The stress-busting gene - Module 3

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Expert Proficiency Resource Book, Pearson Education

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning.

CONTROVERSY

PSYCHOLOGY

RESEARCH

RECOGNISE

CHARACTER

TEND

DOUBT

LINE

It seems an (0) ___ fact of life that some people are much better than others at dealing with stress. This ability has long been linked with personal qualities like optimism and, more (1) ___ , with high levels of self-esteem. Although such (2) ___ tendencies are known to run in families, their genetic basis remained obscure until 2011. That's when (3) ___ at the University of California announced they had identified a gene that influences self-esteem. This gene is found in a hormone that plays a role in behaviours including social (4) ___ and bonding, as well as aggression. At a particular location in its DNA sequence, the gene can have various (5) ___ , and people carrying what is called the 'A variant' report lower levels of self-esteem, whilst having a greater (6) ___ to report depressive symptoms than those carrying the so-called 'G variant'. It is now thought that genetic influences account for between 30 and 50 percent of individual differences in self-esteem, although it will (7) ___ also be affected by other genes, the finding (8) ___ the importance of biology in human psychology.

The stress-busting gene

ESCAPE

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