Do you often listen to music at loud volume? Over one billion young people are at risk of hearing loss because of listening to loud noise for long periods of time. Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volume is harmful to your hearing.
The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 dB(分贝) 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 ears. Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cell (听毛细胞) in our inner ears. These cells notice 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 realising it. Later, when you listen to it at the same volume in a quiet place, you might feel uncomfortable.
The “safe level” for most sound is below 80 dB for up to 40 hours a week. A level of 80 dB is roughly equal to the noise of a subway.
【小题1】What is the sound level of a rock concert?| A．About 80 dB. | B．About 85 dB. | C．About 100 dB. | D．About 110 dB. |
| A．The inner ears. | B．The brain. | C．The heart. | D．The eyes. |
| A．We feel comfortable when listening to loud music in a quiet place. |
| B．Most people are born with about 1, 600 hair cells in the inner ears. |
| C．It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 dB for 15 minutes. |
| D．Below 80 dB for up to 40 hours a week is the “safe level” for most sound. |
| A．Keep the Loud Volumes | B．Loud Noise Is Harmful to Hearing |
| C．The Risk of Listening to Music | D．Loud Noise Stops Ears from Working |
