Upper Intermediate Unit 9 BBC interviews script

P = Pasha G = Gemma C = Claire Ch = Chris H = Hannah

Co = Colin A = Alexandra Al = Alex S = Stuart Cl = Chloe
M = Marie
P: Hi. Like many people, I do have some minor fears and phobias: some
things worry me, but there’s nothing really that affects my life. How
about you? Do you have any fears or phobias?
G: Yeah, I don’t, I don’t really like very crowded places, like when the tube
is really busy.
C: I think for me the biggest one is being scared of heights, which I find
really illogical, and it’s something that’s developed as I’ve got older – I
wasn’t scared of heights when I was little.
Ch: I have a real fear of height and, or flying, even, as well.
H: I don’t know if it’s strange, but I do have a slight fear of flying.
Co: I don’t like spiders ... from childhood.
A: I’m scared of rats. And when I walked from college to my flat, there’s
lots of bins and lots of rats – that was pretty scary.
Al: I’d say that, probably, a phobia that a lot of people have today is, that I
share, is committing: potentially looking at getting married at a young
age; looking to have a family.
S: One in particular is, dogs. I had a scary experience with a dog years
and years ago.
Cl: I have a very strange fear of pencils: blunt pencils and the noise it
would make on paper.
P: How do your fears or phobias interfere with your life?
M: I’ll never get a bargain in a sale because there’s too many people.
C: That’s true. I agree.
G: I guess I avoid really crowded places if it’s possible.
H: If I could avoid flying, then I probably would.
Cl: At school it was a big problem. I had to use a pen instead of a pencil.
And even someone sitting next to me using a pencil would make me
cringe.

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 Upper Intermediate Unit 9 BBC interviews script

Ch: I don’t like height, so, and being in high places, so I went on a balloon
ride a few years ago. Someone had invited me to go and I thought it
was an opportunity not to be missed, so I went on it anyway and
thoroughly loved it. You know, I think most of the time we make up the
phobia in our head to be worse than it actually is.
P: What fear or phobia would be the most troublesome in the modern
world?
Ch: I suppose not being liked or loved.
S: I would have thought it would be something like agoraphobia because
it would just keep people in their homes and not being able to, sort of,
integrate with society in any way.
H: Perhaps, claustrophobia, perhaps, especially in London because you
are so ‘closed in’ a lot of the time, so things like lifts and also transport,
so flying perhaps and using trains, tubes: I think that would probably
get in the way quite a lot.
C: People like to move and like their freedom and I think to be trapped in a
small space is quite scary for a lot of people.

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