Non-auditory effects of noise

原文

May people in industry and the Services, who have practical experience of noise, regard any investigation of this question as a waste of time; they are not prepared even to admit the possibility that noise affects people. On the other hand, those who dislike noise will sometimes use most inadequate evidence to support their pleas for a quieter society. This is a pity, because noise abatement really is a good cause, and it is likely to be discredited if it gets to be associated with had science.

One allegation often made is that noise produces mental illness. A recent article in a weekly newspaper, for instance, was headed with a striking illustration of a lady in a state of considerable distress, with the caption 'She was yet another victim, reduced to a screaming wreck'. On turning eagerly to the text, one learns that the lady was a typist who found the sound of office typewriters worried her more and more until eventually she had to go into a mental hospital. Now the snag in this sort of anecdote is of course that one merely a symptom? Another patient might equally well complain that her neighbours were combining to slander her and persecute her, and yet one might be cautious about believing this statement.

What is needed in case of noise is a study of large numbers of people living under noisy conditions, to discover whether they are mentally ill more often than other people are. Some time ago the United States Navy, for instance, examined a very large number of men working on aircraft carriers: the study was known as Project Anehin. It can be unpleasant to live even several miles from an aerodrome; if you think what it must be like to share the deck of a ship with several squadrons of jet aircraft, you will realize that a modern navy is a good place to study noise. But neither psychiatric interviews nor objective tests were able to show any effects upon these American sailors. This result merely confirms earlier American and British studies: if there is any effect of noise upon mental health, it must be so small that present methods of psychiatric diagnosis cannot find it. That does not prove that it does exist: but it does mean that noise is less dangerous than, say, being brought up in an orphanage -- which really is mental health hazard.

--D.E.BROADBENT Non-auditory effects of noise from Science Survey--

译文

许多工业和服务业人士，他们对噪音有实际经验，往往将任何对此问题的调查视为浪费时间；他们甚至不愿承认噪音可能影响人们。另一方面，那些讨厌噪音的人有时会用极不充分的证据来支持他们对更安静社会的呼吁。这是件憾事，因为减少噪音确实是一项善举，如果它与不良科学（注：指不严谨的科学研究）联系起来，就可能丧失信誉。

一个常见的指控是，噪音会引发精神疾病。例如，最近一份周报中的一篇文章，以一幅引人注目的插图为标题，图中是一位女士处于极度痛苦的状态，标题是“她是又一个受害者，被折磨得精神崩溃”。当你急切地翻到正文时，会发现这位女士是一名打字员，她发现办公室打字机的声音越来越让她烦恼，最终不得不住进精神病院。当然，这种轶事的症结在于，那可能只是一个症状？另一个病人或许同样会抱怨她的邻居联合起来诽谤和迫害她，但我们或许会谨慎对待这种说法。

在噪音问题上，需要对大量生活在嘈杂环境中的人进行研究，以确定他们是否比其他人更容易患精神疾病。例如，不久前美国海军对大批在航空母舰上工作的士兵进行了检查：这项研究名为“Project Anehin”。即使住在机场几英里外也会觉得不愉快；如果你想象一下，与几支喷气式飞机中队共处一艘舰艇的甲板上，那会是怎样的情景，你就会明白，现代海军是研究噪音的理想场所。然而，无论是精神病学访谈还是客观测试，都未能在这些美国水兵身上发现任何影响。这一结果只是证实了早先的美国和英国研究：如果噪音对心理健康有任何影响，那也微乎其微，以至于目前的诊断方法无法检测到。这并不证明它不存在：但这确实意味着，噪音的危害比起，例如在孤儿院长大——那才真正是心理健康的隐患——要小得多。

--D.E.BROADBENT Non-auditory effects of noise from Science Survey--

词汇表

noise

名词, 动词

英:/nɔɪz/

美:/nɔɪz/

定义

1. 噪音 - Unwanted or loud sound that can disturb or harm.

