嘈雜喧囂的現代城市生活正在掩蓋甚至完全阻隔大自然的聲音，比如鳥兒的啁啾聲和雨落的淅瀝聲。都市生活中的噪音污染不僅給人們帶來瞭負面影響，還會在一定程度上影響小動物們的行為和生命周期。在高樓林立、車水馬龍的都市中，我們如何重新找回聲音的平衡？城市規劃師和景觀設計師為我們帶來瞭一些創新的解決方案。例如，西班牙巴塞羅那對部分街區的改造和阿姆斯特丹史基浦機場的降噪土堤，這些設計正在悄然美化著我們的城市聲音景觀。
詞匯：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 beeping horns 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.
測驗與練習
一、將標題和段落配對。
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、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
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、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
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
（答案見詞匯表後）
詞匯表
murmuring 低沉連續的聲音
chatter 閑聊，閑話
soundscape 聲音景觀
aural 聽覺的
in the mix 混雜其中
noise pollution 噪音污染
cognitive function 認知功能
cardiovascular disease 心血管疾病
pedestrianise 使成為步行區
beeping 嘟嘟作響的
horn 喇叭
humming 發嗡嗡聲的
tree buffer 樹木緩沖
earth bank 土堤，土壩
hedgerow 樹籬
dense 茂密的
evergreen 常青的
答案
一、將標題和段落配對。
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、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. a. True. In times gone by, soundscapes would have consisted of the sounds of nature, such as birdcall and 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、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
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.
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