# 第四册 Lesson 25 Non-auditory effects of noise 噪音的非听觉效应

## 一、课文原文

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. 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 bad 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 cannot distinguish cause and effect. Was the noise a cause of the illness, or were the complaints about noise 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 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. 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 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.

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

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| auditory | /ˈɔːdɪtəri/ | adj. | 听觉的 | non-auditory 非听觉的；auditory nerve 听觉神经 |
| inadequate | /ɪnˈædɪkwət/ | adj. | 不充分的，不适当的 | 反义词：adequate；inadequate evidence 不充分的证据 |
| plea | /pliː/ | n. | 请求，恳求 | plea for 对……的请求；make a plea for 恳求 |
| abatement | /əˈbeɪtmənt/ | n. | 减少，减轻 | noise abatement 噪音治理；动词 abate |
| discredit | /dɪsˈkredɪt/ | v. | 使不可信，怀疑 | discredit a theory 使理论失信；discredited science 不可信的科学 |
| allegation | /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃn/ | n. | 断言，指控 | 动词 allege；make an allegation 提出指控 |
| caption | /ˈkæpʃn/ | n. | 插图说明，标题 | 图片下方的文字说明 |
| wreck | /rek/ | n. | 健康极度受损的人 | a nervous wreck 神经崩溃的人 |
| snag | /snæɡ/ | n. | 障碍，疑难之处 | the snag is that... 问题在于…… |
| anecdote | /ˈænɪkdəʊt/ | n. | 轶闻，趣事 | 形容词 anecdotal 轶事性的（非科学的） |
| slander | /ˈslɑːndə/ | v. | 诽谤 | slander sb. 诽谤某人；名词/动词同形 |
| persecute | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːt/ | v. | 迫害 | persecution n. 迫害；persecute sb. for 因……迫害某人 |
| squadron | /ˈskwɒdrən/ | n. | 中队 | a squadron of jet aircraft 一个喷气机中队 |
| psychiatric | /ˌsaɪkiˈætrɪk/ | adj. | 精神病学的 | psychiatric interview 精神病学访谈；psychiatry n. |
| diagnosis | /ˌdaɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/ | n. | 诊断 | 复数 diagnoses；psychiatric diagnosis 精神病诊断 |

**专有名词/固定搭配：**
- **the Services**：军队（海陆空三军）
- **aircraft carrier**：航空母舰
- **Project Anehin**：安内英工程（美国海军噪音研究项目）

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 介词 on 表示"一……就……"

> **On turning eagerly to the text, one learns that...**

on + V-ing 表示一个动作紧接着另一个动作发生，意为"一……就……"。

| 结构 | 例句 | 翻译 |
|------|------|------|
| on + V-ing | On arriving home, she called her mother. | 她一到家就给母亲打电话 |
| on + V-ing | On hearing the news, he burst into tears. | 一听到消息他就哭了 |
| on + n. | On his arrival, the meeting began. | 他一到，会议就开始了 |

### 2. 助动词 does 的强调用法

> That does not prove that it does not exist; but it **does** mean that...

| does 的功能 | 例句 | 说明 |
|------------|------|------|
| 否定句助动词 | It does not prove... | 构成否定 |
| 强调用法 | It **does** mean that... | 强调"确实" |
| 强调用法 | I **do** like this book. | 我确实喜欢这本书 |

### 3. neither...nor... 并列否定结构

> **neither** psychiatric interviews **nor** objective tests were able to show any effects

- 既不……也不……，连接两个并列主语
- 谓语动词与最近的主语保持一致（就近原则）
- 类似结构：either...or..., not only...but also...

### 4. 插入语 say 的用法

> noise is less dangerous than, **say**, being brought up in an orphanage

say 作插入语，意为"比如说"，用于举例，相当于 for example。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 句型1：同位语从句

> they are not prepared even to admit the possibility **that noise affects people**

- that 引导同位语从句，解释 the possibility 的内容
- 同位语从句与定语从句的区别：同位语从句的 that 不在从句中充当成分

### 句型2：长难句——分词结构作状语

> A recent article... 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'**.

- 主干：A recent article was headed with a striking illustration
- with 短语作伴随状语，进一步说明插图内容
- reduced to... 过去分词短语修饰 victim

### 句型3：虚拟推测句

> Was the noise a cause of the illness, or were the complaints about noise merely a symptom?

