晨读英语美文 The Importance of Sound

The Importance of Sound
[00:10.90]Hearing can soothe and comfort. 
[00:19.75]The snapping of logs in the fireplace, 
[00:22.16]the gossipy whisper of a broom, 
[00:24.47]the inquisitive wheeze of a drawer opening  
[00:28.19]all are savored sounds that make us feel at home. 
[00:31.68]In a well-loved home, 
[00:34.86]every chair produced a different, 
[00:37.26]recognizable creak, 
[00:38.69]every window a different click, groan or squeak. 
[00:42.61]The kitchen by itself is a source of many pleasing sounds. 
[00:47.87]Every place, every event has a sound dimension.
[00:52.90]The sense of hearing can perhaps be restored to modern man 
[00:58.48]if he better understands its worth and how it works. 
[01:01.97]Most people would be surprised to discover 
[01:05.27]how far the sense can be pushed by cultivation. 
[01:08.21]At a friends house recently, 
[01:10.82]my wife opened her purse and some coins spilled out, 
[01:14.56]one after another, onto the floor. 
[01:16.32]Three quarters, two dimes, 
[01:19.04]a nickel and three pennies, 
[01:20.58]said our host as he came in from the next room. 
[01:22.65]And as an afterthought: 
[01:24.73]One of the quarters is silver. 
[01:26.49]He was right, down to the last penny.
[01:29.76]How did you do it? we asked. 
[01:32.37]Try it yourself. he said. 
[01:34.57]We did, and with a little practice we found it easy.
[01:38.28]Curiously, evidence indicates that people need sound. 
[01:43.97]When we are lost in thought, 
[01:45.84]we involuntarily drum with our fingers or tap with a pencil  
[01:49.89]a reminder that we are still surrounded 
[01:52.39]by a world outside ourselves. 
[01:54.59]Just cutting down reflected sound can produce some odd results. 
[01:59.06]The nearest thing on earth to the silence of outer space, 
[02:03.22]for example, is the anechoic chamber 
[02:06.30]at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in Burray Hills, N.J., 
[02:10.00]which is lined with material 
[02:12.30]that absorbs 99.98% of all reflected sound. 
[02:16.91]Men who have remained in the room for more than an hour report 
[02:21.39]that they feel nervous and out of touch with reality.