爱华网II. Listening Skills
How to Overcome Fears of Flying
If you are afraid of flying, there are specialists who can teachyou how to deal with your fears and finally get rid of them.
They will find out if a nearby airport has special trainingprograms for people who are afraid to fly. Many airports do. Howwould such a program work?
First, a specialist will take your group to the airport to watchthe planes take off and land. A representative from one of theairlines will explain how an airplane flies. Then your group willsit in an airplane that stays on the ground. At a later time, youwill go up in a plane for a short flight and then land. Graduallythe time you spend in the air will increase. When you are preparesfor it, the group will take a trip to another city.
How to overcome
fears of flying Special training programs at an airport
Step 1 Watch the planes take off and land
Step 2 A representative from an airline will explain how a planeflies
Step 3 sit in an airplane that stays on the ground
Step 4 a short flight
Step 5 the time in the air will increase
Step 6 to another city
III. Listening In
Task 1: Fear of Heights
Tony: Hey, Mary, some of us in the Outdoor Club are going campingthis weekend. You interested?
Mary: Gee, I don’t know… where’re you planning to go?
Tony: Up into the mountains… We want to take advantage of the niceweather while it lasts.
Mary: The mountains… you mean climbing them?
Tony: Sure, many places have interesting mountains, but the oneshere are the most beautiful I have seen—and only a few hours’ drivefrom here.
Mary: If I were to go, I wouldn’t appreciate the view. I’d have myeyes shut tight all the time. I’m
Scares stiff of heights.
Tony: You’ll be missing out on a lot of wonderful views.
Mary: Oh, Tony, I really prefer to stay at the foot of themountain.
Tony: That’s Ok, Mary. Come anyway. You can skip the climbing—juststay in the camp and cook
and clean up for us.
Mary: That doesn’t sound like much fun. Maybe I should learn toovercome my fear of heights.
camping the weekend planning to go go up into themountains
climbing the most beautiful seen drive tight shut
Scares stiff wonderful views the foot of the mountain skip theclimbing
camp cook and clean up fun overcome her fear of heights
Task 2: Scared Sleeping
Steven went to a psychiatrist. “ Doctor,” he said, “ I’ve gottrouble. Every time I get into bed, I
think there’s somebody under it. I get under the bed; then I thinkthere’s somebody on top of it.
Top , under, top, under. You’ve got to help me! I’m goingcrazy!”
“ Just put yourself in my hands for two years,” said the doctor.“Come to me three times a week,
and I’ll cure your fears.”
“ How much do you charge?”
“ A hundred dollars a visit.”
“ I’ll think about it,” said Steven.
Six months later the doctor met Steven on the street. “ Why didn’tyou ever come to see me
again?” asked the psychiatrist.
“ For a hundred bucks a visit? A carpenter cured me for tendollars.”
“ Is that so? How?”
“ He told me to cut the legs off the bed!”
T F F T F
Task 3: No More Fear
Hi, my name’s Matthew, and I want to talk about my love of water. Ihad a fear of water when I
was young. That fear kept me away from water. That was because onceI was pushed into the
swimming pool by a classmate when I was eight and first arrived inAustralia from Vietnam. That
experience was horrible. I was down at the deep end, struggling,and I thought I was going to
drown. It was a big fear. The next thing that happened was myteacher, dressed in full clothes,
jumped in, and rescued me. Then I started to like that teacher whohappened to be my English
teacher. My English was broken as English was my second language. Ididn’t want to learn
English or speak English. Then I changed. I find it to be anamazing experience. Now my fear
Of water has gone. I just actually love water now, and I’minterested in English as well. I’m a
Bit more, let’s say, a bit more confident in speaking English now,I think. I’m no longer worried
about my broken English. I don’t care if people laugh. I just findit fun to speak English. And I
don’t feel ashamed of myself when other people correct the mistakesin my English.
1. C) Vietnam 2. D) All of the above. 3. B) He jumped into the poolto save the speaker.
4. A) English was not his native language.
5. A) Because his English teacher saved him from drowning, he cameto like both water and
English.
Past Present
water The speaker had a fear of water. He just actually loves itnow.
English His English was broken. He is more confident in speakingEnglish and
Is not ashamed of / worried about his mistakes.
IV. Speaking Out
Model 1 Shake off your fear of darkness!
