1. How do you feel when someone is speaking loudly on the phone or talking aloud on public
transport?

I mean, I know that sometimes they have a good excuse. But personally, I find it really annoying. I don’t want to listen to a random person’s conversation313. People should be aware that they’re in a public space and respect everyone else by keeping their voice down. Plus, it’s actually kind of dangerous. If you speak really loudly on public transportation, someone might overhear314 private information and use it against you315.

2. Should people be banned from talking aloud in public places?

Well, I don’t think they should be banned from speaking loudly in public places. After all, it’s very rare to be perfectly quiet when you’re out and about. They definitely shouldn’t be raising their voices if they’re in public. But I don’t think it’s fair to ban them from talking at all. As long as they’re being respectful of others, it’s fine for people to talk out loud.

3. Do you prefer staying beside a person who is on the phone or two people who are talking?

I think I prefer being around two people who are talking. It’s kind of entertaining to hear another conversation. But if you’re around just one person on the phone, you won’t know the whole conversation. It’s definitely a lot more boring. Just last week, I was on the bus and two girls were talking in front of me. I ended up hearing about a big fight one of them had with her boyfriend. It was just like watching TV.

4. What are the side effects of making phone calls in a public place?

The first one that comes to mind is annoying other people. Not everyone is fine with hearing other conversations right in front of them316. Sometimes, they might get annoyed or even mad at you for talking on the phone, especially if you’re being really loud. Another side effect is that strangers could overhear private information and use it to scam you. You definitely want to steer clear of that situation317 .

5. Why do some people always break rules in public places?

Well, one reason is that they just don’t respect the people around them. If you don’t care about other people’s comfort318, then you don’t see anything wrong with littering or being really loud. It，s totally rude, but I guess some people just don’t care about being polite. Another reason could be that they just don’t know any better. Maybe they aren’t aware of the rules to begin with319 It’s hard to say.

313 listen to a random person’s conversation: 一耳朵不小心就听到别人的谈话
314 overhear:无意中听到
315 use it against you:用它来对付你、攻击你、利用你
316 right in front of them：就在他们面前
317 steer clear of that situation:避弁这种情况 _
318 care about other people’s comfort:顾及他人感受
319 to begin with： 一开始