英语听力—环球英语 1134 Sounds of Joy

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　How does this sound make you feel? Does it make you feel proud? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　How does this sound make you feel? Does it make you feel happy? Does it make you feel joy?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Does this sound make you feel frightened?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Does this one make you feel stressed²?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Do you ever notice the sounds you hear every day? How do these sounds influence your emotions? Do you think about what sounds make you feel happy or full of joy? In today’s program we think about the ways that sound influences our feelings and lives. Today’s Spotlight is on the sounds of joy!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Buzz³ Channel is an internet research company. In June 2011, Buzz Channel asked people in New Zealand what sounds gave them joy. 507 people took part in the study. Buzz Channel sent them a form full of questions - a survey. Many people answered this survey on the internet. The people were all very different - old and young, male and female⁴. And they were all from different parts of New Zealand.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Buzz Channel asked each person what their favorite sounds were. After each person answered, Buzz channel also asked each person to rate other sounds. Buzz Channel suggested a sound. Then they asked the person how much they liked it.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So what did Buzz Channel discover? What sounds make New Zealanders feel joy? Some people said they felt joy when they heard their cat purr. Some enjoyed the sound of rain on the roof or bells. Some even enjoyed the simple sound of silence! However, there were three sounds most people liked better than any other sound. The third most popular sound was the song from the Tui bird. This bird is native to New Zealand. The second favorite sound was the sound of music. But different people liked different kinds of music. But most people said that the sound of children laughing was the sound that made them feel pure joy.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Cadbury Dairy⁵ Milk asked Buzz Channel to do this study. Cadbury is a candy company. They are famous for their chocolate and other sweet treats. Cadbury wanted to know New Zealand’s top ten sounds of joy. But they did not just want to KNOW this information. They wanted to USE it for a very particular purpose. They wanted to use this information to sell more chocolate. This study was part of a much larger project. This project aimed to discover what made New Zealanders happy. Then, Cadbury could put all this information together. They would make advertisements to sell chocolate and candy. And these advertisements would use all of the things that made New Zealanders happy.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Doctor Aaron Jarden helped Buzz Channel with the study. He is the President of New Zealand’s Association⁶ of Positive Psychology⁷. He studies ways to improve people’s wellbeing. Wellbeing is a sense of happiness about life. Doctor Jarden thinks the results of this study are very interesting. Online marketing⁸ magazine StopPress wrote about Cadbury’s study. Doctor Jarden told StopPress:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Although we know joy when we see it and feel it, we have almost no idea what it sounds like. There is a lot of information about the links between music and our feelings. In fact, there is a whole field of ‘music therapy’. But there is almost no research on the link between sounds and joy. It is great to see Cadbury look at this element⁹ and asking New Zealanders what they think joy sounds like.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Cadbury used the information from this study to create a short advertisement to sell chocolate in New Zealand. The advertisement used many of the sounds that make New Zealanders happy. The Cadbury company hoped this would encourage New Zealanders to buy more Cadbury chocolate. This is what the advertisement sounds like:

 

　　“Can joy make a melody¹⁰?”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Doctor Jarden points out that these are the sounds the people of New Zealand like the most. But what about people in other countries? What sounds bring joy to people around the world? Are they similar? Is children’s laughter¹¹ the best sound in the world?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Spotlight asked our listeners¹² what their favorite sounds were. Most of them also said that some kind of laughter was their favorite sound! Javier said that his favorite sound was the cry of a newborn baby. Hector wrote that his favorite sound was the smile or laugh of a child. Todd agreed - his favorite sound was laughter too. And Maria said that her favorite sound was when her children were running to give her a hug and a kiss.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Doctor Jarden believes there is a reason that laughter is our favorite sound. He believes it is important for our wellbeing. When people experience joy, they feel better. This makes their lives better. In a statement¹³ for the press about the Cadbury’s advertisement Jarden says:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Experiencing simple times of joy and taking the time to enjoy the good times in life are very important. Laughter is both a cause and effect of joy. People laugh a lot more on the weekends compared to weekdays. Laughter is also good for relationships, both building new ones and keeping old ones.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Doctor Jarden may only be trying to sell Cadbury chocolate. But his words also have some truth! People usually laugh when they are with people they like and feel comfortable with. There is an old wise saying about laughter: laughter is the best medicine! It can truly make people feel better.Voice 2  What do you think about this study? Is laughter your favorite sound? What sound brings you joy?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁴ States. All quotes¹⁵ were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Sounds of Joy’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 stressed   

adj.紧张的，有压力的

参考例句：

• Loud music makes me stressed out.大声的音乐让我很紧张。
• He stressed that we should always be honest.他强调我们应该永远诚实。

3 buzz   

v.充满了激动或活动的声音，发出低沉的声音

参考例句：

• My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
• A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。

4 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

5 dairy   

n.牛奶场，乳品店；adj.乳制品的

参考例句：

• The yogurt sold by this dairy is delicious.这家乳品店出售的酸奶非常好喝。
• He kept a few dairy cows.他养了几头奶牛。

6 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

7 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 element   

n.元素；组成部分，成分；零件，元件

参考例句：

• Justice is an important element of good government.公正是仁政的要素。
• Carbon is an element,while carbon dioxide is a compound.碳是一种(化学)元素，而二氧化碳则是一种化合物。

10 melody   

n.旋律，曲调，悦耳的音乐

参考例句：

• She struck up a folk melody on the piano.她开始用钢琴演奏那首民歌。
• After she wrote the melody,she asked us for criticisms.她做好曲之后，请我们提意见。

11 laughter   

n.笑，笑声

参考例句：

• I don't know how my story caused so much laughter.我不知我的故事怎么引起如此大笑。
• The audience gave way to uncontrollable bursts of laughter.听众忍不住发出一阵阵笑声。

12 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。

14 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

15 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》