---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/25-non-auditory-effects-of-noise.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：Non-auditory Effects of Noise。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 25 · 噪音的非听觉效应

### 第1段

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.

中文理解：工业界和军队里，不少经常接触噪声的人认为，研究这个问题纯粹是浪费时间；他们甚至不愿承认，噪声可能对人产生影响。另一方面，讨厌噪声的人有时又拿极不充分的证据，来支持让社会安静一些的诉求。这很可惜，因为减少噪声确实是一件好事；一旦与不可靠的科学论证扯上关系，它就可能失去公信力。
人们常提出的一项指控是，噪声会导致精神疾病。例如，最近一家周报的文章配了一幅醒目的插图，画着一位极度痛苦的女子，旁边写着：“她又是一个受害者，被折磨得精神崩溃、尖叫不止。”读者急着往下读，才知道她是一名打字员，办公室打字机的声音越来越让她难受，最后不得不住进精神病院。这类个案的问题，当然在于无法分清因果：是噪声导致了疾病，还是对噪声的抱怨只是疾病的一种症状？另一位患者同样可能抱怨，邻居正合伙诽谤、迫害她；但对这种说法，人们或许就会谨慎得多。
要研究噪声，需要调查大量生活在嘈杂环境中的人，看看他们是否比其他人更常患精神疾病。例如，美国海军曾检查过许多在航空母舰上工作的人，这项研究称为“安内英计划”。住在离机场几英里远的地方都可能让人不舒服；设想一下，与几个中队的喷气式飞机共用一块甲板是什么滋味，就会明白，现代海军很适合用来研究噪声。但无论精神科访谈还是客观测试，都未能在这些美国海军人员身上发现相应影响。这个结果只是印证了英美较早的研究：假如噪声确实影响精神健康，影响也必定小到当时的精神科诊断方法无法发现。这不能证明影响不存在；不过，作者据此认为，它的危险小于在孤儿院长大，而后者确实会危及精神健康。

* **practical experience**：实际经验；of引出熟悉的领域，不等于拥有严格研究证据。

* **a waste of time**：浪费时间的事；waste可数表示一件浪费之事，time不可数。

* **admit the possibility**：承认可能性；承认可能不等于承认已经发生。

* **inadequate evidence**：不充分的证据；评价证据够不够，不是直接断言主张一定错误。

* **a good cause**：值得支持的事业；cause此处是事业目标，区别于因果的原因。

* **associated with**：与……联系起来；有关联不自动证明互为原因。

* **a striking illustration**：引人注目的插图；undefined

* **in a state of**：处于……状态；of后接状态名词，不表示某一行政州。

* **cause and effect**：原因与结果；区分方向，需要比“同时出现”更多的信息。

* **merely a symptom**：只是一个症状；undefined

* **be cautious about**：对……谨慎；about后可接doing，不是完全拒绝。

* **large numbers of**：大量的；数量多仍需看样本与比较是否合适。

* **mentally ill**：患有精神疾病的；undefined

* **share the deck**：共用甲板；with引出同用者，不必等于均分所有权。

* **objective tests**：客观测试；客观测量仍可能有检测能力限制。

* **confirms earlier**：印证较早的……；undefined

* **psychiatric diagnosis**：精神科诊断；undefined

* **prove that**：证明……；不要用prove替代只表示提示的suggest。

* **less dangerous than**：比……危险小；undefined

* **being brought up**：成长于；被养育；undefined

* **a mental health hazard**：健康危害；危险的类型与对象应具体，不能混成全面结论。

#### 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.

并列复合句，以分号分成两个句子. 第一句，主谓宾+宾补，带有一个 who 引导的定语从句修饰 people；后一句则为主谓宾结构，跟了一个 that 引导的同位语从句.

#### On the other hand, those who dislike noise will sometimes use most inadequate evidence to support their pleas for a quieter society.

复合句，主谓宾结构，主语由一个定语从句修饰.

#### 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.

并列复合句，由 and 连接两个句子，第一个句子的主句为主系表结构，接 because 引导的原因状语从句；and 后面 it is…句为主系表结构加条件状语从句.

