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Part 6 Noise Pollution 噪音污染
Noise is among the most pervasive pollutants today. Noise from road traffic, jet planes, jet skis, garbage trucks, construction equipment, manufacturing processes, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and boom boxes, to name a few, are among the audible litter that are routinely broadcast into the air.
Noise negatively affects human health and well-being. Problems related to noise include hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, sleep loss, distraction and lost productivity, and a general reduction in the quality of life and opportunities for tranquillity.
We experience noise in a number of ways. On some occasions, we can be both the cause and the victim of noise, such as when we are operating noisy appliances or equipment. There are also instances when we experience noise generated by others just as people experience second-hand smoke. While in both instances, noises are equally damaging, second-hand noise is more troubling because it has negative impacts on us but is put into the environment by others, without our consent.
Noise pollution is not easily defined. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that in some ways it is different from other forms of pollution. Noise is transient; once the pollution stops, the environment is free of it. This is not the case for chemicals, sewage, and other pollutants introduced into the air, soil, or water.
The definition of noise itself is highly subjective. To some people the roar of an engine is satisfying or thrilling; to others it is an annoyance. Loud music may be enjoyable or a torment, depending on the listener and the circumstances. Broadly speaking, any form of unwelcome sound is noise pollution, whether it is the roar of a jet plane overhead or the sound of a barking dog a block away.
The actual loudness of a sound is only one component of the effect it has on human beings. Other factors that have to be considered are the time and place, the duration, the source of the sound, and whether the listener has any control over it. Most people would not be bothered by the sound of a 21-gun salute on a special occasion. On the other hand, the thump-thump of a neighbour's music at 2 a.m., even if barely audible, could be a major source of stress.
The decibel (dB) (分贝) is a measure of sound intensity; that is, the magnitude of the fluctuations in air pressure caused by sound waves. In fact, an increase of just 3 dB means twice as much sound, and an increase of 10 dB means ten times as much sound.
A sound pressure level of 0 dB represents the threshold of hearing in the most sensitive frequency range of a young, healthy ear, while the thresholds of tickling or painful sensations in the ear occur at about 120 to 130 dB. There is fairly consistent evidence that prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 80 dB can cause deafness. The amount of deafness depends upon the degree of exposure.
Noise can cause annoyance and frustration as a result of interference, interruption and distraction. Exposure to noise is also associated with a range of possible physical effects including: colds, changes in blood pressure, other cardiovascular changes, increased general medical practice attendance, problems with the digestive system and general fatigue.
通常所说的噪声污染是指人为活动而不是自然现象引起的。噪声污染是物理性污染，本身对人无害，只是在环境中的流量过高或过低时，才会造成污染或异常。物理性污染一般是局部性的，即一个噪声源不会影响很大的区域。
另处，物理性污染没有后效作用，即噪声不会残存在环境中，噪声停止，污染立即消失。外界噪音污染主要来自航空、公路、铁路运输，以及工程施工和工业生产等；而室内噪音污染则来自风扇、电脑及其它家用电器。
噪音污染不但能够影响人的听力，而且能够导致高血压、心脏病、记忆力衰退、注意力不集中及其它精神综合征。研究表明，人听觉最高可以接受30分贝的音量，当室内的持续噪音污染超过30分贝时，人的正常睡眠就会受到干扰，而持续生活在70分贝以上的噪音环境中，人的听力及身体健康将会受到影响。
世界卫生组织(WHO)最近就全世界的噪音污染情况进行了分析调查，认为全球噪音污染已经成为影响人们身体健康和生活质量的严重问题，呼吁世界各国积极采取有效措施来控制减少噪音污染。
为此，他们建议各国政府将治理噪音污染纳入国家的环保计划，将卫生组织的指导性标准视为噪音治理的长期目标，制定和实施有关噪音管理的法律法规，支持有关减少噪音的科学研究，
制定和完善有关噪音的测量标准，鼓励有关噪音对环境和健康影响的研究，进一步加强有关噪音污染的宣传，让全社会重视噪音污染的危害，减少噪音污染对人类健康的影响。
Dialogue Script 对话原文
Sarah: I can't bear the noise near my house any more!
Tim: Why? Is it that bad?
