彭蒙惠英语：Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives

Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives

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5 Agoraphobia: Fear of open or public spaces

 

People who suffer from this phobia often fear being unable to escape the situation. This is “the most common and the most debilitating¹ phobia,” Elpers says. “It can actually cripple someone and really affect their life.” Professional help is almost always a must. After all, it’s difficult to have a life if you’re afraid to step outside the door.

 

6 Cynophobia: Fear of dogs

 

This is a classic example of a phobia that has arisen as a learned response. Many phobias develop because of something that has happened to you, said Kirsch. After a dog bites you, “… you cultivate a fear of dogs.” She says the best way to conquer cynophobia is to “unlearn what you’ve learned.”

 

7 Gephyrophobia: Fear of crossing bridges

 

In the San Francisco Bay Area, this fear spiked³ after the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. The Bay Bridge collapse⁴ is a clear example of how phobias develop, says Agustin. “The bridge becomes connected to a fear response.”

 

8 Hobphobia: Fear of bums⁵ or beggars

 

Therapists point out that this fear has gotten worse as cities have grown, while jobs and housing have shriveled. This phobia can largely be avoided—just skirt areas where panhandlers hang out.

 

9 Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns

 

Therapists say it’s no surprise that coulrophobia is possibly the most maligned⁷ phobia, since clowns can be downright scary. “That bright makeup⁸ . . . the clothes ... can be terrifying for small children,” blossoming from fear into a phobia, Agustin says. To prevent this from happening, therapists urge parents to explain to their children what the entertainer is all about before they encounter a clown.

 

10 Fear of terrorists

 

According to Elpers, “During certain periods ... there’s an increase in specific fears,” such as today’s “ ... fear of terrorists, but it doesn’t have a name. Within the year, they’ll have a name for that.”

 

Indeed.

 

 

Vocabulary Focus

cripple (v) [5kripl] to damage something very badly and make it weak or not effective

cultivate (v) [5kQltiveit] to form, develop or establish something

spike² (v) [spaik] to rise sharply and briefly⁹

skirt (v) [skE:t] to avoid, especially by moving along the edge of something

 

Specialized¹⁰ Terms

malign⁶ (v) 中伤；诽谤 to unfairly criticize or say false and unpleasant things about someone or something

 

10种干扰生活的恐惧症

 

5. 广场恐惧症：害怕开放或公共空间    

得这种恐惧症的人通常害怕无法从情境中逃离。这是“最普遍和最令人衰弱的恐惧症，”艾尔帕斯说：“它确实可以让人瘫痪而真正影响他们的生活。”这种情况几乎总是需要专业人员的帮助。毕竟，如果你害怕跨出家门，就很难过日子了。

6. 犬恐惧症：害怕狗   

这是由学到的反应而产生恐惧症的典型例子。许多恐惧症的产生是因为“……曾经发生在你身上的事，”克屈说。被一条狗咬过后，“……造成了你对狗的害怕。”她说克服犬恐惧症最好的方法是“忘掉所学到的经验”。

7. 过桥恐惧症：害怕过桥   

在旧金山湾区，这种害怕在1989年洛玛•普雷塔地震后激增。海湾大桥的倒塌是恐惧症发展方式的明显例子，阿古斯汀说：“桥于是和恐惧反应相联系。”

8. 流浪汉恐惧症：害怕游民或乞丐   

治疗师指出，当城市扩展而工作机会和住宿条件紧缩时，这种害怕就会恶化。这种恐惧症大部分可以避免——只要避开乞丐游荡的地方即可。

9. 小丑恐惧症：害怕小丑   

治疗师说小丑恐惧症可能是最具伤害性的恐惧症，因为小丑原本就很吓人。奥古斯汀说：“鲜艳的化妆……衣服……可能会吓坏小孩子，”由于害怕而发展成恐惧症。要避免这种情形发生，治疗师鼓励父母们在孩子们见到小丑之前，向他们解释小丑是怎么一回事。

10. 害怕恐怖分子   

艾尔帕斯说：“在某段期间……某种特定的恐惧会增加，”譬如现今的“……害怕恐怖分子，但尚无名字。1年之内，这种恐惧就会有个名称了。”说得有理。

 

1 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 bums   

n. 游荡者，流浪汉，懒鬼，闹饮，屁股 adj. 没有价值的，不灵光的，不合理的 vt. 令人失望，乞讨 vi. 混日子，以乞讨为生

参考例句：

• The other guys are considered'sick" or "bums". 其他的人则被看成是“病态”或“废物”。
• You'll never amount to anything, you good-for-nothing bums! 这班没出息的东西，一辈子也不会成器。

6 malign   

adj.有害的；恶性的；恶意的；v.诽谤，诬蔑

参考例句：

• It was easy to see why the cartoonists regularly portrayed him as a malign cherub.难怪漫画家总是把他画成一个邪恶的小天使。
• She likes to malign innocent persons.她爱诋毁那些清白的人。

7 maligned   

vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She feels she has been much maligned by the press. 她觉得她遭到了新闻界的恣意诽谤。
• We maligned him dreadfully when you come to think of it. 回头想想，我们狠狠地中伤了他。 来自辞典例句

8 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。