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You are going to read an extract from a magazine article. Six paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which best fits each gap (59-64). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
Improving the Sound of Cities
An expert in sound engineering argues for a better approach to issues relating to noise in our cities
I went on a "sound walk' in London in spring last year. Thirty people meandered down backstreets, and along major roads. For two hours, we tuned into the city's soundscape. I had not expected to hear birdsong on a backstreet close to a noisy main road, and I was surprised to find I enjoyed the sound of a lock banging against a bike frame as a cyclist rode by.
59. __________________________________________________
But will we like what we are then able to hear? All those annoying sounds currently masked by traffic noise, such as humming ventilation systems and music escaping from pubs and restaurants will become more audible. It's time to work out how we want cities of the future to sound. So how easy is it actually to do this?
60. __________________________________________________
However, human response to sound is complicated and relying on traditional measurements of volume is not that helpful. Noise maps also show the problem with the traditional approach. Worldwide, engineers have used expensive computers to generate maps of the sound environment. These look so much like pretty, coloured road maps that some researchers joke it would be cheaper and quicker to colour in a map, using red crayons for busy roads and blue for quiet backstreets.
61. __________________________________________________
More importantly perhaps, this map ignores significant issues such as the noise my neighbours make. This cannot be included because there are no databases showing where inconsiderate people, such as players of loud music, live. Moreover, it is impossible for such a map to take a listener's perception into account: it is, for example, possible that my line of work has made me overly sensitive to noise.
62. __________________________________________________
Yet noise is still not high on the political agenda, in spite of reliable estimates that 54 per cent of the UK's population live in conditions exceeding daytime sound levels prescribed by the World Health Organisation - 55 decibels for steady, continuous noise.
63. __________________________________________________
Some researchers aim to do this by setting up focus groups, going on sound walks, trying to capture the emotional response to sound. Others persist with computer algorithms to model people's reactions, gathering extra data, such as the listener's age and gender, to use in the algorithm to redress the inadequacies of the decibel.
64. __________________________________________________
Once we have lessened the noise, though, what do we want to hear? The Positive Soundscape Project has given us pointers. This unusual interdisciplinary research came out in favour of what seems contradictory: a “vibrant, calm” soundscape. In fact, this makes good sense. A city thrives on vibrancy, so an urban square needs to have a sense of activity: the barista making coffee, the clack of high heels on the pavement, or snatches of conversations from passers-by.
Missing paragraphs
A. In the past, we used to research urban soundscapes in a straightforward way. We'd calculate street noise in decibels, then canvass public opinion and combine the two. I might play a couple of city noises I had recorded and ask subjects to say which sound was more annoying. Since all that researchers wanted to know was the relationship between noise levels and people's reactions, we tended to treat our subjects rather like lab animals.
B. Fortunately, this may not be quite as awful as it seems because another problem with decibel measurement is that it does not differentiate between “negative” and “positive” sounds. Take the sounds made by a fountain in a town square or happy children in a playground - either of which might exceed permitted sound levels. Increasingly, scientists have been pressing for these positive sounds to be considered within urban design alongside more traditional noise-control approaches.
C. If we acknowledge that urban sound has an aesthetic, which I believe it does, we urgently need to know what governs it and then how designers can work with it. Similar to that of the visual world, it will be built on a complex understanding of cultural theory, sonic art, cognitive and social psychology, engineering, physics and the relationship between them.
D. Despite these problems, the crude noise maps we make drive policy. Advocates argue that they have been vital in making politicians take noise slightly more seriously. This must be a good thing; noise has many negative effects, ranging from sleep disturbance to increased levels of stress hormones and reduced performance in schoolchildren.
E. As an acoustic engineer, I found this walk a real ear-opener. Urban design is only really concerned with abating noise made by public transport or industry: the subtle and interesting sounds that can enhance cities are overlooked. With the internal combustion engine on its way out, though, the acoustic fog created by cars, buses and trucks will finally lift and other sounds of the city will emerge.
F. As the complexity of these models grow, so does my feeling that there must be a better way. Consider a small relatively quiet, urban square - an acoustic oasis. To design such spaces, traditional engineers quieten intrusions from traffic. Buildings and walls, for example, can be used to block out the sources of noise.
G. Take my house. It appears on a sound map with a decibel value of between 60 and 64.9 decibels. Even with a PhD in acoustics I struggle to interpret this. How can the complex way sound varies during the day and between the seasons be meaningfully summed up by a single number?