- 选择疑问句，提出两种可能性
- 核心问题：因果关系（cause and effect）的方向性

### 句型4：强调与让步

> 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

- 前句让步（不否认可能性），后句强调（确实说明危害很小）
- say 作插入语举例

## 五、课文翻译

在工业部门工作和在军队中服役的许多人对噪音有切身体会，他们认为对这个问题进行调查是浪费时间，甚至不愿承认噪音可能对人产生影响。另一方面，那些讨厌噪音的人有时会用不充分的证据来支持他们希望有一个较为安静的社会环境的要求。要求减少噪音确实是件好事，但是如果与拙劣的科学掺杂在一起的话，就不会被人们所信任，这是很遗憾的。

常见的一种指责是，噪音能引起精神病。例如，最近一家周报刊登了一篇文章，文章上方有一幅引人注目的插图，是一位表情极度痛苦的女子。图的说明文字是："她是又一个受害者，成了只会尖叫的可怜虫。"当人们急切地看完正文后，便知道这女子是个打字员，办公室打字机的声音使她越来越烦恼，最终住进了精神病医院。这类轶闻的问题在于无法区分因果关系。是噪音引起了疾病，还是对噪音的抱怨仅仅是疾病的症状？另有一位病人可能同样抱怨说，她的邻居们正在联合起来诽谤和迫害她，但人们对此不会轻信。

对于噪音问题，需要对大量生活在噪音中的人进行研究，看一看他们是否比其他人更易患精神病。例如，美国海军前些时候调查了许多在航空母舰上工作的人，这次调查被称为"安内英工程"。即使住在离机场几英里以外的地方，机场的噪音也会使人难受。因此，如果你能想象出和几个中队的喷气机同在一个甲板上是什么滋味儿的话，你就会认识到现代海军是研究噪音的好地方。但是，不管进行精神病学的调查访问，还是进行客观的测试，都不能显示噪音对这些美国水兵有任何影响。这个结果只不过证实了美国和英国早些时候的研究结论：如果噪音对精神健康有影响的话，那也一定微乎其微，以致现代的精神病诊断方法还发现不了。这并不是证明噪音对健康的影响不存在，但它确实说明，噪音的危险性——比如说——比在孤儿院长大所受的危害要小一些，孤儿院才是真正危害精神健康的地方。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 写作手法：先立后破

- 先呈现反噪音者的轶事证据（打字员因噪音住进精神病院）
- 再指出其逻辑漏洞——无法区分因果（cause and effect）
- 类比论证：精神病患者声称邻居迫害她，但人们不会轻信

### 2. 对比论证

| 对比维度 | 内容 |
|---------|------|
| 证据类型 | 轶事性证据 vs 大规模实证研究 |
| 研究对象 | 普通人 vs 航母水兵（极端噪音环境） |
| 危害比较 | 噪音 vs 孤儿院环境 |

### 3. 文化背景

- 20世纪中期，噪音污染问题日益严重，反噪音运动兴起
- 但部分反噪音者使用不科学的方法论证，反而损害了运动的公信力
- 作者 D.E. Broadbent 是英国著名实验心理学家，主张用科学方法研究噪音问题

### 4. 修辞分析

- 客观审慎的措辞："must be so small""does not prove...does not exist"
- 体现科学严谨态度，不绝对否定，也不轻易肯定
- "say"的插入用法体现口语化的学术写作风格

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **词汇练习**：掌握 abatement、discredit、allegation、snag 等核心词汇的用法
2. **句型转换**：练习 on + V-ing 结构的运用；does 强调句的构造
3. **翻译练习**：注意 neither...nor... 的翻译；插入语 say 的处理
4. **写作练习**：模仿课文"先立后破"的论证方法，写一篇关于环境污染的短文
5. **理解题**：区分 cause 和 effect 在论证中的重要性

## 八、本课小结

本课探讨噪音的非听觉效应问题，核心论点是：**反对噪音的运动是正当的，但不应以劣质科学为依据**。作者通过分析轶事性证据的逻辑缺陷（无法区分因果关系），并以美国海军大规模研究为实证依据，论证了噪音对精神健康的影响即使存在也微乎其微。课文展示了议论文的典型写法：先呈现对立观点，再逐一反驳，最后以实证数据支撑自己的论点。语言方面，重点掌握 on + V-ing 结构、does 强调用法、neither...nor... 并列否定，以及插入语 say 的用法。