要想与邻居和谐相处并不容易。住在他人的隔壁，很可能会因大大小小的事情而起争执，最常见的问题有宠物叫声、装修噪音、垃圾堆放、停车纠纷等。本期 “随身英语” 节目聊一聊可能造成邻里纠纷的种种因素。

词汇：neighbours 邻居

Do you know the names of the people who live next door? Chances are you live next to someone, but do you actually know them? Sadly, the only time we do seem to hear about people’s neighbours is when things go wrong – hearing people say things like they have the neighbours from hell! So, what does go wrong?

你知道住在隔壁的人的名字吗?有可能你住在某人的隔壁，但你真的认识他们吗?可悲的是，我们似乎只有在事情出了问题的时候才会听到人们谈论邻居——听到人们说他们的邻居来自地狱!那么，哪里出了问题?

When talking about famous feuds with people who live in proximity, you only need to think of the Montagues and Capulets in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Thankfully, most real-life quarrels don’t go that far. These days, especially in cities, many people live in condominiums, tightly packed into apartment blocks. Our neighbours are all around us – so what issues can come from that?

当谈到与邻居的著名不和时，你只需要想想莎士比亚的《罗密欧与朱丽叶》中的蒙太古家族和凯普莱特家族。值得庆幸的是，大多数现实生活中的争吵都不会走到那一步。如今，尤其是在城市里，许多人住在公寓里，紧紧挤在公寓楼里。我们的邻居都在我们周围——那么这会产生什么问题呢?

The first obvious cause of dispute is noise pollution. Loud bass pumping through the walls, construction, or people arguing next door can disrupt the harmony of your living space. Asking someone directly to turn the music down can cause you to feel anxious. However, getting someone like a building manager involved to speak to your neighbour and making complaints official can make things more awkward down the line as you didn’t speak to your neighbour directly.

争论的第一个明显原因是噪音污染。墙壁、建筑或隔壁争吵的嘈杂低音会破坏你生活空间的和谐。直接让别人把音乐关小会让你感到焦虑。然而，让像建筑管理员这样的人来和你的邻居交谈，并正式投诉，可能会让事情变得更加尴尬，因为你没有直接和你的邻居交谈。

And then what about smells? If your neighbour likes eating especially pungent food, something that offends your nostrils, and that smell drifts through your window, what can you do? Some other common issues include water leaking through the ceiling, pets making noise, and littering from the balcony above you.

那么气味呢?如果你的邻居喜欢吃特别刺鼻的食物，这种气味会飘进你的窗户，你该怎么办?其他一些常见的问题包括天花板漏水、宠物发出噪音、阳台上乱扔垃圾。

And then, if you’re lucky enough to own a garden, that can present even more issues to fight with your neighbour about! This could include hedges and fences that are too high, balls and toys invading your garden or hitting your windows, and boundary disputes over where your neighbours’ land ends. All these can create animosity over time.

然后，如果你足够幸运拥有一个花园，这可能会带来更多的问题与你的邻居争吵!这可能包括树篱和栅栏太高，球和玩具侵入你的花园或撞到你的窗户，以及你邻居土地尽头的边界纠纷。随着时间的推移，所有这些都会产生敌意。

It’s not easy living next door to someone, especially if they’re noisy. But having a clear and honest line of dialogue might help. Also, try considering if the things you are doing could upset your neighbours. If it’s something that would upset you, maybe think again.

住在别人隔壁并不容易，尤其是当他们很吵的时候。但有一个清晰和诚实的对话路线可能会有所帮助。此外，试着考虑一下你正在做的事情是否会让你的邻居不高兴。如果这件事会让你不高兴，也许再考虑一下。

词汇表

next door 隔壁
neighbour from hell 非常糟糕的邻居
feud 争吵不休，长期不和
proximity 邻近
quarrel 争吵
condominium 公寓住房
apartment block 公寓楼
dispute 纠纷
noise pollution 噪音污染
bass 低音
argue 争吵
harmony 和谐，融洽
living space 生活空间
building manager 物业经理
hedge 树篱
fence 围栏，篱笆
boundary 分界，此处指两家之间的界线
animosity 敌意，憎恶
dialogue 对话

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Which famous piece of literature is given as example of a family feud?

2. What examples of noise pollution are given?

3. What might getting a building manager involved in a problem cause?

4. What is the problem with pungent food?

5. What issues can arise if you have a garden?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. They are really disrupting the _______ of the neighbourhood.

feud                             harmony                  fence                       boundary

2. This situation is getting worse and creating real _______ between us.

bass                             fence                       proximity                 animosity

3. Can you hear the _______ coming from that stereo? It’s shaking the walls!

condominium               argue                       bass                       fence

4. Can you please cut your _______? It’s growing on my side of the boundary!

quarrel                         hedge                      dispute                    animosity

5. We have a long-standing _______ with our neighbours. Things have been bad for years.

fence                           bass                         feud                        condominium

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Which famous piece of literature is given as example of a family feud?
The Montagues and Capulets in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

2. What examples of noise pollution are given?
Loud bass, construction, noise from pets or people arguing next door can disrupt the harmony of your living space.

3. What might getting a building manager involved in a problem cause?
Getting a building manager involved can make things more awkward down the line as you didn’t speak to your neighbour directly.

4. What is the problem with pungent food?
The smell may drift in through your window, but you can’t just ask someone to stop eating.

5. What issues can arise if you have a garden?
Hedges and fences that are too high, balls and toys invading your garden or hitting your windows and boundary disputes over where your neighbours’ land ends.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. They are really disrupting the harmony of the neighbourhood.

2. This situation is getting worse and creating real animosity between us.

3. Can you hear the bass coming from that stereo? It’s shaking the walls!

4. Can you please cut your hedge? It’s growing on my side of the boundary!

5. We have a long-standing feud with our neighbours. Things have been bad for years.

文章来源BBC侵权删。