嘈杂喧嚣的现代城市生活正在掩盖甚至完全阻隔大自然的声音，比如鸟儿的啁啾声和雨落的淅沥声。都市生活中的噪音污染不仅给人们带来了负面影响，还会在一定程度上影响小动物们的行为和生命周期。在高楼林立、车水马龙的都市中，我们如何重新找回声音的平衡？城市规划师和景观设计师为我们带来了一些创新的解决方案。例如，西班牙巴塞罗那对部分街区的改造和阿姆斯特丹史基浦机场的降噪土堤，这些设计正在悄然美化着我们的城市声音景观。

词汇：noise pollution 噪音污染

1 Picture your dream living room. You're sitting on the sofa with the window open. What do you hear? Is it the sound of a flowing river? The murmuring of human chatter as friends enjoy a hot drink at the neighbouring cafe? A soundscape is your aural environment – everything you can hear around you, and researchers say the soundscape where you live can influence your wellbeing.

2 In times gone by, soundscapes would've consisted of the sounds of nature, such as birdcall and the sound of crashing waves. The reality of human life in the 21st Century means that air travel, construction and traffic noises are now in the mix, and agricultural noise means that not even rural life is safe. Noise pollution can lead to heightened stress levels, impaired cognitive function and higher risk of cardiovascular disease in humans, according to an article published by the UK Parliament called 'The effects of artificial light and noise on human health'. Not only that, it can affect the behaviour and life cycles of species which rely on sound.

3 So, what can be done? Urban design is one trick. In Barcelona in Spain, urban planners designed 'superblocks', where traffic goes around big groups of buildings and the inner streets are pedestrianised, creating space for people and wildlife that is free from beepinghorns and humming motors. In a 2025 article published in BMC Public Health, people in these areas reported an improvement in wellbeing, quality of sleep and reduction in noise.

4 Other techniques include tree buffers, where trees are planted in urban areas to absorb sound energy. In the Netherlands, they have created earth banks next to Schiphol airport to absorb noise from the runways and protect residents in the surrounding areas. England has a vast network of hedgerows – they'd stretch around the Earth almost ten times if lined up! And it turns out they make excellent sound barriers, particularly if the hedges are large, dense and evergreen.

5 When we think about improving our environment, it's likely your mind jumps to reducing litter and air pollution. But reducing noise pollution is also important, to create a soundscape that works for everyone – people and wildlife.

测验与练习

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________
Paragraph 5 ________

a. Why noise pollution reduction is important
b. Reducing noise pollution using urban design
c. The benefits of human-made noise in cities
d. Why noise pollution reduction is often not the first thing that comes to mind
e. Reducing noise pollution using landscape interventions
f. Imagine your perfect soundscape

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. Before human-made noise, a typical soundscape would consist of natural sounds.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

2. People living in the countryside don’t have to deal with noise pollution.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

3. In paragraph 2, what does 'it' refer to in the following sentence? Not only that, it can affect the behaviour and life cycles of species which rely on sound.
a. noise pollution
b. stress levels
c. the UK Parliament

4. How do Barcelona's 'superblocks' reduce noise pollution?
a. There is more space for wildlife
b. Walkability is improved
c. There is less traffic on the inner streets

5. How do interventions like tree buffers, earth banks and hedgerows reduce noise pollution?
a. They stop the sound passing through
b. They absorb rainfall
c. They are habitats for wildlife

6. All species of hedge make excellent sound barriers.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

If you find it hard to relax around angry drivers 1) _______ their horns, you're not alone. Research has linked 2) _______ to higher stress levels and an increased risk of 3) _______. But don't worry, experts are coming up with solutions. Making streets 4) _______ reduces traffic noises and encourages more wildlife. Landscape interventions such as 5) _______ can also make our environment less noisy. All this can make our aural environment much more peaceful.

evergreen
noise pollution
tree buffers
pedestrianised
cardiovascular disease
beeping
soundscape

（答案见词汇表后） 

词汇表

murmuring 低沉连续的声音
chatter 闲聊，闲话
soundscape 声音景观
aural 听觉的
in the mix 混杂其中
noise pollution 噪音污染
cognitive function 认知功能
cardiovascular disease 心血管疾病
pedestrianise 使成为步行区
beeping 嘟嘟作响的
horn 喇叭
humming 发嗡嗡声的
tree buffer 树木缓冲
earth bank 土堤，土坝
hedgerow 树篱
dense 茂密的
evergreen 常青的

答案

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 f) Imagine your perfect soundscape
Paragraph 2 a) Why noise pollution reduction is important
Paragraph 3 b) Reducing noise pollution using urban design
Paragraph 4 e) Reducing noise pollution using landscape interventions
Paragraph 5 d) Why noise pollution reduction is often not the first thing that comes to mind

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. a. True. In times gone by, soundscapes would have consisted of the sounds of nature, such as birdcalland the sound of crashing waves.

2. b. False. … agricultural noise means that not even rural life is safe.

3. a. Noise pollution. The previous sentence mentions how noise pollution can negatively affect humans. The following sentence gives additional information about the negative effects of noise pollution on animal species.

4. c. While the other options are benefits, only 'less traffic on the inner streets' directly reduces noise pollution.

5. a. … tree buffers… absorb sound energy. Earth banks… absorb noise. Hedgerows… make excellent sound barriers.

6. c. Not given. The article mentions that hedges make excellent sound barriers, but whether that is all species is not specified.

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

If you find it hard to relax around angry drivers beeping their horns, you're not alone. Research has linked noise pollution to higher stress levels and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. But don't worry, experts are coming up with solutions. Making streets pedestrianised reduces traffic noises and encourages more wildlife. Landscape interventions such as tree buffers can also make our environment less noisy. All this can make our aural environment much more peaceful.