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 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 – 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?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
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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?
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 but we’re on a side street, so
it’s quite deafening 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 of silence! Just like a monk, 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 of the
countryside, but then there the silence was deafening!
Rob: And when you’re in the country, you sometimes tune 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.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
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Rob: High rise buildings cause the sound to reflect off – or bounce off - each other
causing the sound to be amplified – 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 group - these are groups of
people who campaign to control levels of noise. They try to restrict planes flying
over residential 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
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