例子: The noise from the construction site kept me awake all night.

例子: City traffic creates constant noise that affects residents' health.

2. 发出噪音 - To make a loud or disturbing sound.

例子: The old engine noises loudly whenever it starts.

例子: Don't noise in the library; it's a quiet place.

近义词

din: 强调持续的喧闹声，常用于描述混乱的环境，而 'noise' 更通用。

racket: 更口语化，常指刺耳或恼人的声音，与 'noise' 相比更强调干扰性。

sound pollution: 更正式，指对环境的负面影响，与 'noise' 类似但强调生态或健康问题。

反义词:

silence, quiet, peace

用法

常用于描述环境声音，常搭配如 'make noise' 或 'reduce noise'，在城市生活或科学语境中常见，文化上与现代生活压力相关。

形式:

复数: noises, 动词过去式: noised, 动词-ing形式: noising

关键句型 "If [condition], [result]"

定义

此句型是一种常见的条件句结构，用于表达某种条件下的结果。基本结构为：If（如果）+ [condition]（条件从句）+ , + [result]（结果主句）。根据《剑桥英语语法》权威教材，这种句型通常涉及真实或可能的条件，引导从句用一般现在时，而主句用一般将来时或其他时态，表示假设或因果关系。例如，文章中的 "if there is any effect of noise upon mental health, it must be so small" 展示了这种模式。

它在英语中非常实用，帮助表达假设情景，并在对话中增强逻辑性。

用法

此句型主要用于描述真实条件、可能情况或建议，常见于科学讨论、日常对话或写作中。规则：条件从句（If [condition]）通常用一般现在时（e.g., "if it rains"），而结果主句根据语境变化（如用will表示未来，或must表示推测）。

在语法体系中，它属于从句结构的一部分，与其他连接词（如when、unless）相关，但if 更侧重条件。横向比较：与 "unless [condition]"（除非）相比，if 表示正面条件，而unless强调负面；与 "when [condition]" 相比，if 涉及不确定性，而when更确定。

跨语法点联系：它常与情态动词结合（如 "if it happens, I might go"），或扩展到虚拟语气（如 "if I were you"）。学生可以通过学习if句型来连接到其他从句，如时间从句，进一步构建复杂句子。

这种结构在文章中如 "if you think what it must be like... you will realize"，展示了如何在议论中应用。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括时态混淆，例如在条件从句中使用将来时（如 "if it will rain"，应为 "if it rains"）；或主句与从句时态不一致，导致句子不自然。纠正建议：记住一般规则——条件从句用现在时，主句根据实际情况调整，并练习口语以避免生硬。

另一个常见偏误是忽略逗号分隔从句，或错误使用if与其他词（如混淆if和whether）。例如：

错误示例：If I will go, I call you.  （错误：条件从句不应用将来时）
正确示例：If I go, I will call you.  （正确：条件从句用一般现在时）

此外，在正式写作中，确保if从句不作为句子开头时保持逻辑流畅。

练习

一个原创例子：假设讨论噪音问题，你可以说："If you live near a busy airport, you might feel more stressed." 学生可以替换关键词，如将 [condition] 改为 "If you work in a noisy factory"，并将 [result] 改为 "you could experience headaches"，然后在实际对话中练习，例如在健康讨论中说："If we don't reduce noise pollution, it will affect our daily life."

通过这种替换，学生能将句型应用到个人经历中，加深记忆和实际使用。

额外内容

背景知识：if条件句起源于古英语的条件表达，历史悠久，在现代英语中广泛用于科学和哲学讨论，如文章中对噪音影响的分析。对比分析：与中文的 "如果...就..." 类似，但英语更强调时态一致性；与法语的 "si [condition], alors [result]" 相比，英语版本更简洁，无需额外连接词。这有助于学生理解跨语言的逻辑相似性，同时丰富对英语假设表达的文化背景认知。