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　　Finn: Hello Rob.

　　Rob: We’re talking about noise today - and looking at some of the words and phrases associated with noise and its opposite: peace and quiet. But, as always, let’s start with a question. A new survey in the UK has identified the ten jobs where people are most exposed to noise - noise that can cause serious damage to someone’s hearing. Which one of these three jobs has the most exposure to noise?

　　a) A nightclub worker

　　b) A classical musician

　　c) An airport ground staff worker

　　Finn: I think it’s got to be c) the person who works in the airport. Planes are very noisy aren’t they Rob?

　　Rob: That’s true, very noisy. OK, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. But now, let’s make some noise! Or at least hear some noise. This is a typical cacophony¹ of sound you can hear on a busy street in London. A cacophony is a mix of loud sounds…. Have a listen.

　　(Mix of sounds from a busy London street)

　　Finn: So we heard drills, and buses and church bells in there as well, didn’t we Rob? It’s a real din² - or bad noise - but people in urban areas all around the world have to live with that sort of noise all the time.

　　Rob: Yes but I guess they get used to it and it's all part of city life but it does mean it can be difficult to hear yourself think! And I think you’ll agree the world is becoming noisier?

　　Finn: It is. So let’s hear from Doctor Stephen Dance who went to discover how bad the noise in London really is. How does he describe the noise for pedestrians³?

　　Dr Stephen Dance. South Bank University:

　　We’re here looking at the London soundscape, and as ever there is a fire engine going by, just as I’m talking. That is just as loud as it would be on a motorway⁴ but we’re on a side street, so it’s quite deafening⁵ for the pedestrians.

　　Rob: That’s Stephen Dance experiencing a typical London soundscape - a soundscape is a mix of sounds heard in a particular location. And one of the sounds was that of a fire engine which was very loud!

　　Finn: It was - he described it as deafening for pedestrians - so, extremely loud and possibly causing deafness. But how would we know a fire engine was on its way to an emergency without such a sound?

　　Rob: It’s a good point. Sometimes a loud noise is needed so it can be heard over other noises. And in other situations we sometimes make more noise to drown out - or cover up - the sounds we don’t want to hear. So we turn our music up to drown out the sound of the washing machine for example!

　　Finn: But of course if everyone turns up their own music the noise becomes even greater. So, Rob, what is the solution?

　　Rob: Maybe we should all take a vow⁶ of silence! Just like a monk⁷, we make a promise not to talk.

　　Finn: I think that would be impossible for you Rob! Anyway, what rich people used to do in history was move out of the city to the relative tranquillity⁸ of the countryside, but then there the silence was deafening!

　　Rob: And when you’re in the country, you sometimes tune⁹ in to the smallest sounds, like a bird singing, and that can become just as irritating. But you have to admit those sounds are a lot more calming than the constant noise of city life?

　　Finn: Well you can sometimes hear birdsong in the city but it’s the buildings that cause these natural sounds to be drowned out.

　　Rob: High rise buildings cause the sound to reflect off - or bounce off - each other causing the sound to be amplified¹⁰ - made louder. And buildings made of glass are even more reflective.

　　Finn: So there’s not really a solution to reducing noise in the city - we’re just going to have put on our headphones and listen to our own noise - heavy metal maybe, that would be good, wouldn’t it Rob?

　　Rob: Hmm, well, listening to the tinny sound of music coming from you headphones whilst on a train can be really annoying.

　　Finn: Rob, maybe you should join a noise abatement¹¹ group - these are groups of people who campaign to control levels of noise. They try to restrict planes flying over residential¹² areas at night and encourage people not to disturb their neighbours by playing music too loudly. Maybe the big question really is what is noise? Some people may call a sound just noise whereas others may say it’s music to their ears - a beautiful sound.

　　Rob: Well Finn, some people say that the best noise is no noise at all - or silence is golden.

　　Finn: Actually Rob, when you say ‘silence is golden’ it actually means it’s often better to say nothing at all than say something stupid - so maybe it’s time for us to stop making any more noise and just get out of here?

　　Rob: Not before I’ve given you the answer to today’s question. Earlier, I said a new survey in the UK has identified the ten jobs where people are most exposed to noise. I asked which of these three jobs has the most exposure to noise?

　　Finn: And I said c) an airport ground staff worker. Was I right?

　　Rob: You were absolutely right. The answer is an airport ground staff worker. People who direct jet engines in landing and take-off and are subjected to 140 decibels¹³ of sound in one go. It’s important to cover your ears with ear muffs in a job like that! OK, that’s all we have time for today but please join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

　　Both: Bye.

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