Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30. Stress is one of the most common causes of health problems in modern life. Too much stress results (26) ____________ physical, and mental health problems. There are numerous physical (27) ____________ of stress. Stress can affect the heart. It can increase the pulse rate, make the heart miss beats, and can cause high ...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

Stress is one of the most common causes of health problems in modern life. Too much stress results (26) ____________ physical, and mental health problems.

There are numerous physical (27) ____________ of stress. Stress can affect the heart. It can increase the pulse rate, make the heart miss beats, and can cause high blood pressure. Stress can affect the (28) ____________ system. It can lead to asthma. It can cause a person to breathe too fast, leading to a loss of important carbon dioxide. Stress can affect the stomach. It can cause stomachache and problems of digesting food. These are only (29) ____________ examples of the wide range of illnesses and symptoms resulting from stress.

Long-term stress can lead to a variety of serious mental illnesses. Depression, an extreme feeling of sadness and hopelessness, can be the result of continued and increasing stress. Alcoholism and other addictions often develop as a result of overuse of alcohol or drugs to try to relieve stress. Eating disorders, such as anorexia, are sometimes caused by stress and are often made worse by stress. If stress is allowed to continue, then one’s mental health is put (30) ____________ risk.