Question

    Do you like music? Do you often listen to it at loud volumes? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to listening to loud noise for long periods of time, WHO said. Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing.

The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 decibels for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB.

Loud noise is harmful to the inner ear. Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cells in our inner ears. These cells detect sounds. However, listening to loud noise for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die. This is what causes hearing loss.

Some people might think that their music isn’t all that loud. But this can depend on where you are. For example, if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it. Later, when you listen to it at the same volume in a quiet place, you might feel uncomfortable.

WHO said the “safe level” for most sound is below 80 decibels for up to 40 hours a week. A level of 80 decibels is nearly the same as the noise of a subway.

Word Bank:

decibel n. (dB 分贝) inner ear 内耳detect vt. 探测

1.According to the story, WHO suggests that it is NOT safe to _____.

A.listen to music every day B.watch TV for over an hour

C.listen to loud sounds for a long time D.go to a rock concert

2.The sound level of a busy road is about _____.

A.80 dB B.85 dB C.100 dB D.115 Db

3.Why can listening to loud music cause hearing problems?

A.Because it puts our brains under great pressure.

B.Because it can cause hair cells in the inner ear to die.

C.Because it prevents our ears from resting.

D.Because it allows people to get used to listening to loud sounds.

4.What does the fifth paragraph tell us?

A.People love to listen to loud music.

B.It’s reasonable to listen to loud music in some places.

C.People are likely to listen to music on the subway.

D.People don’t always realize how loud their music is.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文主要讲述了听大量音乐的习惯对听力有害。世界卫生组织称，超过10亿的年轻人在听力方面存在问题，因为他们长时间大声聆听。联合国有安全聆听标准，听八十小时大于85分贝或15分钟大声100分钟的声音是不安全的。长时间聆听大声的声音可能会使听力细胞工作太猛，并使其中一些细胞死亡。这就是人们听力损失的原因。

1.细节理解题。根据“Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing.”可知大声听音乐或看电视节目会损害你的听力。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据“The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB…”可知繁忙道路的声音约为85分贝。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据“However, listening to loud noise for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die.”可知长时间听太大的噪音会使这些细胞工作过度，会导致一些细胞死亡。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据“…if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it.”如果你在像地铁这样嘈杂的地方，你可能会把音乐开得太大而没有意识到。可知人们并不总是意识到他们的音乐声音有多大。故选D。