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Nigeria's largest city Lagos [declaration / declared] a car "Horn-Free Day" last week in an [attempt / effortless] to raise awareness of noise pollution. People are constantly [bombing / bombarded] with an endless [symphony / cacophony] of screeches, sirens and high-pitched honking from [impatient / impertinent] motorists. The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola told reporters that the extent of the noise from car horns was now [seriously / serious] enough to be a danger to people's [hearing / listening] . Talking about Horn-Free Day, he told reporters: "It is for our own [goodness / good] . It is for our own health. It is for our own life." The World Health Organization said high-decibel [noisy / noise] pollution was a critical health hazard that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and [high / height] blood pressure.

Governor Fashola [hoped / hoping] his city's roads would be a little [quieter / quieten] . He [contrasted / contracted] the constant honking in Lagos to the relative quiet of European roads. He said he recently spent ten days in Europe and, "did not [hear / listen] the sound of a horn while driving". He asked: "Can you [imaginary / imagine] that we can drive in Lagos without horns?" However, a Lagos blogger [defended / defensive] the use of the horn as part of the [city's / cities] culture. He said: "Honking is a beautiful trend in this part of the world, and it is a [trendy / trend] that every class of people in the country embraces." [Apart / Beside] from making other drivers aware of danger, he said people honk to greet friends and celebrate weddings and other happy [occasion / occasions] .