在工业部门工作和在军队中服役的许多人对噪音有切身体会，他们认为对这个问题进行调查是浪费时间，甚至不愿承认噪音可能对人有影响。Many people in industry and the Service 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.

24'

切身体会：have practical experience of ……


另一方面，那些讨厌噪音的人有时会用不充分的证据来支持它们希望有一个较为安静的社会环境的要求。On the other hand, those who dislike noise will sometimes use most inadequate evidence to support their pleas for a quieter society.

18'

要求减少噪音确实是件好事，但如果与拙劣的科学掺杂在一起的话，就不会被人们所信任，这是很遗憾的。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 .

15'

常见的一种指责是，噪音能引起精神病。One allegation often made is that noise produces mental illness.

这类奇闻的疑难之处是无法区分因果关系。Now the snag in this sort of anecdote is of course that one cannot distinguish cause and effect.

One might be cautious about believing this statement.人们不会轻信

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 . 对于噪音问题，需要对大量生活在噪音中的人进行研究，看一看他们是否比其他人更易患精神病。