雅思阅读第021套P1-POLLUTING SOUNDS: IN SEARCH OF SILENCE
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage1.
POLLUTING SOUNDS:IN SEARCH OF SILENCE
In a self-imposed solitaryconfinement, 22-year old Tom Wonnacott, a Princeton graduate student, spentfour days lying in a lightless, sound-proofed isolation chamber. Unable to seeor hear, he also wore thick gloves to restrict his sense of touch. Wonnacottvolunteered to undergo this experience to help US-based psychologists find outwhat happens to people isolated from the outside world and deprived of thenormal use of their senses. While over a longer period of time such extremes ofsilence in conjunction with sensory deprivation are harmful, there are manytoday who are in search of quieter areas.
An over-abundance of noise hasalways been a significant environmental issue for man. In ancient Rome, rulesexisted to ensure that the noise emitted from the large iron wheels of wagonswhich rolled over the stones on the pavements and caused disruption of sleepand annoyance was minimised by allowing people to travel only during certaintimes. The same rules existed in Medieval Europe. To ensure inhabitants weregiven the best chance at a peaceful night’s sleep, in some cities, horse-drawncarriages and horseback riding were not allowed at night time. However whentoday’s noise problems arc compared with the noise pollution problems of thepast they are almost incomparable.
An immense number of vehiclesof various shapes and sizes are regularly driven around and through most of theworld’s cities and countrysides. Loud, large diesel engines power the enormoustrucks that roll around highways day and night. Aircraft and trains add to theenvironmental noise scenario. In industry, machinery emits high noise levelsand amusement parks and pleasure vehicles distract leisure time and relaxation.One hundred years ago, environmental experts predicted that in the 21st centurythere would be a shortage of water and silence. They were correct. Silence isscarce. More and more silence is drowned out by sound.
A lack of knowledge about theeffects of noise pollution on humans in comparison to other pollutants has beenlacking as an area of research. Although it has been generally regarded thatnoise pollution is primarily a 'luxury’ problem – for those developed countriesable to afford the purchase price of large quantities of loud, noisy machinery– it is actually a fact that due to bad planning and poor construction of buildings,noise exposure is often higher in developing countries. This means thatregardless of the economic status of a particular country, the effects of noiseare just as widespread and the long-term consequences for health the same.Therefore, practical action plans based upon proper scientific evaluation ofavailable data on the effects of noise exposure, with the express purpose oflimiting and controlling the exposure of people to environmental noise is amost worthwhile undertaking.
It has been well establishedthat exposure to loud noises for extended periods of time causes trauma to theinner ear and often results in irreversible hearing loss. When it initiallyreceives sound, the human ear actually amplifies it by a factor of 20. In 1965,in a remote part of Ghana, scientists went about studying the impact of'insignificant’ exposure to industrial noise and transportation. In tandem, theGhanese group was compared with a control group in industrial USA. A number ofstartling conclusions were drawn from the experiments. For example, bothlocations revealed that aging is an almost insignificant cause of hearing loss.Instead it was show-n that chronic exposure to moderately high levels ofenvironmental noise led to hearing loss. Cardiovascular complaints also emergedfrom among those with prolonged exposure to industrial noise above 70 dBA. Infact, over a single eight-hour period, it was shown that participantsexperienced a rise in blood pressure thus indicating noise pollutioncontributes to human stress levels. If this was not alarming enough, also notedwas an increase in the incidence of heart disease.
The findings from various noisestudies had the effect of changing the perspectives of many of the world’sgovernments. Whereas noise had been considered a 'nuisance’ rather than anenvironmental problem, laws were made to protect citizens against it. In theUnited States and Ghana, federal standards for highway and aircraft noise wereintroduced. State governments created noise regulations pertaining to buildingcodes, urban planning and road construction. In Canada and the EU, noise lawsare the domain of local governments. Activities in those countries deemedmandatory such as the collection of rubbish or some medical services are theonly allowed exceptions to what otherwise are quiet local neighbourhood zones.
Typically, quiet times inneighbourhoods are between 6am and 10pm with restricted higher decibel levelsafter these hours. What happens if these quite times are violated?Unfortunately, the enforcement of noise laws has proven problematic for manylocal governments with enforcement agencies often not following up on noisecomplaints. For persistent nuisances, individuals may seek compensation throughthe local courts and in some cities, police are authorised to impound suchthings as stereos and cars. These are extreme cases; most issues are handled bynegotiation between the emitter and the receiver.
SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13
Questions 1-7
Do the following statementsagree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 onyour answer sheet, write
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN
If there is no information on this
1 ________________ Noise pollution is a relativelynew pollution.
2 ________________ Experts forecasted that waterand noise pollution would be major future problems.
3 ________________ Noise pollution seems to be abigger problem in richer, developed countries.
4 ________________ Noises that enter the human earare actually heard louder than they really are.
5 ________________ There is a strong relationshipbetween hearing loss and age.
6 ________________ Loud noise exposure studieshave caused government changes.
7 ________________ In Canada, police monitor thelevel of noise in local neighbourhoods.
Questions 8–9
Choose TWO letters, A-G.
The list of problems below canbe caused by exposure to high noise levels.
Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the text?
Aincreased ear sensitivity
Breduced reaction time
Cincreased aging of the body
Dheart disease
Estomach cancer
Fsleep apnea
Gincreased blood pressure
Questions 10 – 13
Classify the following featuresas applying to
A
people from the USA
B
people from Ghana
C
both people from the USA and Ghana
Write the correct letter A,B or C, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10 ___________ individuals participated in a noisestudy
11 ___________ conducted a silence study
12 ___________ introduced air traffic regulations
13 ___________ the relationship between industrialnoise and blood pressure
答案
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