Fear Factor

Think and Discuss

1. Look at the photo and read the caption. Would you describe the man’s actions as brave, foolish, or
something else? Why? Would you do what he is doing? Why, or why not?

A man faces his fear of heights to skateboard on the edge of a building.

2. Fear of heights is a common fear. What effects do our fears—either common or uncommon ones—
have on us?

Fear in the Media

BEFORE YOU LISTEN

A. COMMUNICATE Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.

1. What are the main forms of media that people use these days?
2. Look at the image. How does it relate to the idea of fear in the media?
 Think Critically
B. You are going to listen to an academic discussion about how and why media stories often
focus on fears that people have. Before you listen, discuss these questions in a small group.

1. What types of stories that focus on fears do you often see in the media?
2. Have you ever been affected after reading, viewing, or hearing such stories? If yes, why
and how? If no, why not?
3. In your experience, do media stories often make situations sound worse than they really
are? Support your opinion.

Pre-teaching Vocabulary
C Read and listen to the paragraphs below with words from the academic discussion. Choose the best
definition for each bold word.

a. Reports indicate that efforts to control the epidemic are working, and the number of new cases
has gone down. The disease still poses a risk, however, and people traveling to the affected area
should postpone their trips.
b. A storm warning is in effect for the East Beach area. If the forecast is trustworthy, the storm will
arrive early on Saturday morning and will generate powerful winds. Local residents expressed
anxiety about the potential damage to their homes.
c. Will a new self-help book let us conquer our fears? According to a claim by the publisher,
readers will learn a basic principle for managing their fears. Is that claim credible? Well, the
book includes many anecdotes from people who apparently overcame their fears by following
the book’s advice.

1. ____________________ (adj) able to be trusted or relied on

2. ____________________ (adj) believable and convincing
3. ____________________ (n) a disease that spreads quickly among many people
4. ____________________ (n) a feeling of worry about what might happen
5. ____________________ (n) a rule or belief that guides how one behaves
6. ____________________ (n) short stories, often about one’s personal experiences
7. ____________________ (n) a statement saying that something is true
8. ____________________ (v) represents a danger
9. ____________________ (v) defeat or overcome something
10. ____________________ (v) produce or create something

D. COMMUNICATE Discuss these questions with a partner. Use a form of the words in
bold in your discussion.
1. A good principle for life is to be kind to others. What is one principle you try to follow in your
life?

2. Do you think media stories are more or less trustworthy than they used to be? Support your view.

3. Some people say that modern life is stressful. Would you make this claim? Why, or why not?

4. What are some things that pose a risk to your happiness? How could you avoid them?

5. Most people see anxiety as negative. Are there any positives to this feeling? Explain your answer.
 6. What is one thing you want to conquer? How could you go about conquering it?

LISTENING ONE
FEAR IN THE MEDIA
I. Listen for Main Ideas
E Read the opinions below. Then listen to an academic discussion between a professor and two
students in a seminar class. Write the name of the student who gave each opinion in the space:
Mina (the female student), Mateo (the male student), or both.

II. Listen for Details

F Listen to segment 1 and take notes about the numerical details you hear. Then use your notes to
add an abbreviation and/or a number to each statement.

1. Apparently, up to _____________ of stories on local television news in the U.S. are about crime.
2. Although murder rates fell 20%, the number of media stories about it rose _____________%.
3. Steven Pinker’s book The Better Angels of Our Nature has _____________ pages.
4. In his book, Pinker says violent acts in schools have declined _____________ % since the 1990s.
5. Pinker also says that in the last 15 years, murder rates have gone down in _____________ of
countries for which there is trustworthy data.
6. The female student argues that a media story with _____________ views can generate more money
from advertising than a less popular story.

III. Communicate G Work with a partner. Listen to segment 2. Then answer the questions.
1. Which idea does the male student repeat three times?
2. Which phrase does the student use to introduce the final repetition of this idea?
3. Why do you think he repeats this idea three times?

IV. After You Listen

H THINK CRITICALLY Interpret an Infographic. Work in small groups. Match each
example below to one of the ” Domains of Fear” shown in the infographic. Answers may vary.
Then think of one more example that matches each category.
I COMMUNICATE Add two of your own questions below. Interview a student in your class.
Then share your results with a partner.

J THINK CRITICALLY Personalize Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.

1. We are all afraid of something. What are some common things that people fear?
2. Why do people fear these things? What can they do to reduce their fears?

V. Pronunciation
K COMMUNICATE Work with a partner. Look at the examples, which show different ways to
divide a sentence into thought groups. Discuss whether you think each one would sound natural
or unnatural, and why. Then listen and check.

1. Studies // show that // most people // have at least one // phobia.

2. Studies show // that most people // have at least one phobia.
3. Studies show that most people // have at least one phobia.
4. Studies show that // most people have at least one phobia.
5. Studies show // that most people have at least one phobia.

L COMMUNICATE Practice reading this information aloud. Pause at the end of each thought
group and stress the primary syllable of the underlined focus word.

A phobia can be defined // as a strong, // lasting, // and often irrational fear. //

Studies show that most people // have at least one phobia. //
Some of the most common phobias // include fear of spiders, // snakes, // and heights. //
Scientists are unsure why people develop phobias, // but one theory // is negative past
experiences. //
Phobias can be hard to conquer, // but behavior therapy is sometimes an effective treatment.
LISTENING TWO
TED TALKS
What fear can teach us
I. Before You Watch
A COMMUNICATE Read the title of the TED Talk and the information about Karen Thompson Walker.
Think of something you fear. Does this fear cause you to imagine things? Discuss in small groups.

