Certain noise helps us sleep better 特定噪聲有助于睡眠

陳靜雅

很多人認為只有在安靜的環境下才能睡好覺。然而，一項科學研究表明，有 一些噪聲不但不會影響我們的睡眠，反而會讓我們睡得更好。

1Think of it this way： When you，re lying in bed， every single noise—from the creak （嘎吱聲） of the bed to a whistle in your partner ，s nose—may keep your brain on high alert. You may find it hard to get a good night，s sleep. Actually， you may just need more noise. While that may sound strange， it，s scientificallyproven that certain types of noise can help you sleep well. For example， white， pink and brown noises can help to create a more consistent surrounding background.

2Just as white light includes all of the colors of light in the spectrum ， white noise con- tains sounds from all of the frequencies that humans can hear.

3It，s a mixture of sounds from all frequencies， but white noise comes as a high-pitched buzz. That，s because of the way your ears hear it. Basically， your brain increases sounds in the higher pitch frequencies， making them sound louder than they actually are. So while you may be hearing sounds from a variety of frequencies， the highest ones tend to shield the lower-pitched notes.

4Pink noise takes the human tendency to hear only some frequencies into account and balances out the noise so that all frequencies are heard equally. The higher the frequency is， the more its volume is decreased. To your ears， the sound is deeper and softer than white noise. Think of rain falling on the pavement or a gentle breeze in the trees.

5 In a study at China ， s Peking University， researchers found that when participants were exposed to either pink noise or no noise during night - time sleep and naps， 75% re- ported more restful sleep with the pink noise. Brain activity monitors confirmed this， showing that participants had 23% more restful brain activity at night with pink noise and 45%more restful sleep during naps.

6Brown noise takes this concept to the next level， further weakening higher frequency noise to produce an even deeper and richer sound. It is similar to random particle motion in that the changes in sound signals from one moment to the next occur randomly.

7The color of noise that will help you sleep most soundly is the one you like the best.

While pink and brown noises are deeper and more balanced than white noise， your per- sonal sleep preferences will decide which one gives you the best night s sleep.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us？

A. Some noise may help us sleep better.

B. Our brain is always kept on high alert.

C. Many people have difficulty sleeping well.

D. Sound creates a consistent surrounding background.

2. What does the underlined word“shield”in paragraph 3 mean？

A. Mask. B. Absorb.C. Control.D. Change.

3. Which of the following noise may contribute to your sound sleep？

A. The creak of your bed.

B. The wind shaking the tree.

C. A whistle in your partner，s nose.

D. The rain falling on the pavement.

4. Why does the author mention the study at Peking University？

A. To show the need for silence during sleep.

B. To explain pink noise，s impact on sleep.

C. To illustrate the importance of restful sleep.

D. To give the reason for adequate noise for sleep.

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. Brain activity monitors confirmed this， showing that participants had 23% more restful brain activity at night with pink noise and 45% more restful sleep during naps. 大腦 活動監測儀證實了這一點，其顯示參與者在有粉紅色噪聲的晚上有多 23% 的安穩的 睡眠，在午睡時安穩的睡眠多 45%。

【點石成金】V-ing 形式作狀語可以分為原因狀語、時間狀語、伴隨狀語和結果狀 語 ，本 句 中 的 showing... during naps 在 句 中 作 結 果 狀 語 ，如“The boy ran even faster， reaching the school out of breath. ”中的 reaching the school out of breath 在句中作結果 狀語。

2. While pink and brown noises are deeper and more balanced than white noise， your personal sleep preferences will decide which one gives you the best night，s sleep. 雖然粉紅 色噪聲和紅噪聲比白噪聲更低沉、更平穩，但你的個人睡眠偏好將決定哪一種噪聲能 讓你晚上睡得最好。

【點石成金】本 句 中 ，While pink and brown noises are deeper and more balanced than white noise 為 while 引導的讓步狀語從句;which one gives you the best night，s sleep 為 which 引導的賓語從句。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

come as 感覺像是

a variety of 各種各樣的

tend to 往往;傾向于

take...into account 把……考慮在內

be exposed to 置身于……