A
Hello, I’m Tony. I’m afraid of a lot of things: dogs, spiders, eye contact—and once for an entire decade I didn’t dare to set foot on a plane. I gave up a couple of job offers in other states, and missed out on quite a few free trips to Europe.
A year ago, I was tired of missing out so much on life, so I decided I would fix my problem. A friend introduced me to Tom, an experienced airline captain and licensed doctor. He specialized in treating the fear of flying. I ended up asking him every single question floating around in my head. He helped me get over some of my ridiculous fears.
Actually, if you have a specific motivation, it helps to overcome fear. For me, that motivation came when I landed a girlfriend who moved to Wisconsin shortly after we started dating. Every time I went to visit her, I had to take a 22-hour train ride, lying wide awake all the way. Fed up with it, I decided I would have to take the 2-hour plane ride to Wisconsin instead.
I watched hours of YouTube videos of planes taking off to picture how my coming trip would be before I finally booked my first plane ticket. The moment I got to the airport, I took medicine to keep myself from feeling sick. As the minutes ticked down before boarding, I spent some time watching some more YouTube videos. I also turned on music on my earphones to drown out the sounds of the airplane, and breathed deeply whenever I felt any signs of fear.
I was proud that I made it. Yes, courage is the key that will open many doors of opportunity, while moving you through seemingly impossible obstacles that are standing in your way.
21. How did Tony find his meeting with Tom?
A. Fruitless B. Ridiculous C. Helpful D. Astonishing
22. Why did Tony watch YouTube videos at the airport?
A. His pilot friend asked him to. B. He had too much time to kill.
C. They could drown out noises. D. He wanted to ease his panic.
23. What does Tony think matters most when overcoming fear?
A. Opportunity B. Courage C. Experience D. Medicine
