Lesson 25 Non-auditory effects of noise噪音的非听觉效应

Many 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.

service ^政府部门

• the Civil Service ^{政府的行政部门}
• the Diplomatic Service ^外交部门
• the National Health Service ^{国民保健部门}
• This modern faith in medicines is proved by the fact that the annual drug bill of the Health Services is mounting to astronomical figures and shows no signs at present of ceasing to rise. ^{这种对药物的现代信仰从国民保健部门每年的药费账单正升至天文数字且目前看不到停止的迹象可以看出。}

a waste of ^{……的浪费}

• Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents. ^{失业真是浪费了你的才能。}
• Many believe that state aid is a waste of taxpayers' money. ^{许多人认为国家资助是浪费纳税人的钱。}
• What a waste of all that good work! ^{那些努力工作白费了，真是可惜！}

be prepared / ready to do sth. ^{乐意去做……}

• Why people are prepared to tolerate a four hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. ^{我真搞不懂为什么人们乐意每天忍受四小时的通勤只是为了在乡村生活。}
• Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of travelling on a ship. ^{愿意为乘船旅行而牺牲三分之一假期的人很少。}
• …and the doctor in charge of the department is only too ready to provide them with these requirements. ^{该科主任医生非常乐意为他们提供这些要求。}

be not prepared to admit the possibility that... ^{不愿接受……可能}

• Many people regard any investigation of GM foods as a waste of time; they are not prepared to admit the possibility that GM foods affects people. ^{很多人把调查转基因食品看作是浪费时间，他们甚至不愿意承认转基因食品可能对人有影响。}

On the other hand, those who dislike noise will sometimes use most inadequate evidence to support their pleas for a quieter society.

on the one hand ... on the other (hand) ... ^{一方面……另一方面……}

• I'd like to eat out, but on the other hand I should be trying to save money. ^{我想出去吃饭，但另一方面我应该省点钱。}
• Even really honest people are often made to feel guilty. The hardened professional smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase. ^{即使是非常诚实的人也常常会感到内疚，而另一方面，老练的职业走私犯从不被这种感觉困扰，即便他箱子里藏了500块金表。}

use inadequate evidence to support... ^{用不充分的证据支持……}

• Those who dislike GM foods will sometimes use most inadequate evidence to support their pleas for a diet without them. ^{那些不喜欢转基因食品的人有时会使用极其不充分的证据来支持他们对没有这种东西的饮食需求。}

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 bad science.

cause ^{理由 / 事业}

discredit ^{质疑；使失去信任}

• Evidence of links with drug dealers has discredited the President. ^{与毒贩有关的证据使总统名誉扫地。}
• Some of Freud's theories have now been discredited. ^{弗洛伊德的一些理论现在已经被质疑了。}

get to do sth. ^{有机会……}

• We got to meet all the stars after the show. ^{演出结束后我们有机会见到了所有明星。}
• She gets to travel all over the place with her job. ^{她的工作让她有机会到处旅行。}

get to like / know / understand... ^{渐渐开始……}

• It'll take a while for you to get to know everyone. ^{你要花点时间才能了解每个人。}
• After a while, I got to like him. ^{过了一阵子，我开始喜欢上他了。}

is likely to be discredited if it gets to be associated with... ^{如果与……挂钩就可能会被质疑}

• The development of GM foods really is a good cause, but it is likely to be discredited if it gets to be associated with bad science. ^{发展转基因食品确实是个好事业，但如果它与拙劣的科学联系在一起，很可能会被质疑。}

One allegation often made is that noise produces mental illness.

produce ^{产生，引起}

• a rise in sea-level produced by climatic change
• As a policy, it did not produce the desired effect.
• This medicine may produce side effects in rare cases.

One allegation often made ^{常见的一种指控是}

• One allegation often made ^{常见的一种指控是} is that GM foods produce potential risks.

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'.

head ^加标题

• The page was headed ^加标题 'Expenses'.
• The information sheet was headed ^加标题 Medical Insurance.
• The document was headed ^加标题 'Confidential'.

striking ^醒目的

• She bears a striking ^醒目的 resemblance to her sister.
• His eyes were a striking ^{引人注意的} shade of green.
• The ad featured a striking ^醒目的 red banner.

illustration ^{插图；例证}

in a state of ^{处于...状态}

• He was in a state of ^处于 panic after the accident.
• The economy is in a state of ^处于 transition.
• The classroom was in a state of ^一片 chaos.

caption ^{图说，说明文字}

• The cartoon has a humorous caption ^说明文字 below it.
• Each image is accompanied by a brief caption ^图注.
• Read the caption ^说明文字 to understand the picture better.