Bob: People are frightened of lots and lots of different things.Are you frightened of anything in particular?
Laura: Well, I’m afraid of walking alone in an open field atnight.
Bob: What are you afraid of?
Laura: I don’t know exactly. Sometimes a shadow ahead scares mestiff. Sometimes the sudden cry of a bird or something startlesme.
Bob: What are you staying by yourself in a dark room?
Laura: That can be even worse. When it’s absolutely dark andsilent, I wouldn’t dare walk anywhere. And I wouldn’t dare make asound. I just want to hide under a blanket.
Bob: If you are scared of the dark, you’ll miss a lot ofinteresting experiences.
Laura: I guess so.
Bob: To get the most out of life, you should find a doctor to helpyou shake off your fear of the dark.
Laura: Yeah, that’s good advice.
SAMPLE DIALOG
A: People are frightened of lots and lots of different things. Areyou frightened of anything in particular?
B: Well, I’m scared of dogs.
A: Really? What are you afraid of?
B: I don’t know exactly. They just make me nervous, and I’m scaresto death when a dog barks at
me.
A: If you’re scared of dogs, you’ll miss a lot of fun. They are ourgood friends.
B: Maybe you are right.
A: To overcome this fear, you could find a doctor to help you getrid of that fear of dogs.
B: That’s a good idea. Thank you.
Model 2 I’m afraid I’ll fail
Laura: John, What’s the matter with you? You look so down.
John: We will have a big exam tomorrow in Physics, and I’m afraidI’ll fail.
Laura: Have you been studying?
John: You know me. I study all the time. And I know the materialuntil I step into the exam room.
Laura: What happens then?
John: It’s like I’m two people. Once I pick up the exam paper, allmy knowledge is gone.
Laura: That’s hard to believe.
John: But it’s true. My head is filled with a buzzing noise, thewords blur on the page, and I can’t think. And…
Laura: And what?
John: And I break into a cold sweat.
Laura: Oh, I feel for you.
SAMPLE DIALOG
A: Oh, what’s the matter with you? You look so glum.
B: We will have an English oral test tomorrow, and I’m worried I’llfail.
A: Did you practice?
B: You know me. I have been practicing all the time. And I canspeak fluently I see the
interviewer.
A: I can hardly believe it.
B: It’s like I’m two people. I open my mouth but my mind goesblank. I simply can’t think. And…
A: And what?
B: And I stammer.
A: Oh, you have my sympathy.
Model 3 Going to the dentist really unnerves me!
Laura: Ouch! This tooth is really bugging me.
John: Maybe you have a cavity. Have you seen the dentist?
Laura: No. I haven’t. Going to the dentist really unnerves me. Itry to avoid it like the plague.
John: Come on. Don’t be a chicken! It can’t be that bad!
Laura: I’m not a chicken! But I’ll do anything to stay out of thedentist’s chair.
John: Even when your face is swollen with the bad tooth?
Laura: You bet!
SAMPLE DIALOG
A: I have a bad cold, and I’ve had a low fever for severaldays.
B: Have you seen the doctor? Maybe you should take aninjection.
A: No. I lose courage at the idea of taking an injection. I’ll tryto avoid it as much as possible.
B: Come on. Don’t be like a child! It’s all in your mind.
A: I’m not like a child! But I’ll do everything to avoidinjections.
B: Even when your cold last for several more days?
A: Sure.
V. Let’s Talk
Helen’s Story
I’m Helen. Well, it happened a few years ago. I was living in ahouse with my parents. One
evening I had to prepare myself for an examination at school. I wasworking in the basement at
my table when my parents went to the city to go shopping. Suddenly,I heard steps on the floor
above me. I knew there was actually nobody in the house besides me.What could I do? I was
terribly frightened because I knew that it must a burglar. We hadthe windows open to air the
room, so it must be burglar. What could I do? I remembered that Ihad a toy gun in my cupboard,
so I decide to take the toy gun and go upstairs. Well, I took thetoy gun, went out of my room, and
shouted as if there was another person, “ George, take the dog andgo outside.” On my way
upstairs, I turned on lights. The burglar must have heard me, andhe rushed out of the window the
way he came in.
Well, I was relieved, and then I tried to phone my parents, but Iwas so terribly frightened that I
wasn’t able to dial the number.