这里的 This 是连接上文而说的，对于希望更安静的人来说，他们用并不充分的证据来论证有些可惜，毕竟减少噪音扰民这件事本身还是很好的.

#### One allegation often made is that noise produces mental illness.

复合句，主句主系表结构，that 引导的表语从句为主谓宾结构.

#### 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".

复合句，主句主谓宾结构，后面有很多不同的定语，最后直接引语可以视为 caption 的同位语，该句为主系表结构. 其中 yet 可以理解为这样的受害者已经不是一个两个了，所以翻译为“只不过”，这里 a screaming wreck 描写受折磨后精神崩溃、惊叫不已的人；wreck 用于人时指身心遭到严重损害，不能只按物体“残骸”的字面义理解。screaming 与该女子的崩溃状态相关，不宜无依据改成“令人惊愕的”。

#### 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.

复合句，主句主谓宾结构，前面的伴随状语可以还原成 on the occasion of turning eagerly to the text.

that 引导的宾语从句中，为主系表结构，交代了该女子为打字员，who 引导的定语从句中含一个从句 the sound…hospital 作 found 的宾语，该宾语从句本身为主谓宾结构，即 the sound worried her，这个宾语从句中含一个 until…hospital 的时间状语从句，该时间状语从句为主谓结构.

#### Now the snag in this sort of anecdote is of course that one cannot distinguish cause and effect.

复合句，主句主系表结构，that 引导的表语从句为主谓宾结构. cause and effect 就是 the principle of causation，因果关系.

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

并列句，两句都是主系表倒装结构. 文中主要讲原因和结果的不同，个人认为论述不够有力，其实更重要的一点是人们习惯于将相关性和因果性混为一谈，比如听了噪音，然后得精神病了，这只能证明听噪音和得精神病存在时间上的先后相关关系，没办法证明存在因果关系. 因为很可能在这个阶段，自己遗传性的精神病发作了，或者别的事情让自己精神受到了压力才导致了精神病这个结果，并非噪音的关系. 能深刻区分相关性和因果性，可以说是思维方式的升级.

#### 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.

并列复合句，第一句为主谓宾结构，that 引导的宾语从句为主谓结构.

第二句为主谓宾结构的简单句.

这句的内容还是围绕原因和结果的不同来举例，算是对上一句做一个补充说明.

#### 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.

复合句，主句为主系表结构，由 what 引导的主语从句作主语.

后面 to discover…people are 为目的状语，不是从句，里面 whether 引导的句子作 discover 的宾语，而这个宾语从句中有一个 than 引导的比较状语从句.

其实本段的内容是进行因果关系的验证，用海军官兵的实际经验，尽量减少别的可能影响精神方面的变量（军队的作息等各方面比较统一），作为样本进行试验.

#### 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.

算是并列句，主谓宾结构. 冒号后面亦为主谓宾结构，相当于进一步解释说明. 这里的 working 应理解成官兵服役，而不是在航母上班.

#### 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.

并列复合句，第一句主系表结构，动词不定式短语作真正的主语；第二句，主句为主谓+宾语从句结构，该宾语从句为主系表结构，而第二句前面是 if 开头的条件状语从句，该从句为主谓+宾语从句解结构，该宾语从句为主系表结构，也是不定式作真正的主语.

#### But neither psychiatric interviews nor objective tests were able to show any effects upon these American sailors.

简单句，主谓宾结构.

#### 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.

复合句，该句以冒号相隔，前句主谓宾结构，后句为 if 引导条件状语从句加上主系表结构的主句，主句 it 指 effect of noise，该主句里面包含 that 引导的结果状语从句.

#### 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.

复合句，该句以冒号相隔，前句为主谓+宾从，该宾语从句为主谓结构.

but 后句亦为主谓+宾从，从句为主系表结构，含比较状语和定语从句.

## 学完这一课

转述某人承认或否认的可能性，别把它直接写成事实。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第100—103页，2022年2月第2版。*