礼节美语 Business Etiquette 262 Fear of Flying 2

 　　Sean 有飞行恐惧症，可他偏偏又是国际销售代表，需要经常旅行。同事 Mimi 开玩笑说，他可真是选错了职业。Mimi 说，

　　M: You certainly picked the wrong profession! You are an international sales representative - traveling is part of the job!

　　S: I know!! I thought my fear would lessen¹ the more I did it - but it's been 10 years now and I'm still afraid of flying.

　　M: You know, the idea that you are more in control behind the wheel of a car than you are in an airplane might not be valid². Think about it: how much control do you have over road conditions or other drivers on the road? Very little, right?

　　S: That's true.

　　Mimi 觉得，Sean certainly picked the wrong profession. 选错了职业。Sean 说，他原来以为，坐飞机坐得多了，飞行恐惧症会慢慢好起来，谁知道，十年过去了，丝毫不见减弱。Mimi 说，Sean以为开车 - behind the wheels的时候自己可以控制自己命运，这种想法 is not valid, 不能成立，因为开车的人对路况和自己周围的驾车人，是完全控制不了的。有什么办法能减轻飞行恐惧症患者的症状吗？我们继续听。

　　M: Have you ever tried pretending that you're on a bus? My uncle uses this trick when he's flying....whenever the plane runs into some turbulence³ he just closes his eyes and pretends he's sitting on a bumpy⁴ bus.

　　S: Hmm....I'm not sure if that would work but it's worth a try.

　　M: Where do you usually sit on the plane?

　　S: As close as possible to an emergency exit!!

　　M: (Chuckles) My uncle says the best place to sit is as close to the wings as possible because in his experience, the center of the plane is more stable.

　　S: That makes sense.  I'll try to find a seat near an emergency exit by the wings!

　　Mimi 建议Sean 尝试一下，假装自己是坐在一个颠簸的巴士上。Whenever the plane runs into some turbulence, turbulence is spelled t-u-r-b-u-l-e-n-c-e, turbulence 气流，意思是飞机遇到气流颠簸的时候，就假装自己是坐在一个 bumpy bus 上。Sean 觉得 it's worth a try. 可以试试看。Mimi 问 Sean 一般都选择什么地方的座位。Sean 说从来都是离 emergency exit 紧急出口越近越好。Mimi 说，飞机中央部位最稳，也就是机翼附近。可想而知，Sean 以后选择位子的条件又多了一个，不光要离紧急出口近，还最好是在飞机中间的机翼部位。

　　M: Of course, if nothing else works⁵, you can always see a doctor and perhaps he can prescribe⁶ some antianxiety medication for you.

　　S: I'd rather not use medications, but it might come down to that.

　　M: There are also a lot of courses available that use mental strengthening exercises, or even hypnosis! You should look into one of those programs and see if it works for you!

　　S: That's a good idea!

　　M: Maybe understanding how an airplane works....some of the basic principles of flight....what turbulence actually is and some other specifics about flying could help you "know your enemy," so to speak.

　　S:  I like that idea! If I understood what I was experiencing....perhaps I wouldn't fear it so much! Thanks for your suggestions, Mimi! You're a real pal⁷!

　　Mimi 建议，实在不行，Sean 还可以去找医生，开点 antianxiety 抗紧张的药，Sean 虽然不想吃药，但也承认，it might come down to that. 最后没办法，可能也只能借助药物了。另外，想克服心理障碍，还可以去参加锻炼心志的课程，或者是了解飞机的飞行原理，所谓 know your enemy 知己知彼，百战不殆，这些可能对Sean都有帮助。

1 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

2 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

3 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

4 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 prescribe   

vi.规定，开药方；vt.规定，命令，开处方

参考例句：

• The doctor prepared to prescribe a receipt.医生准备开个药方。
• Can't you just prescribe some of those diet pills,doctor?你不能开一些减肥药吗，医生？

7 pal   

n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友

参考例句：

• He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
• Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。