy. Next, use them in short conversations in class. 

— I’m swamped (=overwhelmed, as with a swamped boat).

— I don’t even know whether I’m coming or going.

— I don’t have time to think.

— I’m so busy I can barely see the light of day.

— I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. 

 (informal)

* Suggested answers:

A: Hi Michael, how are you doing?  

B: I don’t know. I’ve been so busy that I don’t even know whether I’m coming or going.  

A: Me too! I’ve been working non-stop. All I do is work, work, work!  

B: Yeah. We are both workaholics (工作狂) . We need a cure!

● 2. Are you familiar with the following two expressions? Look them up in the dictionary if not, and then discuss their meaning and/or signiicance.

1) One thing at a time.

2) Easy does it.

* Suggested answers:

1) Concentration leads to success. By doing too many things at a time a person may tire and thus fail at all of them. Thus, it’s best to handle each task separately.

2) Some things require gentle care and attention for success. One should not push too hard. Force may cause damage and/or failure.

● A. You will continue to watch a video clip. Below are suggested steps for the learning activity:

  ▪ Watch the video clip without reading the script for the first time;

  ▪ Read the script while listening;

  ▪ Watch it again without reading the script;

  ▪ Tell class what stress is and what three kinds of stress are.

What Is Stress?

      I’m Samantha Ibarguen and I’m an energy healer (医治者)  and a wellness consultant (顾问)  in New York City. You can find out more about me and what I do at Integrated Wellness — www.igwell.com. 

      Stress is the body’s response to any kind of demand. So in life, we generally have positive stress and we have negative stress. We are dealing with positive stress when we are dealing with something like a childbirth or a wedding. And I think we all have experience with what we would consider to be negative stress. Feeling overworked, going through a life crisis, things like that. The body reacts the same way to all kinds of stress. Whether it’s positive or negative, whether it’s a physical threat or danger, or whether the stress is more emotional or mental. 

      We generally deal with three kinds of stress. Survival, external (体外的) , and internal (体内的) . Survival stress is when we’re facing against any sort of real physical threat or danger. External stress can be caused by things like work. Sometimes our families stress us out. External stress can be caused by things like living in a big city with a lot of trafic, a lot of noise. And internal stress is anxiety (焦虑) . It’s worrying about something, over-worrying about something that you can’t do anything about. Or worrying about something and not taking any action around it. 

      So when the body faces stress, it goes into what we all know as the fight or flight reaction (或战或退反应) . The stress hormones (应激激素) , adrenaline (肾上腺素)  and cortisol (皮质醇) , are released (释放)  into the system and the body is ready to go. The pupils (瞳孔)  dilate, the breath quickens, the mouth dries, the muscles tense and tighten, the heart rate increases. Now, if we’re dealing with any sort of physical threat, this is a great reaction. The body is either ready to stay and fight whatever we’re facing, or flee and get us into safety. 

      Additionally, during this physical reaction, the stress hormones are able to be flushed out of the body. If we’re dealing with a more mental or emotional stress, this is essentially an ancient response to a modern problem. The stress hormones still get released into the system, but without any sort of physical reaction. There’s no way for them to be flushed out, at least in the moment. And something like this has the potential to cause longer-term pain, disease, or even illness. So that’s a little bit about what stress is.

● B. Tell class what stress is and what three kinds of stress are based on what you have just learned.