Making cities feel quieter
6 Minute English

Making cities feel quieter

B2Upper-intermediateMay 21, 20266 min

What do you prefer – the sounds of birdsong and wind rustling in the trees, or the hum of traffic and chatter of people passing by? Some people like the quiet of the countryside and others love the noise of the city, but did you know that constant exposure to loud noise has been found to increase anxiety? That's why some people have been trying to find ways to make our cities feel quieter. Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a transcript and worksheet at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/fe...

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Sentence 10 of 12 · 1:54

And that's a problem if you're one of the four billion people around the world who live in cities.

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modern cities are full of noise and this can have serious effects. The World Health Organization

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

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A1 32%A2 36%B1 22%B2 8%C1 1%
  • 91% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 152 words a minute: a natural pace.
  • 14 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

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1:30

And now this. Oh well that first clip made me feel really relaxed. But the second one, oh it's horrible. I felt quite stressed out actually. Oh no. Well, this little experiment shows how much we are affected by the noise around us.

1:50

And that's a problem if you're one of the four billion people around the world who live in cities. Yes, whether it's the rattle of train tracks, honking car horns or the roar of airplanes overhead, modern cities are full of noise and this can have serious effects. The World Health Organization reports that by 2050 around 2.5 billion people will experience hearing loss.

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