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Hard of Hearing

Hard of Hearing

Date: Apr 02 2007

Themes: Music, Tech

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

White cords seem to be coming out of the ears of most young people these days. Just about everyone has an iPod or some sort of mp3 player. With portable music, anything we do has a soundtrack—walking downtown, doing homework, falling asleep.

But recently, scientists have been studying the causes of hearing loss. Some of them have concluded that listening to music with headphones can cause as much damage to the ears as a loud concert.

They also say that earbuds cause more damage than other types of headphones. But earbuds are so convenient and even fashionable these days.

Listen to Mason and Marni talk about hearing loss.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Marni

Marni

Mason:  I’ve been taking the bus a little bit more lately.

Marni:  I take the bus a lot myself.

Mason:  I see a lot of people with the headphones on.

Marni:  Mm hm.

Mason:  It’s kinda the thing.

Marni:  I think it’s to isolate themselves from the other people on the bus.

Mason:  Very… It’s a very good tactic. But I gotta wonder: Are there gonna be, uh, long-term repercussions?

Marni:  Absolutely.

Mason:  Yeah?

Marni:  Absolutely. I rarely listen to my music on headphones.

Mason:  Mm hm.

Marni:  Because I’m so paranoid about hearing loss.

Mason:  Really?

Marni:  Yeah. I…

Mason:  I, I generally take earplugs to concerts and stuff like that.

Marni:  I wear earplugs when I vacuum.

Mason:  When you vacuum.

Marni:  When I vacuum.

Mason:  Uh…

Marni:  It’s true. I just figure, you know, why waste… because…

Mason:  Is it… Does it get up into harmful levels?

Marni:  Absolutely. I was reading this article actually…

Mason:  Really?

Marni:  ... in Newsweek about how this generation is gonna be so prone to hearing loss because of all the headphones we wear and I thought… and it actually rated, like, all the household appliances and the amount of, you know, decibels it puts out and vacuuming was actually a big one, so I figured why waste my precious hearing…

Mason:  Your precious ear hairs. Isn’t that what it is? It’s like little hairs…

Marni:  Little hairs. Yeah. Exactly.

Mason:  That weirds me out.

Marni:  Yeah.

 

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Discussion

Mason has noticed a lot of folks using headphones lately.

Marni thinks headphones keep people from interacting in public.

Marni believes what the scientists are saying about headphones and hearing loss. She takes precautions to protect her ears—even when she’s vacuuming! (Vacuum is a verb that means to use a vacuum cleaner.)

Do you use headphones?

 

Comments

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Sandara_Dada

Thailand

I always put my headphone on when I’m in everywhere. (except in working time)


I mean when I take the bus , When I walking home , before bed time and even when i use the toilet. 


sounds crazy but after ,I have read above article , it make me wanna throw away my haedphone !


06:58 AM Dec 22 2013 |

vicmay_lo-flo@live.com.mx

Mexico

Tongue outinterestIng.

09:44 PM Jun 05 2012 |

Maissoon

Maissoon

Syrian Arab Republic

I use headphones rarely; I have to protect my ears from hearing loss. Tongue out

10:49 AM Mar 02 2012 |

Murun

Mongolia

i love using headphones and earbud


 

05:54 AM May 22 2011 |

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China

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05:14 PM Sep 02 2010 |

Amar pandey

India

Technology does not bring only benefits only. It has it's disadvantage too. what we need to do, is avoid too much use of headphones. there should be balance in use of these type of technology so that it does not affect our health.

08:35 AM Jan 20 2010 |

hotchap17

hotchap17

India

cool

11:16 AM Apr 28 2007 |

公保扎西

China

我是一名高中生``在现在的课本里有大量的四六级单词~!这让我很头痛不知道该怎么办``
我本身英语就不是很好`老在单词这一方面失分,这让我很头痛``
我还有一年半就要高考了,我希望在高考时我英语能有很大的提高,所以我在这里向大家请教,各位谁有好的记单词方法就请告诉我``在这里我先谢谢大家了。希望大家能够帮助我```
如果大家有什么好的题型我也希望大家能过告诉我````
l love you?

11:47 AM Apr 23 2007 |

victor25

victor25

Moldova, Republic Of

Common… Headphones can cause the hard of hearing just in case if you listen too loud, otherwise no danger from it.

05:54 AM Apr 04 2007 |

Parisian

United States

this was a little slower than ‘cell phone interruption’, but you guys speak entirely too fast for beginners and even early intermediate learners. lots of good slang and phrasa verbs, though. Good contemporary subject matter too.

06:43 PM Apr 02 2007 |

sibolga

sibolga

Indonesia

Vacuum can be “Being Loneliness”

06:06 PM Apr 02 2007 |

Jolan

Jolan

China

What is the class about?

02:48 PM Apr 02 2007 |

ShiningMoon

Germany

There isn’t much content, isn’t it …

12:32 PM Apr 02 2007 |

rohini23

rohini23

India

that is the empty

11:19 AM Apr 02 2007 |

ayenk

ayenk

Indonesia

cleaning with the vacuum..I do vacuuming every day, without my earplugs, I am not worry about damage my ears because i still have a good hearing.

11:18 AM Apr 02 2007 |

cnytqw

cnytqw

China

“and it actually rated”,what does it mean?

09:13 AM Apr 02 2007 |

icingblue813

China

vacuuming here means cleaning sth.with vaccum cleaner.I like using headphones,and I never worry its long-term repercussion,maybe just because I have a good hearing now.I pay much attention on my eyes,’cause I have poor sight for myopia.I think I should begin to take a good care of my hearing before I lose it!

08:27 AM Apr 02 2007 |

reverned

Bulgaria

to vacuum means to clean with a vacuum cleaner…

08:05 AM Apr 02 2007 |

abdeeq

abdeeq

Somalia

Vacuum is No artist works in a vacuum – we are all of us influenced by others.

07:29 AM Apr 02 2007 |

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