Non-auditory effects of noise

auditory / ˈɔːdɪtərɪ / Auditory means related to hearing. 听觉的

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.

have practical experience of xxx；对xxx有切身体会
regard xxx as xxx；认为

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.

abatement / əˈbeɪtmənt / Abatement means a reduction in the strength or power of something or the reduction of it. 减少
xxx really is a good cause；是件好事
it is likely to be discredited；不会被信任

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 ‘.

allegation / ˌælɪˈɡeɪʃən / An allegation is a statement saying that someone has done something wrong. 指控
was headed with xxx；以xxx为标题
with the caption xxx
distress /dɪ’strɛs/ 危难，不幸；贫困；悲痛
screaming /‘skrimɪŋ/ When someone screams, they make a very loud, high-pitched cry, for example, because they are in pain or are very frightened. (人因痛苦或恐惧而) 尖叫
wreck / rɛk / If you say that someone is a wreck, you mean that they are very exhausted or unhealthy. 疲惫不堪的人; 不健康的人

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.

snag / snæɡ / A snag is a small problem or disadvantage. 小问题; 小挫折
anecdote /‘ænɪkdot/ An anecdote is a short, amusing account of something that has happened. 趣闻轶事
slander /‘slændɚ/ Slander is an untrue spoken statement about someone which is intended to damage their reputation. Compare . 诽谤
persecute /‘pɝsɪkjut/ If someone is persecuted, they are treated cruelly and unfairly, often because of their race or beliefs. (因种族或信仰) 迫害

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. The United States Navy, for instance, recently 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.

In case of ;对于xxx问题
aerodrome /‘ɛrə’drom/ An aerodrome is a place or area where small aircraft can land and take off. 小型机场
squadron /‘skwɑdrən/ A squadron is a section of one of the armed forces, especially the air force. (尤指空军的) 中队

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 orphanages–which really is a mental health hazard.

psychiatric /ˌsaɪkɪ’ætrɪk/ Psychiatric means relating to psychiatry. 治疗精神病的
objective /əb’dʒɛktɪv/ Objective information is based on facts. 客观的
if there is any effect of xxx，it must be so small that yyy；如果有xxx影响，那也是很小的yyy
that does not prove that it does not exist： but it does mean xxx is yyy；这并不是证实不存在xxx但是确实说明了yyy
orphanage /‘ɔrfənɪdʒ/ An orphanage is a place where orphans live and are cared for. 孤儿院