雅思阅读第013套P1-DEPRESSION

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1below.

DEPRESSION

A. It is often more difficult foroutsiders and non-sufferers to understand mental rather than physical illnessin others. While it may be easy for us to sympathise with individuals livingwith the burden of a physical illness or disability, there is often a stigmaattached to being mentally ill, or a belief that such conditions only exist inindividuals who lack the strength of character to cope with the real world. Thepressures of modern life seem to have resulted in an increase in cases ofemotional disharmony and government initiatives in many countries have, oflate, focussed on increasing the general public’s awareness and sympathytowards sufferers of mental illness and related conditions.

B. Clinical depression, or 'majordepressive disorder’, a state of extreme sadness or despair, is said to affectup to almost 20% of the population at some point in their lives prior to theage of 40. Studies have shown that this disorder is the leading cause ofdisability in North America; in the UK almost 3 million people are said to bediagnosed with some form of depression at any one time, and experts believe thatas many as a further 9 million other cases may go undiagnosed. World HealthOrganisation projections indicate that clinical depression may become thesecond most significant cause of disability’ on a global scale by 2020.However, such figures are not unanimously supported, as some experts believethat the diagnostic criteria used to identify՛ the condition are not preciseenough, leading to other types of depression being wrongly classified as'clinical’.

C. Many of us may experience periods oflow morale or mood and feelings of dejection, as a natural human response tonegative events in our lives such as bereavement, redundancy or breakdown of arelationship. Some of us may even experience periods of depression and lowlevels of motivation which have no tangible reason or trigger. Clinicaldepression is classified as an on-going state of negativity, with no tangiblecause, where sufferers enter a spiral of persistent negative thinking, oftenexperiencing irritability, perpetual tiredness and listlessness. Sufferers ofclinical depression are said to be at higher risk of resorting to drug abuse oreven suicide attempts than the rest of the population.

D. Clinical depression is generallydiagnosed when an individual is observed to exhibit an excessively depressedmood and/or 'anhedonia’ – an inability to experience pleasure from positiveexperiences such as enjoying a meal or pleasurable social interaction – for aperiod of two weeks or more, in conjunction with five or more additionalrecognised symptoms. These additional symptoms may include overwhelmingfeelings of sadness; inability to sleep, or conversely, excessive sleeping;feelings of guilt, nervousness, abandonment or fear; inability to concentrate;interference with memory capabilities; fixation with death or extreme change ineating habits and associated weight gain or loss.

E. Clinical depression was originallysolely attributed to chemical imbalance in the brain, and while anti-depressantdrugs which work to optimise levels of 'feel good’ chemicals – serotonin andnorepinephrine – are still commonly prescribed today, experts now believe thatonset of depression may be caused by a number, and often combination of,physiological and socio-psychological factors. Treatment approaches vary quitedramatically from place to place and are often tailored to an individual’sparticular situation; however, some variation of a combination of medicationand psychotherapy is most commonly used. The more controversialelectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may also be used where initial approaches fail.In extreme cases, where an individual exhibits behaviour which Indicates thatthey may cause physical harm to themselves, psychiatric hospitalisation may benecessary as a form of intensive therapy.

F. Some recent studies, such as thosepublished by the Archives of General Psychiatry, hold that around a quarter ofdiagnosed clinical depression cases should actually be considered assignificant but none-the-less ordinary sadness and maladjustment to coping withtrials in life, indicating that in such cases, psychotherapy rather thantreatment through medication is required. Recovery as a result of psychotherapytends, in most cases, to be a slower process than improvements related tomedication; however, improvements as a result of psychological treatment, onceachieved, have been observed in some individuals to be more long term andsustainable than those attained through prescription drugs. Various counsellingapproaches exist, though all focus on enhancing the subject’s ability tofunction on a personal and interpersonal level. Sessions involve encouragementof an individual to view themselves and their relationships in a more positivemanner, with the intention of helping patients to replace negative thoughtswith a more positive outlook.

G. It is apparent that susceptibilityto depression can run in families. However, it remains unclear as to whetherthis is truly an inherited genetic trait or whether biological andenvironmental factors common to family members may be at the root of theproblem. In some cases, sufferers of depression may need to unlearn certainbehaviours and attitudes they have established in life and develop new copingstrategies designed to help them deal with problems they may encounter, undoingpatterns of destructive behaviour they may have observed in their role modelsand acquired for themselves.

SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13

Questions 1-5

Reading Passage 1 has sevensections A-G.

Which paragraph contains thefollowing information?

Write the correct letters A-G inboxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1 ______________ Details of treatment alternativesfor worst case scenario depression.

2 ______________ Information regarding cases wheredrug treatment is inappropriate.

3 ______________ Details of how those diagnosedwith depression may be more vulnerable than other members of society,

4 ______________ Information about society’sattitudes to depression and similar illnesses.

5 ______________ Information regarding whyestimates of incidence of future growth in cases may be overly exaggerated.

Questions 6-8

Choose THREE letters A-G.

Write your answers inboxes 6-8 on your answer sheet.

NB Your answers may be givenin any order

Which THREE of the following statements are true of depression?

AGovernments have generallyfailed to take action to educate the general public about the condition.

BThe highest reported number ofcases are in the USA.

CIn Britain, it is likely thatthere are more individuals who live with the condition without the help of adoctor than those being officially treated.

DClinical depression may betriggered by divorce.

ELethargy may be one of thesymptoms of depression.

FPrescribed pharmaceuticals haveradically changed over recent years.

GApproaches to treatingdepression are not universal.

Questions 9-13

Complete the summary ofparagraphs F and G with the list ofwords A-L below.

Write the correct letter A-L inboxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

Whilst recovery throughcounselling rather than medicine may be more 9 ______________ , results once achieved may havemore 10 ______________ with some patients.

Counselling sessions are gearedtowards improving the subject’s relationship with others and their own 11 ______________ , encouraging sufferers ofdepression to take on a more 12 ______________outlook.

The extent to which geneticdisposition and sociological factors impact on state of mind is 13 ______________. Many people undergoing counsellingtherapy do so with the purpose of unlearning negative behaviour and reactions.

gratifying

longevity

ambition

optimistic

pessimistic

difficulty

inconclusive

self-image

gradual

unequivocal

immediate

categorical