📘 Part 3: Noise

This episode's vocabulary

Din (noun) - a loud, unpleasant confused noise that lasts for a long time.

To clunk (verb) - to make the sound of heavy objects hitting together, or to cause this sound to be made.

Heavy goods vehicle (noun) - a large truck used for transporting goods.

Commonplace (adj.) - happening often or often seen or experienced and so not considered to be special

To roar (verb) - if a vehicle or aircraft roars somewhere, it moves there very quickly making a lot of noise.

Cacophony (noun) - an unpleasant mixture of loud sounds.

Rumpus (noun) - a lot of noise, especially a loud and confused argument or complaint.

Racket (noun) - an unpleasant loud continuous noise.

To mitigate (verb) - to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad.

Noise pollution (noun) - noise, such as that from traffic, that upsets people where they live or work and is considered to be unhealthy for them.

Hustle and bustle (phrase) - noise and activity.

Lambing season (noun) - the time in the year when sheep give birth to lambs.

To rev (verb) - to increase the operating speed of an engine while the vehicle is not moving, usually to warm it to the correct temperature.

To screech (verb) - to make an unpleasant, loud, high noise.

Vroom (exclamation) - used in writing to represent the sound of a car engine at high speed.

Ruckus (noun) - a noisy situation or argument.

To low (verb) - to make the deep, long sound of a cow.

Eardrum (noun) - a thin piece of skin inside the ear that moves backwards and forwards very quickly when sound waves reach it, allowing you to hear sounds.

Hair-raising (adj.) - very frightening.

Questions and Answers

M: Are cities becoming noisier?

R: Well with increasing population and urbanization. Yes, they're generally becoming noisier. It's hard to escape the din of construction work or the clunking of heavy goods vehicles going around everywhere, isn't it?

M: And do you think there's more noise today in the city than in the past?

R: Oh, definitely. Due to all the urbanization we just talked about. The sounds you would usually associate with transportation and industrialization are going through the roof. It's quite commonplace to hear planes roaring overhead or the cacophony of traffic in general. In addition to the general rumpus created by people. It's only natural though since there's more of everything that makes a racket these days due to the growing population.

M: Do you think the world will be noisier in the future?

R: Given that the world's population is increasing all the time and the sources of noise are multiplying with it? I suppose, unless significant efforts are made to mitigate noise pollution, then there's definitely going to be more hustle and bustle than before. In the distant future, who can say?

M: Where is it noisier, in cities or in the countryside?

R: Generally speaking, cities are noisier than the countryside. But there can be exceptions depending on factors such as location or local activity. I mean, I imagine it gets pretty loud on a farm and lambing season, for example, compared to the average city park.

M: And what can be done to reduce the noise from the traffic?

R: I suppose various methods could be employed, such as building sound barriers, using low-noise pavement and reducing the speed limit, so you don't hear so much revving of engines and screeching of brakes. Not to mention crashes. Although I've only heard that on a few occasions.

M: How can people consider other people's feelings when they chat in public?

R: They could definitely be considerate of others' feelings by speaking quietly or maybe finding a quieter location to talk. Especially if it's about sensitive matters. Most people don't want to air their dirty laundry in public and even fewer want to hear about it in the passing.

M: What kinds of noises do people hear in their daily life?

R: Oh, wow. A variety of sounds I suppose, like traffic with the vrooming of cars, the ruckus of construction work, and workers. Animals, like when cats meow or cattle low. And the various beeps and clicks of technology being used and ticking over.

M: And how do people usually respond to noises?

R: Oh, in all manner of ways. But the most common I've seen are by covering their ears to shield their eardrums moving away from the source to escape the sound or complaining to those responsible for the noise, especially if it's sudden or unexpected.

M: What are the effects of loud noise?

R: It could have all kinds of various negative effects for sure, on both physical and mental health, including things like hearing loss, sleep disturbances and increased stress levels. I suppose the positive ones would be having your awareness raised like waking up from an alarm, though if you're not used to it, it's more likely to be a hair-raising experience than an awareness-raising one.

M: Hey, Rory! Thank you for your answers!