I went on a "sound walk' in London in spring last year. Thirty people meandered down backstreets, and along major roads. For two hours, we tuned into the city's soundscape. I had not expected to hear birdsong on a backstreet close to a noisy main road, and I was surprised to find I enjoyed the sound of a lock banging against a bike frame as a cyclist rode by.
59. __________________________________________________
But will we like what we are then able to hear? All those annoying sounds currently masked by traffic noise, such as humming ventilation systems and music escaping from pubs and restaurants will become more audible. It's time to work out how we want cities of the future to sound. So how easy is it actually to do this?
60. __________________________________________________
However, human response to sound is complicated and relying on traditional measurements of volume is not that helpful. Noise maps also show the problem with the traditional approach. Worldwide, engineers have used expensive computers to generate maps of the sound environment. These look so much like pretty, coloured road maps that some researchers joke it would be cheaper and quicker to colour in a map, using red crayons for busy roads and blue for quiet backstreets.
61. __________________________________________________
More importantly perhaps, this map ignores significant issues such as the noise my neighbours make. This cannot be included because there are no databases showing where inconsiderate people, such as players of loud music, live. Moreover, it is impossible for such a map to take a listener's perception into account: it is, for example, possible that my line of work has made me overly sensitive to noise.
62. __________________________________________________
Yet noise is still not high on the political agenda, in spite of reliable estimates that 54 per cent of the UK's population live in conditions exceeding daytime sound levels prescribed by the World Health Organisation - 55 decibels for steady, continuous noise.
63. __________________________________________________
Some researchers aim to do this by setting up focus groups, going on sound walks, trying to capture the emotional response to sound. Others persist with computer algorithms to model people's reactions, gathering extra data, such as the listener's age and gender, to use in the algorithm to redress the inadequacies of the decibel.
64. __________________________________________________
Once we have lessened the noise, though, what do we want to hear? The Positive Soundscape Project has given us pointers. This unusual interdisciplinary research came out in favour of what seems contradictory: a “vibrant, calm” soundscape. In fact, this makes good sense. A city thrives on vibrancy, so an urban square needs to have a sense of activity: the barista making coffee, the clack of high heels on the pavement, or snatches of conversations from passers-by.
Missing paragraphs
A. In the past, we used to research urban soundscapes in a straightforward way. We'd calculate street noise in decibels, then canvass public opinion and combine the two. I might play a couple of city noises I had recorded and ask subjects to say which sound was more annoying. Since all that researchers wanted to know was the relationship between noise levels and people's reactions, we tended to treat our subjects rather like lab animals.
B. Fortunately, this may not be quite as awful as it seems because another problem with decibel measurement is that it does not differentiate between “negative” and “positive” sounds. Take the sounds made by a fountain in a town square or happy children in a playground - either of which might exceed permitted sound levels. Increasingly, scientists have been pressing for these positive sounds to be considered within urban design alongside more traditional noise-control approaches.
C. If we acknowledge that urban sound has an aesthetic, which I believe it does, we urgently need to know what governs it and then how designers can work with it. Similar to that of the visual world, it will be built on a complex understanding of cultural theory, sonic art, cognitive and social psychology, engineering, physics and the relationship between them.
D. Despite these problems, the crude noise maps we make drive policy. Advocates argue that they have been vital in making politicians take noise slightly more seriously. This must be a good thing; noise has many negative effects, ranging from sleep disturbance to increased levels of stress hormones and reduced performance in schoolchildren.
E. As an acoustic engineer, I found this walk a real ear-opener. Urban design is only really concerned with abating noise made by public transport or industry: the subtle and interesting sounds that can enhance cities are overlooked. With the internal combustion engine on its way out, though, the acoustic fog created by cars, buses and trucks will finally lift and other sounds of the city will emerge.
F. As the complexity of these models grow, so does my feeling that there must be a better way. Consider a small relatively quiet, urban square - an acoustic oasis. To design such spaces, traditional engineers quieten intrusions from traffic. Buildings and walls, for example, can be used to block out the sources of noise.
G. Take my house. It appears on a sound map with a decibel value of between 60 and 64.9 decibels. Even with a PhD in acoustics I struggle to interpret this. How can the complex way sound varies during the day and between the seasons be meaningfully summed up by a single number?