Character Description
Helen prepared herself for an examination.
was working in the basement.
Her parents went shopping.
Helen Heard steps on the floor above.
was terribly frightened.
A burglar must have come in.
Helen took the toy gun from the cupboard,
went upstairs, and
shouted, “George, take the dog and go outside.”
turned on lights.
The burglar must have heard Helen.
rushed out of the window the way he came in.
Helen phoned her parents.
wasn’t able to dial the number.
Possible Retelling for the Teacher’s Reference
Helen is telling us about her horrible experience. One evening shewas preparing for her
examination in the basement of her house. Her parents had gone outshopping. Suddenly she heard
footsteps on the floor above. Knowing that she should be the onlyperson at home, she was scared
almost out of her wits. Obviously, a burglar had come in throughthe window that was left open
for fresh air. Plucking up her courage, Helen took a toy gun fromthe cupboard and went upstairs.
On the way she shouted, “ George, take the dog out.” Also tofrighten the thief, she turned on
some lights. The burglar must have heard all the noise and rushedout of the window where he got
on. Now Helen felt somewhat relieved. She tried to phone herparents, but her trembling hand was
simply unable to dial the number.
VI. Further Listening and Speaking
Task 1: I hate flying.
Dave: Sue, I haven’t seen you for a while. Where’ve you beenhiding?
Sue: Dave, I have some excellent news. I won first prize in thecomputer software competition.
Dave: That’s wonderful news. What’s the prize?
Sue: I’ve won a trip to Sydney.
Dave: Wow! That’s great—but how will you get there?
Sue: Fly, of course. It’s much too far to swim.
Dave: I hate flying. With just the thought of not having my feetsafe on the ground, three things happen: my stomach turns, my facegoes pale, and I break into a cold sweat.
Sue: But if you want to travel, you have to fly.
Dave: That’s true. But if I were to fly, I’d have to get somemedicines from the doctor.
Sue: That’s must cause you a lot of trouble.
Dave: Well, I have no other choice.
1. prize software competition
2. a trip to
3. turns goes pale breaks into a cold sweat
4. some medicines the doctor
5. cause / give a lot of trouble
Task 2: Don’t be afraid of the alligators!
While enjoying fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist overturnedhis boat by accident. He could
swim, but he was afraid of alligators. So he just held tight on tothe overturned boat. After a while
he saw a coast guard officer walking close to the shore, and he gotexcited. He shouted at the
officer, “Are there any alligators around here?” “No,” the manshouted back, “they haven’t been
around for years!” Feeling greatly relieved, the tourist startedswimming lazily toward the shore.”
About halfway there he asked the coast guard, just out ofcuriosity, “How did you get rid of the
alligators?” “We didn’t do anything,” the officer answered. “Wow,how lucky I am,” said the
tourist. The officer then added, “ The sharks got them.
1. A) He caught hold of the boat.
2. C) Whether there were any alligators around.
3. D) No, not for the past years.
4. B) The sharks killed all of them.
5. A) A threat was replaced by a bigger threat.
Task 3: Fear of Flying
At a recent software engineering management course in the UnitedStates, the participants were given an awkward question to answer:“If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that your teamof programmers had been responsible for the flight controlsoftware, would you get off immediately? If yes, please put up yourhands.” Then a forest of hands were raised, but one programmercalled Smith did not put up his hand. When asked what he would do,he replied that he had no fear and would be quite happy to stay onboard. “With my team’s software,” he said, “the plane was unlikelyto even taxi as far as the runway, let alone take off.”
1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T
Speaking
Snakes frighten me.
Tony: Oh, Nancy, I am looking for you.
Nancy: Well, Sherlock Holmes, you’ve just found me. What’sup?
Tony: The Outdoor Club is going camping this weekend. Care to joinus for an adventure?
Nancy: I could be interested, but will there be snakes? I hatesnakes; they make me scared stiff.
Tony: Probably not. We’ll be in the mountains, and snakes don’tcare for the cold. But there are different kinds of snakes.Poisonous ones like rattlers, and friendly ones like garter snakes.You aren’t afraid of the friendly snakes, are you?
Nancy: Well, if we encounter any snakes, you’ll see how loud I canscream.
Toney: Even if they’re friendly snakes?
Nancy: Yeah, all snakes make my hair stand on end.
