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Phobias: When Fear Takes Over 当恐惧袭上心头

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

We all have our fears, for instance, of heights, flying, or dogs. Being scared of things is normal, but when our fears paralyze us, it is called a phobia. A phobia is a survival instinct that has gone out of control. Usually, fear tells us what to avoid. For example, if we are attacked by a tiger, fear would generate an adrenaline rush and trigger our instinct for fight or flight. A phobia gives us the same feeling, except the object of fear is often harmless. In serious cases, a person is so terrified of something that they cannot lead a normal life. The BBC documentary series “Phobias” shows how several people overcame their worst fears.

大家都有所惧，比如说，怕高、怕飞行，或者怕狗。害怕是正常的反应，但是当恐惧感让我们无法正常生活时，这种情形便称为「恐惧症」。所谓的恐惧症，就是一种失控的求生本能。通常恐惧会告诉我们该避开什么，比如说，受到老虎攻击时，恐惧感会刺激肾上腺素快速分泌，引发该奋战还是逃离的本能。恐惧症带给我们相同的感受，只是惧怕的对象通常无害。某些严重的案例中，对某项东西的恐惧可能强烈到令人无法过正常生活。BBC纪录片系列《恐惧症大家谈》带领我们了解几位恐惧症患者如何克服自己最深的恐惧。

Walking to school was a nightmare for 10-year-old Danny Maccionis. Ever since he was a baby, he had had a fear of dogs. It was impossible for him to go out alone because there might be dogs around. To his embarrassment, Danny had to ask his mother to walk with him to school.

对十岁大的丹尼来说，走路上学是场梦魇。从幼儿时期开始，他就非常怕狗，怕到无法单独外出，因为附近可能都有狗。令他难为情的是，丹尼必须要求妈妈陪他走路上学。

Danny chose to receive behavioral therapy, which took the form of gradual exposure to the object of his fear. Dr. Colin Blowers, a therapist, had the young boy stand close to several dogs. Over a number of sessions, Danny was able to get closer until he was finally able to stroke a dog’s fur.

丹尼选择接受行为治疗，采用渐进的方式逐步地接触他恐惧的对象。治疗师柯林．布劳尔斯博士让小男生站在几只狗附近，经过几个疗程后，丹尼慢慢缩短了与小狗的距离，最后终于敢轻抚狗狗身上的毛。

Vocabulary

单词发音

paralyze [ˋpærə͵laɪz] v. 使麻痹；使瘫痪

instinct [ˋɪnstɪŋkt] n. 本能；天性; 直觉

terrified [`tɛrəˏfaɪd] adj. 非常害怕的﹐极度惊恐的[+of]

therapy [ˋθɛrəpɪ] n. 治疗，疗法

stroke [strok] v.（用手）抚，摸

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单词发音

phobia [ˋfobɪə] n. 恐惧症；惧怕

adrenaline [əˈdrɛnəlɪn] n. 肾上腺素

trigger [ˋtrɪgɚ] v. 触发，引起[（+off）]

flight [flaɪt] n. 逃跑，溃退

ever since 从...以来 conj. continuously since a specified time or event

embarrassment [ɪmˋbærəsmənt] n. 窘；难堪

take the form of 采取…形式, 以…形式出现 take the particular way in which something appears or exists

session [ˋsɛʃən] n.（授课活动等的）时间

课文朗读

课文讲解

Scientists have conducted brain scans of people to find out what causes these persistent fears. The results show that when a person feels normal fear, the part of the brain that registers emotion is active. But when a person feels excessive fear, it also charges up the part of the brain that deals with memory. This has led some scientists to conclude that phobias can be caused by scary experiences in our past.

