BBC 6 Minute English | IS STUDENT LIFE ALL GOOD? | English CC | Daily Li...

source: Daily Listening     2016年9月26日

0:06 You went to university, didn't you?
0:08 Yes.
0:09 University – the best days of my life.
0:11 I made fantastic friends, went to great parties…
0:13 Did some work?
0:15 Well, yeah, I did some work, but probably not enough.
0:19 Well, the subject of today's show is student mental health.
0:23 So, Neil, do you think you're looking back at your university days through rose-tinted
0:28 spectacles?
0:29 And that means looking at a situation as being better than it really was.
0:33 I did feel out of my comfort zone when I arrived.
0:36 Yes, everyone seemed to know everyone… knew where to go.
0:39 Yes, well, being out of your comfort zone means being in a situation that you aren't
0:44 familiar with and which makes you feel nervous.
0:48 Did you talk to anyone about your feelings, Neil?
0:50 Did you get any counselling?
0:52 And that means professional help with personal or psychological problems.
0:56 What?
0:57 No, not me.
0:59 I'm one of those men who isn't good at talking about their feelings, Alice.
1:03 I just felt a bit homesick that's all – I missed my friends and family.
1:08 But let's move on, shall we!
1:09 Why don't you ask me today's quiz question?
1:12 Alright then.
1:13 So here it is: In a survey of students at Imperial College London, how many students
1:18 said they suffered from high levels of stress or a mental health condition during their
1:23 time at college?
1:25 Was it… a) 1 out of 4?
1:28 b) 2 out of 4? or c) 3 out of 4?
1:34 Well, I'm going to go for c) 3 out of 4 because I do think that university life can be more
1:39 stressful than people realize.
1:41 Yes.
1:42 And stress means pressure or worry caused by a difficult situation.
1:46 OK, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.
1:50 Now in the UK, there has been a rise in students using counselling services.
1:55 Why's that, Alice?
1:56 Well, let's listen to Kirsty, a student at Exeter University, talking about why she has
2:01 had problems.
2:03 And here's a question for you while you listen: Did she enjoy her first days in college?
2:08 No.
2:09 The thing is… it… is a real balancing act.
2:13 When I first got to university I don't think I'd really realized that I'd forgotten how
2:17 to make friends you know, I'd been with the same school friends for seven years, and so
2:22 I was trying to balance you know social success with academic success whilst learning how
2:28 to look after myself at quite a young age.
2:31 And I think that's the experience of a lot of young people.
2:34 And people really struggle with it.
2:38 What's a balancing act, Alice?
2:39 It's where you try to give your attention to two or more things at the same time.
2:44 So here, Kirsty is trying to balance making new friends with doing her academic work and
2:50 learning to look after herself.
2:52 What does Kirsty mean when she says she's learning to look after herself?
2:56 Well, to look after someone means to protect or take care of someone – and in this case,
3:02 Kirsty's learning to take care of herself – for example doing her own shopping and
3:06 cooking.
3:07 OK, let's listen to Dr Ruth Caleb of the counselling service at Brunel University in London talking
3:13 about what practical stuff students could learn before leaving for university that might
3:19 make life easier for them.
3:23 Certain things that I think it would be very very helpful for students to have put in place
3:28 are an ability to do the practical things of life – to do the washing, to do the cleaning
3:33 and so on – being able to cook.
3:37 Budgeting is extremely important in university life.
3:41 And also spending time on your own comfortably.
3:46 Yes, that's excellent advice.
3:48 I couldn't boil an egg when I arrived at uni.
3:50 Oh, really?
3:51 Can you do it now, Neil?
3:53 Just about, just about.
3:54 Yeah?
3:55 Great.
3:56 And what about budgeting?
3:57 This means planning how much money you have and how you will spend it.
4:00 I'm still pretty bad at that.
4:03 However, I am very good at spending time on my own comfortably.
4:06 Yes, I can believe that – feet up, watching TV with a takeaway.
4:10 Takeaway, of course a takeaway cause I can't cook anything…
4:12 No. … not even an egg.
4:14 You know me so well.
4:15 So how about the answer to today's quiz question, Alice?
4:19 Alright then.
4:20 I asked: In a survey of students at Imperial College London, how many said they suffered
4:25 from high levels of stress or a mental health condition during their time at college?
4:32 Was it… a) 1 out of 4?
4:36 b) 2 out of 4? or c) 3 out of 4?
4:42 And I said c) 3 out of 4.
4:45 Yes.
4:46 And you are correct – well done, Neil!
4:48 The survey, completed by over a thousand students, also found that almost 70% of those that suffer
4:55 from stress do so at least once a week, and 9% of students feel stressed constantly.
5:02 Stressed means anxious and worried.
5:04 Well, I feel anxious just thinking about all that stress.
5:08 Can we hear today's words again?
5:09 We certainly can.
5:10 They are: through rose-tinted spectacles
5:16 out of your comfort zone counselling
5:22 homesick stress
5:27 balancing act look after yourself
5:34 budgeting stressed
5:36 Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English.
5:42 We hope you've had a stress-free time.
5:45 Please do join us again soon.