國軍轉任◆英文題庫下載題庫

        Take your ears on vacation. There is so much to delight the ears when you bother to open them. Take the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. A beautiful sight, yes—but an 11 experience if encountered solely with your eyes. When you whisper into the curved walls, your voice skims around the inside of the dome and is clearly audible to 12  on the opposite side. Of course, there is more to sound tourism than seeking out the most aesthetically pleasing sounds. Trigger a small, benign avalanche on the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert in California and you might hear the sand singing. The tumbling of the grains causes droning 13  like that made by a taxiing aircraft. This thrilling sound is remarkable for its rarity, not its aesthetic quality. 

        We are entering a golden age for sound tourism—one driven by consumer electronics. In the past there was no simple way for most of us to record what we heard, 14  it hard for people to share their aural experiences with others. This has changed as many of us carry around phones, tablets and cameras that can capture unique and beautiful sounds. Our ears play an immensely important role in 15  we perceive our environment. With better awareness of sonic wonders, we can start building a better-sounding world.