II. Communicate
B Work in a small group. Discuss the following questions.

1. Read the quote. What are some fears that authors often depict in stories? How might fears
and stories be connected?
2. Talk about a time when you were scared. Did you learn anything from that fear? Why, or
why not?
3. What other emotions, such as happiness or anger, can also teach us something? Support your
view.

III. Pre-teaching Vocabulary

C C These sentences will help you learn words in the TED Talk. Read and listen to the sentences. Then
write the number of the sentence in which the bold word matches the definition.

1. Anne gave an insightful talk that clearly explained how people can overcome their deepest fears.
2. Jenny found it hard to believe all of the rumors about the epidemic, but they still frightened her.
3. Tom understood what it felt like to starve after being lost in a desert for a week without any food.
4. The guest speaker used powerful imagery that helped people understand and accept her ideas.
5. The novel, which had so much suspense that people could not stop reading it, became a bestseller.
6. Studies show that news stories about violent crimes often provoke a strong reaction in readers.
7. Audiences found the movie very frightening, even though most of the scary moments were subtle.
8. As soon as news of the disaster spread, volunteers rushed to the hospital to help the survivors.
9. Zack’s dread of both heights and wide-open spaces made it hard for him to live a normal life.
10. Sofia let her worries about the journey influence her decision about when and how to travel.
a. (v) affect someone’s opinion about something Sentence _____
b. (v) cause a response or emotion, especially anger Sentence _____
c. (n) a deep and powerful fear Sentence _____
d. (n) excitement and uncertainty about what might happen Sentence _____
e. (adj) able to see and explain the truth about something Sentence _____
f. (adj) not direct, obvious, or easy to sense Sentence _____
g. (n) people who remain alive after a deadly event Sentence _____
h. (n) stories or gossip that may not be true Sentence _____
i. (v) suffer or die from lack of food Sentence _____
j. (adj) visually descriptive language Sentence _____

IV. Communicate
D. COMMUNICATE Discuss these questions with a partner. Use one or more forms of the
bold word when you answer each question.

1. Who is the most insightful person you know? Tell your group about this person.
2. What could you say to a friend to get him or her to stop spreading rumors about other
people?
3. Describe a suspenseful moment from a movie you have seen. What gave this scene so much
suspense?
4. Which of these would most likely provoke a reaction in you: seeing a photo of a spider, a
snake, or a shark? What reaction would it provoke, and why?
5. Do you know anybody with a dread of something? How does it affect this person’s
behavior?
6. Do your worries or concerns often influence your behavior? Why and how, or why not?

V. Watch for Main Ideas

E 1.24 Watch segment 1 of the TED Talk. Which of the two statements below is the speaker’s
main goal? Why do you think so? Discuss with a partner.

• Her main goal is to tell the amazing and little-known story of the men of the whaleship
Essex.
• Her main goal is to illustrate an idea about fear by describing what the men of the Essex
experienced.

VI. Watch for Details

F 1.26 Look at the map showing what happened to the whaleship Essex. Watch the video again.
Which three of the events shown on the map does Thompson Walker mention?
G THINK CRITICALLY Infer. Work with a partner. Compare your answers to exercise G. Then
choose two of the events shown on the map that Thompson Walker did not mention. Why do you
think she chose not to talk about these two events?

VII. Recognize Repetition

H Watch segment 3 of the talk. Which four of these ideas does Thompson Walker repeat?

a. The idea that English speakers see fear as something to conquer

b. The various dangers that were faced by the men of the Essex
c. The rumors that were heard by the men of the Essex
d. How fears are similar to stories in some ways
e. The ways in which our fears make us consider the future
f. How some entrepreneurs pay close attention to their fears
VIII. Expand Your Vocabulary
I Watch the excerpts from the TED Talk. Guess the meaning of the phrases in the box.

dire situation dismiss one’s fears illuminating

example
embark on resort to steer for

“Even in today’s world, their situation would be really dire…”

1. What is a dire situation?
a. one that is completely unexpected
b. one that is extremely serious
c. one that is surprisingly unsuccessful

“These people, instead of dismissing their fears, these people read them closely…”
2. What does it mean to dismiss one’s fears?
a. abandon them
b. forget them
c. ignore them

“…the end of the story… offers an illuminating, if tragic, example.”

3. What is an illuminating example?
a. one that causes a controversy
b. one that leads to a discussion
c. one that makes something clear

“… they … instead embarked on the longer and much more difficult route to South
America.”
4. What does embark on mean?
a. begin a journey
b. learn a lesson
c. take a vote

“… some of them had resorted to their own form of cannibalism.”

5. What does resort to mean?
a. do something arrogant
b. do something extreme
c. do something urgent

“… had they … steered straight for Tahiti.”

6. What does steer for mean?
a. depart quickly from
b. spend time in
c. travel directly towards
IX. After You Watch
J THINK CRITICALLY Personalize. Work in small groups. Think about a journey you have
taken. Then take turns sharing your answers to these questions.

1. What fear(s) did you have before the journey? Why?

2. What fear(s) did you have in the middle of the journey? Why?
3. How closely did your fears predict what actually happened?