New York street noise may be deafening 紐約街頭噪音可能震耳欲聾

New York street noise may be deafening 
紐約街頭噪音可能震耳欲聾
2010-10-31◎俞智敏

The crowds and chaos of Manhattan often give visitors a thrill. It turns out they may also be putting New Yorkers at risk of hearing loss.

曼哈頓的人群與混亂常常讓訪客感到興奮，但這結果也可能讓紐約人處於喪失聽力的風險下。

In many parts of Manhattan, just walking the streets during the day exposes people to decibel levels that, over time, can damage people’s ears, according to a study released as part of the International Conference on Urban Health at The New York Academy of Medicine.

根據紐約醫學院國際都市健康會議中所發表的一份研究顯示，曼哈頓區的許多地方，光是大白天走在馬路上，就會讓人暴露在高分貝環境中，長期下來可能對耳朵造成損傷。

New Yorkers may not realize they’re impacted by the noise surrounding them, said Robyn Gershon, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors. "That’s the problem with noise. It sneaks up on you."

研究作者之一、哥倫比亞大學梅爾曼公衛學院教授葛森說，紐約人恐怕想不到，他們會受到身邊噪音的影響。「這正是噪音的麻煩處，它是悄悄地接近你。」

The study’s researchers stood at spots around the city wearing monitors that measured noise levels right by their ears. The 60 sites in Manhattan were selected using data on noise complaints called into a city hot line. Measurements were taken from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

在研究中，研究人員戴著監測器站在市區各地，監測耳朵旁的噪音量。研究人員是從市府噪音投訴熱線中，挑選出曼哈頓區的這60處監測地點，監測時間則是平日的早上9點至傍晚5點。

Most readings – even in several small parks meant to be oases of green and calm – were above 70 decibels. Some of Manhattan’s noisiest spots were along the city’s truck routes：along First Avenue above 14th Street and along Broadway in Inwood. Times Square and East Midtown were also among the most cacophonous corners.

多數的噪音讀數，即使是在數個原本應提供城市綠意與平靜綠洲的小公園裡，都已超過70分貝。曼哈頓某些最吵的地點是在紐約市的卡車路線沿線：如14街以北的第一大道，以及印塢一帶的百老匯街一帶。時報廣場與東中城也是市區裡最吵雜的角落之一。

新聞辭典

thrill：名詞，指興奮、激動或恐怖，如It gave me a real thrill to see her again after so many years.（多年後再見到她讓我非常激動。）

sneak up on someone/something：突然、悄悄地接近某人或某事，如I sneaked up on the cake, hoping no one would see me.（我偷偷走近蛋糕，希望沒人會看見我。）

cacophonous：形容詞，指聲音不和諧的，名詞為cacophony，指雜音、不和諧的聲音，如I heard a cacophony of horns during the traffic jam.（在車陣中我只聽到吵雜的喇叭聲。）