任务型阅读（共两节，满分35分）
All That noise is damaging Children’s
Hearing
Michel become hooked on headphones in his
early teens. He walked in the streets of Brooklyn day after day with his
favorite music blasting directly into his ears. By his early 20s, Michel had
lost much of his upper-range hearing.
The Children’s Hearing Institute reports
that hearing loss among children and young adults is rising in the United
States, and that one third of the damage is caused by noise.
Surrounded By Noise
We live in a noisy world. Young and old
alike are beset by sounds over which we may have little or no control: power
mowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, cars and house alarms, sirens, motorcycles,
Jet Skis, loudspeakers, even movie previews.
We attend rock concerts, weddings, parties
and sports events at which the music is so loud you can hardly hear the person
sitting next to you. At home, televisions, stereos and computer games are often
turned up so loud that listeners can not hear a doorbell or telephone. Many
“modern ” restaurants have chosen noise enhancement instead of abatement(减轻). Any time you need to shout
to be heard by someone near you, your hearing is most likely to be in a
decibel(分贝) danger
zone.
As if environmental noise were not enough,
now we surround children with noisy toys and personal listening devices that
can permanently damage their hearing. Toys that meet the safety standards of
the American Society for Testing and Materials can produce sound up to 138
decibels, as loud as a jet plane taking off. Yet workplace rules require
hearing protection for those exposed to noise above 85 decibels.
Protecting Young Ears
Before buying noisemaking toys, parents
would do well to listen to how loud they are. If the toy comes with a volume
control, monitor its use to make sure it is kept near the lowest level.
Consider returning gifts that make loud noises, disable the noise-making
function. Or limit the use of noisy toys to outside play areas.
Children who play computer games and stereo
equipment should be warned to keep the volume down. Time spent in video
arcades, where the noise level can be over 110 decibels, should be strictly
limited. Most iPods have a control that allow parents to set a maximum volume.
Don’t take children to loud action movies.
If you do go and the sound seems deafening, ask the manager to turn down the
volume or insist on you money back. Children who play in bands and teenagers
who use power tools, gardening equipment or guns should be made to wear hearing
protection, available at sporting goods stores.
The League for the Hard of Hearing urges
parents to encourage participation in quiet activities, like reading, watching
family-oriented films, doing puzzles, making thins with construction toys,
playing educational computer games, drawing and painting, and visiting
librarians and museums.
All That noise is damaging Children’s
Hearing
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Introduction
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A boy lost much of his hearing due to
being ___71___ to headphones.
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|
Problem
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More and more children have suffered from
hearing ___72___ loss.
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Causes of the
problems
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★___73___
noise from:
a) power mowers, leaf blowers, snow
blowers, and etc.
b) the music at rock concerts, weddings,
parties and sports events which ___74___ us hearing someone nearby;
c) televisions, stereos and computer
games ___75___ than doorbells or telephones
d) “modern ” restaurants
★Noise
from:
toys and listening devices which cause
___76___ damage to hearing.
|
|
___77___ to
the problem
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★Monitor
the volume of toys
★___78___
gifts making loud noise
★Limit
children's time spent in video arcades
★___79___
taking children to loud action movies
★Make
children wear hearing protection when around loud noise
★Encourage
children to ___80___ in quiet activities
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