This study investigates cultural differences in second language aural comprehension levels among Asians under the constraints of background noise. It is determined that noise is an important component of language proficiency, for it is found where most interactions take place. Students from Hong Kong, Seoul (Korea), Tokyo (Japan), and the South Pacific Islands participated in two noise tests--noise dictation and the Embedded Conversations Test--as well as written exams. Significant differences were found among the groups, and in comparison with other ESL tests, the noise tests were the most anxiety-producing for each group. However, the results contradict the hypothesis that urban Asians have an advantage over South Pacific islanders on language tests presented with background noise. The island students, from cultures characterized by strong oral traditions, tended to score higher on tests involving listening and speaking than on written tests, while the Hong Kong and Korean students scored higher on the written components. The findings suggest that for ESL program placement, the use of scores from a single test as assessment of overall English language ability could put some students at a disadvantage. (MSE/TR)