Read the following passage about Preserving Today's Soundscapes for Future Generations and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 23 to 30.
Sonic time capsules save today's sounds for future people. Scientists capture everyday sounds like streets, birds, and children playing in parks around the world. These recordings help us remember our world before changes. Cities are losing unique sounds as life becomes similar everywhere. Old machines, music, and natural sounds might disappear if not saved. Many important cultural sounds are already lost forever because nobody thought to record them when they still existed.
Sound collectors use microphones to record in different places. They visit forests, oceans, cities, and villages to capture soundscapes throughout different seasons and times of day. They store sounds in digital libraries for years. Museums have rooms for listening to past sounds. These experiences help people understand history in ways books cannot. Some researchers travel to remote locations to record indigenous languages and traditional ceremonies before they vanish from our collective memory.
Climate change is changing world sounds. Melting glaciers, endangered animals, and disappearing languages need saving before they're gone. Researchers believe future people will want to know how our world sounded. These capsules will be important records, like photographs. Scientists study how sounds affect human health. The sounds of nature can reduce stress and improve mental health, which makes preserving natural soundscapes even more important for future generations who may live in highly urbanized environments.
Community projects invite people to record daily sounds. Children learn to listen carefully to the world around them and identify sounds that matter to their community. Old people share recordings from their childhood. People feel emotions when listening to these collections. Artists create music using everyday recordings. These projects help communities protect special sounds for the future. Some cities now have sound preservation policies that protect unique acoustic environments just as they would protect historic buildings or natural landscapes from development.
The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to _________.
