For people, who are interested in sound, the field of sound technology is definitely making noise. In the past, sound engineers worked in the back rooms of recording studios, but many of today’s sound professionals are sharing their knowledge and experience with professionals in other fields to create new products based on the phenomenon we call sound.
对于对声音感兴趣的人来说，声音技术领域肯定正在引起轰动。过去，声音工程师在录音室的后房间里工作，但现在许多当今的声音专业人士正在与其他领域的专业人士分享他们的知识和经验，以创造基于我们称之为声音的现象的新产品。

Sound can be used as a weapon. Imagine that a police officer is chasing a thief. The thief tries to escape. And the officer can’t let him get away. He pulls out a special device, points it at the suspect, and switches it on. The thief drops to the ground. This new weapon is called a Long Range Acoustic Device（LRAD, 远程定向声波发射器）. It produces a deafening sound so painful that it temporarily disables a person. The noise from the LRAD is directed like a ray of light and travels only into the ears of that person, but it is not deadly.
声音可以用作武器。想象一下，一名警察正在追捕小偷。小偷试图逃跑。警察不能让他逃脱。他拿出一个特殊设备，对准嫌疑人，然后打开它。小偷倒在地上。这种新武器被称为远程定向声波发射器（LRAD）。它产生一种令人痛苦的震耳欲聋的声音，可以暂时使人失去行动能力。LRAD发出的噪音像光束一样定向，只传播到那个人的耳朵里，但它不是致命的。

For those who hunger for some peace and quiet, sound can now create silence. Let’s say you are at the airport, and the little boy on the seat next to you is humming（哼唱）a short commercial song. He hums it over and over again, and you are about to go crazy. Thanks to the Silence Machine, a British invention, you can get rid of the sound without upsetting the boy or his parents. One may wonder how the Silence Machine works. Well, it functions by analyzing the waves of the incoming sound and creating a second set of outgoing waves. The two sets of waves cancel each other out. Simply turn the machine on point it at the target, and your peace and quiet comes back.
对于那些渴望一些宁静的人来说，声音现在可以创造沉默。假设你在机场，坐在你旁边的小男孩正在哼唱一首短小的广告歌曲。他一遍又一遍地哼唱，你快要疯了。多亏了英国发明的静音机，你可以在不打扰男孩或他的父母的情况下消除声音。人们可能会想知道静音机是如何工作的。嗯，它通过分析传入声音的波形并创建一组第二组传出波形来工作。这两组波形相互抵消。只需简单地打开机器，指向目标，你的宁静就回来了。

Directed sound is a new technology that allows companies to use sound in much the same way spotlights（聚光灯）are used in the theater. A spotlight lights up only one section of a stage; similarly, a “spotsound” creates a circle of sound in one targeted area. This can be useful for businesses such as restaurants and stores because it offers a new way to attract customers. Restaurants can offer a choice of music along with the various food choices on the menu, allowing customers more control over the atmosphere in which they are dining. Directed sound is also beginning to appear in shopping centers and even at homes.
定向声音是一项新技术，允许公司以与剧院中聚光灯类似的方式使用声音。聚光灯只照亮舞台上的一个区域；同样，“spotsound”在特定区域创建一个声音圈。这对于餐馆和商店等企业来说可能很有用，因为它提供了一种吸引顾客的新方式。餐馆可以提供音乐选择，与菜单上的各种食物选择一起，让顾客对他们用餐的氛围有更多的控制。定向声音也开始出现在购物中心甚至家庭中。

1. What could be inferred from Paragraph 2 about the effect of the LRAD?
   A. It causes temporary hearing loss. B. It slows down a running man.
   C. It makes it easy to identify a suspect. D. It keeps the suspect from hurting others.
   答案：A

2. The Silence Machine is a device specially designed to __.
   A. silence the people around you B. remove the sound of commercials
   C. block the incoming sound waves D. stop unwanted sound from affecting you
   答案：D

3. What feature do spotsounds and spotlights share?
   A. They travel in circles. B. They clear the atmosphere.
   C. They can be transformed into energy. D. They can be directed onto a specific area.
   答案：D

4. Directed sound can be used for __.
   A. creative designs of restaurant menus B. ideal sound effects on the theater stage
   C. different choices of music for businesses D. strict control over any suspicious customer
   答案：C

5. What does the passage focus on?
   A. How professionals invented sound products. B. Inventions in the field of sound technology.
   C. The growing interest in the study of sound. D. How sound engineers work in their studios.
   答案：B