Sarah: The road near my house has been mended for more then half a year, and it is still not completed.
Tim: Is the noise very loud?
Sarah: Absolutely! I'm nearly becoming deaf if the situation won't be changed in a few days, I'm afraid.
Tim: It's really terrible, but you can prosecute them for doing harm to the residence nearby.
Sarah: That's right! But I haven't got so much time and money.
Tim: Do the other people from your neighborhood complain about it?
Sarah: Yes, most of them do.
Tim: Why not hold a meeting? I'm sure you can come up with some solutions.
讲解：
1. 对话中Sarah和Tim在讨论她家附近噪音污染的问题。Sarah抱怨说她再也忍受不了家附近的噪音了。这里bear做动词表示“忍受，承受”，也可以用stand替换。例如：I can't bear his complaining.我无法忍受他总是抱怨。那么短语bear with someone就表示“容忍，耐心忍受某人”，例如：Bear with me while I explain it.请耐心听我的解释。
2. Tim很关心地问，is it that bad?有那么糟糕吗？这里的that修饰bad，这也是口语当中很常见的现象，表示“那么，那样”，The problem is not that complicated. 这个问题没有那么复杂。和that相对的this也可以这么用，就表示“这么，这样”，例如：I never stayed out this late.我从来没在外面待到这么晚。
3. Sarah家附近为什么会有噪音呢？原来她家旁边的那条路已经修了大半年了，到现在也没有修好，整天机器轰鸣，不吵才怪。再这样下去，耳朵都要震聋了。
4. 真是太糟糕了。Tim建议Sarah可以起诉他们干扰了附近居民的正常生活。prosecute是一个法律术语，表示“对…提起公诉，对…提起民法或刑法诉讼行为”。更口语化一点的词呢是sue，像我昨天看的电影里就有一句台词是Sue me if you want. 意思就是“想告我就尽管去”。
5. Sarah也觉得这是一个好主意，但是她怕耗不起那些钱和精力。的确，如果想起诉的话，就要陪上很多金钱和精力，这对一个普通的人来说并不是一件容易的事情。Tim问Sarah她的邻居们是否也有这样的抱怨。complain about这个词组表示“抱怨，埋怨”，例如：Jenny is always complaining about something. Jenny总是满腹牢骚。They complained about the food. 他们抱怨这糟糕的食物。
6. complain后面还可以加that从句，例如：They complained that the wages were far too low. 他们抱怨说工资太低了。Sarah的邻居们也都在抱怨这件事情，Tim就建议他们召集居民会议，看看能不能想出什么解决办法。come up with something表示“想出，提出某事”，例如：He came up with a new idea for increasing sales. 他想出了一个增加销售量的新办法。
Part 7 Global Warming 全球暖化
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.
Human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases – primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-trapping property of these gases is undisputed although uncertainties exist about exactly how earth’s climate responds to them.
Energy from the sun drives the earth's weather and climate, and heats the earth's surface; in turn, the earth radiates energy back into space. Atmospheric greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, trap some of the outgoing energy, retaining heat somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse.
Without this natural "greenhouse effect," temperatures would be much lower than they are now, and life as known today would not be possible. Instead, thanks to greenhouse gases, the earth's average temperature is a more hospitable 60°F.
However, problems may arise when the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases increases. Once, all climate changes occurred naturally. However, during the Industrial Revolution, we began altering our climate and environment through changing agricultural and industrial practices.
Before the Industrial Revolution, human activity released very few gases into the atmosphere, but now through population growth, fossil fuel burning, and deforestation, we are affecting the mixture of gases in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuel and wood products are burned. Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions also result from the decomposition of organic wastes in municipal solid waste landfills, and the raising of livestock. Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.
Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea level, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems and deserts may expand into existing rangelands. Unless we act now, our children will inherit a hotter world, dirtier air and water, more severe floods and droughts, and more wildfires.
But solutions are in sight. We know where most heat-trapping gases come from: power plants and vehicles. And we know how to curb their emissions: modern technologies and stronger laws. By shifting the perception of global warming from abstract threat to pressing reality, and promoting online activism. By pressing businesses to use less energy and build more efficient products. And by fighting for laws that will speed these advances.
