of Tears
Thinking About What You Know
How much do you know about crying? Mark each statement T (true) or F (false).
Compare your answers with a partner.
1. Crying is good for people’s eyes and their health.
2. Crying relieves stress.
3. Only sad things make people cry.
4. Too much stress can make it difficult for people to cry.
5. Tears are a natural way for people to release their emotions.
Skimming
Skim the reading to check your answers. Then read the whole text.
Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose.
They can leave you embarrassed and without energy. However, crying is a fact of life, and tears are very useful. Even when you’re not crying, your eyes produce tears. These create a film1 over the eye’s surface. This film contains a substance that protects your eyes against infection.
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1 film: a thin layer of something
The Value of Tears 98
Tears relieve stress, but we tend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. “People worry about showing their emotions. They’re afraid that once they lose control, they’ll never get it back,” explains psychologist Dorothy Rowe. “As children we were sometimes punished for shedding tears or expressing anger. As adults we still fear the consequences of showing emotions.”
Almost any emotion – good or bad, happy or sad – can cause tears. Crying is a way that we release built-up emotions. Tears help you when you feel you are ready to explode because of very strong feelings. It may explain why people who are afraid to cry often suffer more heart attacks than people who cry more freely.
When some people become very stressed, however, they can’t cry. They may be feeling shock, anger, fear, or grief, but they repress the emotion. “Everyone has the need to cry,”
says psychotherapist Vera Diamond. Sometimes in therapy sessions, patients participate in crying exercises. They practice crying so that they can get used to expressing emotion.
Diamond says it’s best to cry in safe, private places, like under the bedcovers or in the car.
That’s because many people get uncomfortable when others cry in front of them. In fact, they may be repressing their own need to cry.
In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. It’s good to hold back tears during a tense business discussion. “But once you are safely behind closed doors, don’t just cry,” Diamond says. She suggests that you act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like. It will help you feel better. “And,” she adds, “once your tears have released the stress, you can begin to think of logical ways to deal with the problem.”
Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. You should never be afraid to cry.
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Adapted from Redbook
Comprehension Check
Every paragraph in the reading has one main idea. Write the correct paragraph number for each main idea.
a. People’s emotions cause them to cry.
b. Crying has good effects on the body.
c. There are times when it is better not to show your emotion immediately, but you should show it later.
d. Crying is natural and shows that we have emotions.
e. There are reasons why people don’t like to cry.
f. There are some helpful things that people can do if it is difficult for them to cry.
A
Vocabulary Study
Find the words in the box in the reading. Then complete the sentences.
shedding (par. 2) built-up (par. 3) explode (par. 3) grief (par. 4) repress (par. 4) tense (par. 5)
1. The situation was very . I was worried and a little angry.
2. tears can make you feel better.
3. She was so angry that she felt like she was going to . 4. You shouldn’t your feelings. It’s always good to express
your emotions.
5. I felt such terrible when she died. I wanted to cry all the time.
6. His anger just kept growing until he had all this emotion.
Recognizing Cause and Effect
When you read, it is important to recognize the reason why something happens (the cause). It is also important to recognize what happens as a result (the effect).
Reread paragraphs 1 and 3. Read sentences a–f below. Then write the letter of each sentence in the correct box to complete the cause-and-effect charts below.
a. We cry. d. We have built-up emotions.
b. Eyes produce tears. e. Tears create a film over the eye’s surface.
c. We release the emotions. f. The film protects the eyes against infections.
Paragraph 1 b
Paragraph 3
Relating Reading to Personal Experience
Discuss these questions with your classmates.
1. Are you uncomfortable when someone around you cries? What do you usually do when that happens?
2. In your experience, who cries more often, men or women? Why do you think that is true?
3. Do you think that people who can’t cry should see a therapist? Why or why not?
B
C
Reread one of the unit readings and time yourself.
Note your reading speed in the chart on page 124.
D
The Value of Tears 100
UNI T
11 Food
Look at the titles of the readings and their brief descriptions to preview this unit’s content. Before you begin each reading, answer the questions about it.Chocolate
Do you know how to tell the quality of chocolate? Do you believe that chocolate is bad for you? You can learn the truth about this popular treat in this excerpt from a reference book.
1. Do you like chocolate? How often do you eat it? How much do you eat at one time?
2. Is chocolate good or bad for you? Explain your answer.
3. What are three words that could describe chocolate?