The term “social phobia（社交恐惧症）” seems to have taken on popularity these days. Young people in particular are describing themselves as having “social phobia”. They prefer not to go out much, saying that it’s hard for them to make new friends or socialize. But is this a “real” disorder（病症）?
In fact, this is just a reaction to certain social situations. US researcher Ty Tashiro wrote the book Awkward（笨拙）: The Science of Why We’re. Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome. He explains that some people don’t “read” social situations correctly and therefore end up feeling uncomfortable.
For example, they might be afraid of breaking some kind of unspoken rule. Therefore, they start to act awkwardly because they don’t want this to happen. This might make them unwilling to socialize. They prefer to stay in instead of going out to meet new people. But this doesn’t mean they have social phobia.
“Real” social phobia—also known as social worry—is much more serious. People with social worry want to go out and interact with people but are so terrified of doing it that they cannot leave their homes. Their brains simply won’t allow them to interact with others in a normal（正常地）way. People with social phobia disorder can even experience panic attacks（惊恐发作）.
Luckily, social worry can be treated. Some people use self-help books to help them gain more control over their minds. Therapy can also help.
【小题1】What does Paragraph 1 say about some young people?| A．They often go out alone. |
| B．They find it hard to socialize in different situations. |
| C．They develop new social skills to make themselves go out. |
| D．They don’t like to make new friends. |
| A．They have a disorder in their brains. | B．They aren’t interested in social interaction. |
| C．They are experiencing illnesses. | D．They don’t trust anyone except families. |
| A．How to improve our social skills. | B．Why people often feel worried. |
| C．What real social phobia is like. | D．How social phobia influences everyone. |