科学家对患者进行脑部扫描，以期找出造成恐惧挥之不去的原因。结果显示，当人感受到正常恐惧时，大脑中记录情绪的区域是活跃的。但是，当一个人身陷极端恐惧时，这样的情绪也会触动大脑中掌管记忆的区域。这项发现让某些科学家认为，过往让人害怕的经验有可能会导致恐惧症。

Jacqueline Kelly had a phobia about birds and feathers that she thought might be related to a childhood incident. She suspected that the event had so horrified her that she had blocked it from her memory. And so Jacqueline went to see a hypnotherapist. While under hypnosis, she remembered back to when she was a young girl. One day, a bird got trapped inside her grandmother’s house and flew around wildly.

杰奎琳对于鸟类以及羽毛深感恐惧，她认为这可能与小时候发生的某事件有关。她怀疑那次事件吓坏了她，严重到她把那件事从记忆中封锁。于是杰奎琳向催眠治疗师求助，在催眠之下，杰奎琳回想起还是个小女孩时，有天一只鸟被困在奶奶的房子里到处乱飞。

Armed with this knowledge, Jacqueline also underwent behavioral therapy. Professor Paul Salkovskis was able to cure her in just one session. After 45 minutes of continual but gentle persuasion, he got Jacqueline to hold a feather in her hand without panicking.

了解这段过去之后，杰奎琳同时也接受行为治疗。萨克夫斯基教授只用一个疗程，就将她的恐惧症治愈。在为时45分钟持续但温和的诱导后，他成功让杰奎琳毫不惊慌地握着一根羽毛。

While other health problems can be solved with medicines, it seems that with phobias, the key lies in understanding the mind. In most cases, people have to directlyconfront their fear, meaning that sometimes courage is the best cure!

尽管其他的健康问题可以用药物治疗，但是对于恐惧症来说，主要的治疗关键却在于了解自己的心。在多数的案例中，人们必须直接面对自己的恐惧，这意味着有时勇气才是最好的治疗良方。

−by Marcus Lindy Sortijas

Vocabulary

单词发音

incident [ˋɪnsədnt] n. 事件

horrify [ˋhɔrə͵faɪ] v. 使恐惧，使惊惧

continual [kənˋtɪnjʊəl] adj. 不间断的，连续的

persuasion [pɚˋsweʒən] n. 说服，劝说

confront [kənˋfrʌnt] v. 勇敢地面对

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单词发音

persistent [pɚˋsɪstənt] adj. 持续的，持久的

register [ˋrɛdʒɪstɚ] v. 【口】（常用在否定句中）留下印象

charge up 跑上来; 冲向前 cause to be agitated, excited, or roused

scary [ˋskɛrɪ] adj.【非正式】可怕的﹐骇人的﹐恐怖的

block [blɑk] v. 堵住，封锁

hypnotherapist [hɪpnoˋθɛrəpɪst] n. 催眠治疗家

hypnosis [hɪpˋnosɪs] n. 催眠状态

arm with 准备好; 装备  to equip with what is needed for effective action

undergo [͵ʌndɚˋgo] v. 接受（治疗，检查等）

lie in  在于, 存在于

Reading Questions

1. What is true about phobias?

A. They trigger our instinct for fight or flight in dangerous situations.

B. They encourage people to avoid fear at all costs.

C. They can prevent people from leading a normal life.

D. They show us how several people have overcome their worst fears.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Danny was embarrassed to walk to school with his mother.

B. Danny agreed to see a doctor for behavioral therapy.

C. Jacqueline’s hypnotherapist cured her of her phobia.

D. Jacqueline had a bad experience with birds as a child.

3. According to the article, what did the brain scans conducted by scientists reveal?

A. Phobias only trigger an emotional reaction in the brain.

B. Phobias can be related to a person’s past experiences.

C. Brain scans are effective treatments to help eliminate phobias.

D. Excessive fear causes people to confront their emotions.

4. What is the main theme of this article?

A. How behavioral therapy is being developed to help people with phobias.

B. What prompts people to decide to overcome their phobias?

C. The health risks associated with phobias.

D. The process of understanding and dealing with phobias.

Part 1 Primal Fear - BBC Explorations

Part 2 Primal Fears - BBC Explorations

Part 3 Primal Fears - BBC Explorations

Part 4 Primal Fears - BBC Explorations

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