Are you suffering from SOCS?

She's got it too

Do you reach for your pen every time the teacher speaks? ____________ (feel) unhappy if you haven’t copied every word from the whiteboard at the end of the lesson?  __________ (get) a whole room full of notes at home that you never read? _____________ (be) your speaking and listening skills getting worse and worse? 
If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’, you _________ __________ (may / suffer) from Student Obsessive Copying Syndrome (SOCS). This little-known psychological condition mainly affects language students, especially those studying English. In severe cases, students refuse to leave go of their pens and become distressed if they find they have left even one word uncopied at the end of a lesson. In Hong Kong, one student had to have her hands tied behind her back in order to prevent her from grabbing a pencil every time the teacher spoke.
According to experts, the ___________ of the problem ____________ in the frustration students feel with the large numbers of words they don’t know. ‘They feel if they don’t copy down everything, they will miss something important,’ says Dr Michael Chan, a language learning expert at Harvard University. ‘However, the very process of copying means they are not paying attention to what the teacher says and they are missing valuable listening practice. The more they copy, the less they understand.’ 
In some cases, SOCS can _____________to more serious problems. A Japanese student whose SOCS was left untreated over many years was eventually unable to understand any spoken language at all, including her mother tongue. She could only communicate with her family by means of written notes – in English. ‘Obviously this is a serious problem and SOCS sufferers should seek help immediately if they find themselves struggling to understand their own languages,’ said Dr Chan.
So what _____________ (can / do) if you think you _______ be affected?  The ________ is _______ (relax) and learn ______ (let go). It is unlikely the teacher will say something that you will never hear again. ____________ putting your pen in your bag when you are not doing a writing exercise. ______________ setting a limit to the quantity of written notes you make in a lesson. Resist the __________ to pick up your pen and _______________ you are not writing when instructions are given. Most  _____________ , learn how to listen. If you learn to listen, you will not need your pen. ________ will you understand more, your bag will be lighter!
urge  	withdrawal	may	not only	
addiction	key  	make a point of   	problem  	
consider   	lead   	make sure   	root   	
importantly  	lie   	method   	symptom