EFFECTS of Noise Questions 27-29

27. The writer suggests that people

may have difficulty sleeping in the
In general, it is plausible to suppose that we should prefer peace mountains because
and quiet to noise. And yet most of us have had the experience of       A    humans do not prefer peace
having to adjust to sleeping in the mountains or the countryside and quiet to noise.
because it was initially too quiet, an experience that suggests that       B    they may be exposed to short
humans are capable of adapting to a wide range of noise levels. bursts of very strange sounds.
Research supports this view. For example, Glass and Singer       C    humans prefer to hear a certain
amount of noise while they sleep.
(1972) exposed people to short bursts of very loud noise and then       D    they may have adapted to a
measured their ability to work out problems and their higher noise level in the city.
physiological (sinh lý) reactions to the noise. The noise was quite
disruptive (làm gián đoán, gây nhiễu) at first, but after about four 28    In noise experiments, Glass and
minutes the subjects were doing just as well on their tasks as Singer found that
      A    problem-solving is much
control subjects who were not exposed to noise. Their easier under quiet conditions.
physiological arousal also declined quickly to the same levels as       B    physiological arousal prevents
those of the control subjects. the ability to work.
      C    bursts of noise do not seriously
But there are limits to adaptation and loud noise becomes more disrupt problem-solving in the long
troublesome if the person is required to concentrate on more than term.
      D    the physiological arousal of
one task. For example, high noise levels interfered with the control subjects declined quickly.
performance of subjects who were required to monitor (giám sát)
three dials at a time, a task not unlike that of an aeroplane pilot or 29    Researchers discovered that high
an air-traffic controller (Broadbent, 1957).  Similarly, noise did noise levels are not likely to interfere
not affect a subject's ability to track a moving line with a steering with the
      A    successful performance of a
wheel, but it did interfere with the subject's ability to repeat single task.
numbers while tracking (Finke man and Glass 1970).       B    tasks of pilots or air traffic
controllers.
Probably the most significant finding from research on noise is       C    ability to repeal numbers while
that its predictability (có thể dự đoán trước) is more important tracking moving lines.
than how loud it is (độ lớn của tiếng ồn). We are much more able       D    ability to monitor three dials at
once.
to 'tune out' (= stop listening to) chronic (kinh niên, mãn tính, liên
tục), background noise, even if it is quite loud than || to work Questions 30-34
under circumstances with unexpected (bất ngờ) intrusions (sự Complete the summary using the list
xâm nhập) of noise. In the Glass and Singer study, in which of words and phrases, A-J. below.
subjects were exposed to bursts of noise as they worked on a task, Write the correct letter  A-J in boxes
some subjects heard loud bursts and others heard soft bursts. For 30-34 on your answer sheet.
some subjects, the bursts were spaced (cách quãng) exactly one NB  You may use any letter more than
minute apart (predictable noise); others heard the same amount of once.
noise overall, but the bursts occurred at random intervals (cách
quãng ngẫu nhiên) (unpredictable noise); others heard the same Glass and Singer (1972) showed that
amount of noise overall, but the bursts situations in which there is intense
noise have less effect on performance
Unpredictable Predictable
  Average than circumstances in which 30 B
Noise % Noise (unexpected) noise occurs. Subjects
Loud were divided into groups to perform a
  40.1   31.8   35.9
noise task. Some heard loud bursts of noise,
Soft others soft. For some subjects, the
  -36.7   27.4   32.1 noise was predictable, while for others
noise
its occurrence (sự cố, tần suất xảy ra)
Average   35.4   29.6 was random. All groups were exposed
Table 1: Proofreading Errors and Noise to 31 D the same amount noise. || The
occurred at random intervals (unpredictable noise). Subjects predictable noise group 32 F
reported finding the predictable and unpredictable noise equally performed at about the same level
annoying, and all subjects performed at about the same level as the unpredictable noise group on
during the noise portion of the experiment- But the different this task. In the second part of the
noise conditions had quite different after-effects (hậu quả, tác experiment, the four groups were given
a proofreading task to complete under
dụng phụ) when the subjects were required to proofread (hiệu conditions of no noise. They were
đính) written material under conditions of no noise. As shown in required to check written material for
Table 1 the unpredictable noise produced more errors in the later errors. The group which had been
proofreading task than predictable noise; and soft, unpredictable exposed to unpredictable noise 33 I the
noise actually produced slightly more errors on this task than the group which had been exposed to
loud, predictable noise. predictable noise. The group which
had been exposed to loud predictable
Apparently, unpredictable noise produces more fatigue than noise performed better than those who"
predictable noise, but it takes a while for this fatigue to take its had heard soft, unpredictable bursts.
toll on performance. The results suggest that 34 B noise
produces fatigue (sự mệt mỏi) but that
Predictability is not the only variable (biến số) that reduces or this manifests (biểu hiện) itself later.
A  no control over
eliminates the negative effects of noise. Another is "control". If B  unexpected
the individual knows that he or she can control the noise, this C  intense
seems to eliminate both its negative effects at the time and its D  the same amount of
after-effects (hậu quả). This is true even if the individual never E  performed better than
actually exercises his or her option to turn the noise off (Glass F  performed at about the same level as
and- Singer, 1972). Just the knowledge that one has control is G  no
H  showed more irritation (cáu, bực)
sufficient. (chỉ cần BIẾT có thể KIỂM SOÁT cũng ĐỦ để loại bỏ than
ảnh hưởng tiêu cực + dư chấn của tiếng ồn) I  made more mistakes than
J  different types of
The studies discussed so far exposed people to noise for only
short periods and only transient (thoáng qua) effects were Questions 35-40
Look at the following statements
studied. But the major worry about noisy environments is that (Questions 35-40) and the lust of
living day after day with chronic noise may produce serious, researchers below.
lasting effects. One study, suggesting that this worry is a realistic Match each statement with the correct
one, compared elementary school pupils who attended schools - researcher(s), A-E.
near Los Angeles's busiest airport with students who attended Write the correct letter A-E, in boxes
35-40 on your answer sheet.
schools in quiet neighborhoods (Cohen et al., 1980). It was found
that children from the noisy schools -had higher blood pressure NB You may use any letter more than
and were more easily distracted (phân tâm) than those who once.
attended the quiet schools. Moreover, there was no evidence of
adaptability to the noise. In fact, the longer the children had 35. Subjects exposed to noise find it
attended the noisy schools, the more distractible (dễ bị phân tâm) difficult at first to concentrate on
problem-solving tasks. A
they became. The effects also seem to be long-lasting. A follow- 36. Long-term exposure to noise can
up study showed that children who were moved to less noisy produce changes in behavior which
classrooms still showed greater distractibility (phân tâm nhiều can still be observed a year later. D
hơn) one year later than students who had always been in the 37. The problems associated with
quiet schools (Cohen et al, 1981). It should be noted that the two exposure to noise do not arise if the
subject knows they can make it stop. A
groups of children had been carefully matched by the
38. Exposure to high-pitched noise
investigators so that they were comparable in age, ethnicity, race, results in more errors than exposure to
and social class. low-pitched noise E
39. Subjects find it difficult to perform
three tasks at the same time when
exposed to noiseB
40. Noise affects a subject's capacity to
repeat numbers while carrying out
another task.C
   
List of Researchers

A Glass and Singer

B Broadbent
C Finke man and Glass
D Cohen et al.
E None of the above