The Reading / Listening - Headphones - Level 0

More young people are wearing headphones. A report from the BBC suggests noise-cancelling earphones could cause hearing problems. The BBC interviewed ear doctors. The doctors said young people are having problems hearing sounds. They can hear sounds, but they're not sure where they are from.

A doctor said many young people are complaining about poor hearing. She said "There is a difference between hearing and listening," and that "listening skills are suffering". We need to hear many sounds so we can decide which ones are important. Headphones mean we can "forget" to hear important sounds.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Headphones - Level 1 Headphones - Level 2   or  Headphones - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o
  • https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/health/doctors-link-noise-canceling-headphones-to-rising-brain-condition/
  • https://www.ndtv.com/feature/are-noise-cancelling-headphones-causing-hearing-issues-in-young-people-report-reveals-7736886


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. young people are wearing
  2. A report
  3. earphones could cause hearing
  4. The BBC interviewed
  5. having problems
  6. They can hear
  7. they're not
  8. where they
  1. sure
  2. problems
  3. are from
  4. from the BBC
  5. sounds
  6. headphones
  7. hearing sounds
  8. ear doctors

Paragraph 2

  1. many young people are
  2. poor
  3. a difference between hearing
  4. listening skills are
  5. We need
  6. we can decide which
  7. Headphones mean we can
  8. hear important
  1. sounds
  2. and listening
  3. ones are important
  4. forget
  5. hearing
  6. to hear many sounds
  7. complaining
  8. suffering

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

More (1) ________________________________________________ wearing headphones. (2) ________________________________________________ the BBC suggests noise-cancelling earphones could (3) ________________________________________________. The BBC interviewed ear doctors. The doctors (4) ________________________________________________ are having (5) ________________________________________________. They can hear sounds, but they're (6) ________________________________________________ they are from.

A doctor (77) ________________________________________________ people are complaining (8) ________________________________________________. She said "There is a difference between (9) ________________________________________________," and that "listening skills are suffering". We (10) ________________________________________________ many sounds so we can (11) ________________________________________________ are important. Headphones mean we can "forget" (12) ________________________________________________ sounds.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Moreyoungpeoplearewearingheadphones.AreportfromtheBBCsugg
estsnoise-cancellingearphonescouldcausehearingproblems.TheB
BCinterviewedeardoctors.Thedoctorssaidyoungpeoplearehavingpr
oblemshearingsounds.Theycanhearsounds,butthey'renotsurewher
etheyarefrom.Adoctorsaidmanyyoungpeoplearecomplainingaboutp
oorhearing.Shesaid"Thereisadifferencebetweenhearingandlistenin
g,"andthat"listeningskillsaresuffering".Weneedtohearmanysounds
sowecandecidewhichonesareimportant.Headphonesmeanwecan"fo
rget"tohearimportantsounds.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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