要想與鄰居和諧相處并不容易。住在他人的隔壁，很可能會因大大小小的事情而起爭執，最常見的問題有寵物叫聲、裝修噪音、垃圾堆放、停車糾紛等。本期 “隨身英語” 節目聊一聊可能造成鄰里糾紛的種種因素。

詞匯：neighbours 鄰居

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

詞匯表

next door 隔壁
neighbour from hell 非常糟糕的鄰居
feud 爭吵不休，長期不和
proximity 鄰近
quarrel 爭吵
condominium 公寓住房
apartment block 公寓樓
dispute 糾紛
noise pollution 噪音污染
bass 低音
argue 爭吵
harmony 和諧，融洽
living space 生活空間
building manager 物業經理
hedge 樹籬
fence 圍欄，籬笆
boundary 分界，此處指兩家之間的界線
animosity 敵意，憎惡
dialogue 對話

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

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.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

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.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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.