沉默是金吗？

 　　Rob: Hello I’m Rob and this is 6 Minute English. With me today is Finn. Hello Finn.

　　Finn: Hello Rob.
　　Rob: We’re talking about noise today - and looking at some of the words and phrases associated with noise and its opposite: peace and quiet. But, as always, let’s start with a question. A new survey in the UK has identified the ten jobs where people are most exposed to noise - noise that can cause serious damage to someone’s hearing. Which one of these three jobs has the most exposure to noise?
　　a) A nightclub worker
　　b) A classical musician
　　c) An airport ground staff worker
　　Finn: I think it’s got to be c) the person who works in the airport. Planes are very noisy aren’t they Rob?
　　Rob: That’s true, very noisy. OK, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. But now, let’s make some noise! Or at least hear some noise. This is a typical cacophony 1 of sound you can hear on a busy street in London. A cacophony is a mix of loud sounds…. Have a listen.
　　(Mix of sounds from a busy London street)
　　Finn: So we heard drills, and buses and church bells in there as well, didn’t we Rob? It’s a real din 2 - or bad noise - but people in urban areas all around the world have to live with that sort of noise all the time.
　　Rob: Yes but I guess they get used to it and it's all part of city life but it does mean it can be difficult to hear yourself think! And I think you’ll agree the world is becoming noisier?
　　Finn: It is. So let’s hear from Doctor Stephen Dance who went to discover how bad the noise in London really is. How does he describe the noise for pedestrians 3?
　　Dr Stephen Dance. South Bank University:
　　We’re here looking at the London soundscape, and as ever there is a fire engine going by, just as I’m talking. That is just as loud as it would be on a motorway 4 but we’re on a side street, so it’s quite deafening 5 for the pedestrians.
　　Rob: That’s Stephen Dance experiencing a typical London soundscape - a soundscape is a mix of sounds heard in a particular location. And one of the sounds was that of a fire engine which was very loud!
　　Finn: It was - he described it as deafening for pedestrians - so, extremely loud and possibly causing deafness. But how would we know a fire engine was on its way to an emergency without such a sound?
　　Rob: It’s a good point. Sometimes a loud noise is needed so it can be heard over other noises. And in other situations we sometimes make more noise to drown out - or cover up - the sounds we don’t want to hear. So we turn our music up to drown out the sound of the washing machine for example!
　　Finn: But of course if everyone turns up their own music the noise becomes even greater. So, Rob, what is the solution?
　　Rob: Maybe we should all take a vow 6 of silence! Just like a monk 7, we make a promise not to talk.
　　Finn: I think that would be impossible for you Rob! Anyway, what rich people used to do in history was move out of the city to the relative tranquillity 8 of the countryside, but then there the silence was deafening!
　　Rob: And when you’re in the country, you sometimes tune 9 in to the smallest sounds, like a bird singing, and that can become just as irritating. But you have to admit those sounds are a lot more calming than the constant noise of city life?
　　Finn: Well you can sometimes hear birdsong in the city but it’s the buildings that cause these natural sounds to be drowned out.
　　Rob: High rise buildings cause the sound to reflect off - or bounce off - each other causing the sound to be amplified 10 - made louder. And buildings made of glass are even more reflective.
　　Finn: So there’s not really a solution to reducing noise in the city - we’re just going to have put on our headphones and listen to our own noise - heavy metal maybe, that would be good, wouldn’t it Rob?
　　Rob: Hmm, well, listening to the tinny sound of music coming from you headphones whilst on a train can be really annoying.
　　Finn: Rob, maybe you should join a noise abatement 11 group - these are groups of people who campaign to control levels of noise. They try to restrict planes flying over residential 12 areas at night and encourage people not to disturb their neighbours by playing music too loudly. Maybe the big question really is what is noise? Some people may call a sound just noise whereas others may say it’s music to their ears - a beautiful sound.
　　Rob: Well Finn, some people say that the best noise is no noise at all - or silence is golden.
　　Finn: Actually Rob, when you say ‘silence is golden’ it actually means it’s often better to say nothing at all than say something stupid - so maybe it’s time for us to stop making any more noise and just get out of here?
　　Rob: Not before I’ve given you the answer to today’s question. Earlier, I said a new survey in the UK has identified the ten jobs where people are most exposed to noise. I asked which of these three jobs has the most exposure to noise?
　　Finn: And I said c) an airport ground staff worker. Was I right?
　　Rob: You were absolutely right. The answer is an airport ground staff worker. People who direct jet engines in landing and take-off and are subjected to 140 decibels 13 of sound in one go. It’s important to cover your ears with ear muffs in a job like that! OK, that’s all we have time for today but please join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
　　Both: Bye.




点击收听单词发音  






1
cacophony

  
 


n.刺耳的声音


参考例句：





All around was bubbling a cacophony of voices.周围人声嘈杂。
The drivers behind him honked,and the cacophony grew louder.后面的司机还在按喇叭，且那刺耳的声音越来越大。












2
din

  
 


n.喧闹声，嘈杂声


参考例句：





The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。












3
pedestrians

  
 


n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )


参考例句：





Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》












4
motorway

  
 


n.高速公路，快车道


参考例句：





Our car had a breakdown on the motorway.我们的汽车在高速公路上抛锚了。
A maniac driver sped 35 miles along the wrong side of a motorway at 110 mph.一个疯狂的司机以每小时110英里的速度在高速公路上逆行飙车35英里。












5
deafening

  
 


adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的
动词deafen的现在分词形式


参考例句：





The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。












6
vow

  
 


n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓


参考例句：





My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。












7
monk

  
 


n.和尚，僧侣，修道士


参考例句：





The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。












8
tranquillity

  
 


n. 平静, 安静


参考例句：





The phenomenon was so striking and disturbing that his philosophical tranquillity vanished. 这个令人惶惑不安的现象，扰乱了他的旷达宁静的心境。
My value for domestic tranquillity should much exceed theirs. 我应该远比他们重视家庭的平静生活。












9
tune

  
 


n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整


参考例句：





He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。












10
amplified

  
 


放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述


参考例句：





He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。












11
abatement

  
 


n.减(免)税，打折扣，冲销


参考例句：





A bag filter for dust abatement at the discharge point should be provided.在卸料地点应该装设袋滤器以消除粉尘。
The abatement of the headache gave him a moment of rest.头痛减轻给他片刻的休息。












12
residential

  
 


adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的


参考例句：





The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。












13
decibels

  
 


n.分贝( decibel的名词复数 )


参考例句：





The typical lawn mower makes about 90 decibels of noise. 典型的割草机发出的声响约为90分贝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
A normal conversation reaches 55 decibels. 普通的谈话即可达55分贝。 来自《简明英汉词典》