南非球迷长喇叭助威 专家提醒有损听力

Football fans attending the World Cup risk permanent damage to their hearing from the vuvuzela horns which are the must-have accessory at the tournament in South Africa, a study said Monday.

The din emitting from the tuneless plastic horns is louder than that from a drum or a chainsaw, according to the survey by hearing aid manufacturer Phonak.

It said tests had shown the sound emitted by a vuvuzela was the equivalent to 127 decibels. The sound from a drum was put at 122 decibels while the sound from a referee's whistle registered 121.8 decibels.

"Extended exposure at just 85 decibels puts us at a risk of permanent noise-induced hearing loss," Phonak said in a statement on the SAPA news agency.

"When subjected to 100 decibels or more, hearing damage can occur in just 15 minutes."

While the horns have gone down a storm among South African supporters, players from rival teams have been less enthusiastic.

Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso has called for it to be banned as it impedes players' concentration but FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has defended it as a part of South African football culture.

本周一公布的一项研究称，南非世界杯上球迷必备的一种名叫“巫巫祖拉”的加油工具可能会对人的听力产生永久性损伤。

这项由助听器制造商峰力集团开展的研究发现，这种塑料喇叭发出的嘈杂声响远高于锣鼓或电锯发出的响声。

研究称，有试验显示“巫巫祖拉”发出的响声高达127分贝。而锣鼓发出的响声为122分贝，裁判的哨声为121.8分贝。

峰力集团在通过南非新闻通讯社发表的一项声明中说：“长时间地处于85分贝的噪音环境就可能会导致噪音引发的永久性的听力丧失。”

“100分贝或100分贝以上的声音在15分钟内就会对听力造成损害。”

尽管“巫巫祖拉”受到南非本土球迷的欢迎，但其它国家的球员则并不支持它的使用。

西班牙中场球员哈维．阿隆索呼吁禁用这种喇叭，因为它会分散球员的注意力，但国际足联主席塞普．布拉特则辩解称“巫巫祖拉”是南非足球文化的一部分。

Vocabulary:

hearing aid: a small device that fits inside the ear and makes sounds louder, used by people who cannot hear well 助听器

decibel: a unit for measuring how loud a sound is 分贝（声音强度的单位）

referee: the official who controls the game in some sports, such as football, basketball and boxing 裁判；裁判员

go down a storm:受到热烈欢迎