yet / still another ^又一个

• This is yet another ^又一个 problem to consider.
• She asked still another ^又一个 question.
• They made yet another ^再次 attempt to negotiate.

reduce sb. to sth. ^{使陷入（更糟状态）}

• The war reduced ^使变成 the city to ruins.
• He was reduced to tears ^被弄哭了 by the sad story.
• The illness reduced ^使变得 her to a shadow of her former self.

wreck ^{废人，残骸}

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.

on / upon ^一...就

• On entering ^一进入 the room, he saw her crying.
• Upon arrival ^一到达, they were welcomed warmly.
• He changed his mind on hearing ^一听到 the news.

worry sb. ^{使某人担忧}

• The noise worried ^使...担心 the children.
• The delay worried ^使...担心 her parents a lot.
• Financial troubles worried ^使...担忧 him deeply.

mental hospital ^精神病院

• He was treated in a mental hospital ^精神病院 for several months.
• She worked as a nurse at a mental hospital ^精神病院.
• The mental hospital ^精神病院 is located on the outskirts of town.

Now the snag in this sort of anecdote is of course that one cannot distinguish cause and effect.

snag ^{小困难、障碍}

• There's a snag ^问题 in the plan we didn't foresee.
• They ran into a snag ^困难 during construction.
• The deal hit a snag ^障碍 at the last minute.

anecdote ^{趣闻，轶事}

• He told an amusing anecdote ^趣事 about his trip.
• The book is full of interesting anecdotes ^轶事.
• The speaker began with a short anecdote ^小故事 to engage the audience.

What is needed in the 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. 

in the case of ^{在……情况下}

• The law will apply equally to men and women except in the case of ^{在……情况下} maternity leave.
• The amount of fruit in fruit juices must be 6% in the case of ^{在……情况下} berries and 10% in the case of other fruits.

study of ^{对于……的研究}

• a study of ^{对于……的研究} Australian wild birds
• a center for the study of ^{对于……的研究} Asian languages
• We conducted a study of ^{对于……的研究} consumer behavior in rural areas.

under ... conditions ^{在……环境中}

• Under existing conditions, ^{在当前环境中} the plan cannot succeed.
• Firemen have to operate under very difficult conditions. ^{在非常艰苦的环境中}
• The soldiers survived under harsh conditions. ^{在恶劣的环境中}

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.

Some time ago ^前不久

• Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea. ^前不久
• Some time ago, I received a letter from an old friend. ^前不久
• We had a similar conversation some time ago. ^前不久

aircraft carrier ^航空母舰

• He served on an aircraft carrier ^航空母舰 during the war.
• The aircraft carrier ^航空母舰 launched several jets during the exercise.
• An aircraft carrier ^航空母舰 can carry dozens of planes.

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.

aerodrome ^小飞机场

• The small plane landed safely at the aerodrome. ^小飞机场
• There is an aerodrome ^小飞机场 just outside the town.
• The pilot trained at a local aerodrome. ^小飞机场

squadron ^中队

• A squadron ^中队 of jets flew overhead.
• The navy deployed a squadron ^中队 for the mission.
• He commands a squadron ^中队 in the air force.

jet aircraft ^{喷气式飞机}

• Jet aircraft ^{喷气式飞机} are faster than propeller planes.
• They heard the roar of a jet aircraft ^{喷气式飞机} overhead.
• The military uses many jet aircraft ^{喷气式飞机}.

But neither psychiatric interviews nor objective tests were able to show any effects upon these American sailors.

neither ... nor ^{既不……也不……}

• Neither the manager nor the workers knew what to do. ^{既不……也不……}
• Neither John nor Mary was present at the meeting. ^{既不……也不……}
• She could neither read nor write at that time. ^{既不……也不……}

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.

if ^{即使（让步状语）}

• If ^即使 there is any effect of GM foods upon human health, it must be so small that present methods of medical diagnosis cannot find it.
• If ^即使 he has any reasons, they are unknown to us.
• His descendants, if ^即使 any, never left the island.

That does not prove that it does not exist; but it does mean that noise is less dangerous than, say being brought up in an orphanage -- which really is a mental health hazard.

say ^{比方说（插入语）}

• No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films. ^比方说
• The Americans would hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. ^比方说
• You could invest in, say, a small restaurant or shop. ^比方说

bring up ^抚养长大

• He was brought up ^抚养长大 without a mother.
• We were brought up ^抚养长大 to be respectful to others.
• She was brought up ^抚养长大 in a small village.

hazard ^{隐患，危险}

• Smoking is a major health hazard. ^健康隐患
• Polluted water poses a hazard ^危险 to marine life.
• That abandoned building is a safety hazard. ^安全隐患