Scientists did a study and found out that people who play video games might hurt their ears if they play too loud for too long. They looked at information from lots of people and saw that gamers often play with the sound turned up higher than what is safe. This can lead to hearing problems that can’t be fixed. The scientists want to tell people who play games to be careful, just like people are careful with loud music and headphones.

There is a group called the World Health Organization that says how loud sounds can be without hurting our ears. They say adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems. But if the sound is louder, like 90 or 95, they should listen much less. Kids should listen even less than adults. The study found that the noise from video games can be louder than what is safe.

The people who did the study say we need to learn more, but they think we should teach gamers about these dangers now. A group that works with the gaming industry says it’s good to use headphones that don’t play too loud. They also say to keep your ears safe, you should turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones that keep out other noises when you’re in a loud place.

Original news source: Gamers at risk of irreversible hearing loss and tinnitus, study suggests (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of vocabulary words from the article. One student from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while their partner tries to guess the word. Set a time limit for each round, and then switch roles. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Set a timer for 5 minutes and ask the groups to read the article together. After the 5 minutes, reset the timer for 2 minutes and ask each group to write a summary of the article. Encourage them to focus on the main points and important details. When the time is up, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “Do you think video games can be harmful to our ears?” Give them a few minutes to think individually. Then, ask them to pair up with a partner and discuss their thoughts. After a few minutes, have each pair share their opinions with the class. Encourage them to support their answers with reasons from the article.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom, with one end representing “Strongly Agree” and the other end representing “Strongly Disagree.” Read out a statement related to the article, such as “Video games should come with a warning about potential hearing damage.” Ask the students to stand along the line according to their opinion, with those who strongly agree on one end and those who strongly disagree on the other. Give a few students the opportunity to explain their position to the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine what the future might be like for gamers in terms of their hearing. Will technology improve to protect their ears? Will there be stricter regulations? Will gamers become more aware of the risks? Have the students write down their predictions individually, and then share them with a partner. Afterward, ask a few students to share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did scientists find out about people who play video games too loudly for too long?
2. Why did the scientists look at information from lots of people who play video games?
3. What can happen to your ears if you play video games with the sound turned up too high?
4. Who says how loud sounds can be without hurting our ears?
5. How many hours a week can adults listen to sounds at 80 loudness without problems?
6. Should kids listen to sounds at the same loudness as adults?
7. What did the study find about the noise from video games?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Scientists did a study and found out that people who (1)______ video (2)______ might hurt their ears if they play too loud for too long. They looked at information from lots of people and saw that gamers often play with the sound turned up higher than what is safe. This can lead to hearing (3)______ that can’t be fixed. The scientists want to (4)______ people who play games to be careful, just like people are careful with loud music and headphones.

There is a group called the World Health Organization that says how loud (5)______ can be without hurting our (6)______. They say adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems. But if the sound is louder, like 90 or 95, they should (7)______ much less. Kids should listen even less than adults. The study (8)______ that the noise from video games can be louder than what is safe.

The people who did the study say we need to (9)______ more, but they think we should teach (10)______ about these dangers now. A group that works with the (11)______ industry says it’s good to use headphones that don’t play too (12)______. They also say to keep your ears safe, you should turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones that keep out other noises when you’re in a loud place.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a video game?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t hear well because you played video games too loud?
3. Do you like playing video games? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the study that says video games can hurt your ears?
5. How would you feel if you had to stop playing video games because it was hurting your ears?
6. Do you think it’s important to listen to sounds at a safe volume? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about using headphones that don’t play too loud?
8. How would you feel if you had to turn the volume down when playing video games?
9. Do you think it’s a good idea to take breaks while playing video games? Why or why not?
10. What do you think about using special headphones to block out other noises?
11. How would you feel if you had to be careful with the volume when playing video games, just like with loud music?
12. Do you think it’s important for gamers to learn about the dangers of playing video games too loud? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. study
2. information
3. gamers
4. safe
5. hearing
6. headphones
7. World Health Organization
8. adults
9. volume
10. breaks
11. industry
12. special

Meanings:
(A) The ability to know what sounds are around you
(B) All the businesses that make or sell the same kind of things
(C) Not dangerous; not likely to cause harm
(D) Facts or details about something
(E) Not like the usual; made for a specific reason
(F) Short times when you stop doing something to rest
(G) People who play games on computers or consoles
(H) How loud or quiet a sound is
(I) Grown-up people who are not kids
(J) When you try to learn something by looking at details
(K) A device you wear on your ears to listen to sounds
(L) A big group that helps keep people healthy all over the world
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did scientists find out about people who play video games?
(a) They might hurt their eyes if they play too close to the screen.
(b) They might hurt their fingers if they play too fast.
(c) They might hurt their ears if they play too loud for too long.
(d) They might hurt their legs if they sit for too long.

2. Why did scientists look at information from lots of people?
(a) To see if gamers play with the sound turned up too high.
(b) To see if gamers play for too long.
(c) To see if gamers play with their friends.
(d) To see if gamers play on weekends.

3. What can happen if gamers play with the sound turned up too high?
(a) They can have hearing problems that can’t be fixed.
(b) They can have problems with their eyesight.
(c) They can have problems with their memory.
(d) They can have problems with their balance.

4. What does the World Health Organization say about how loud sounds can be?
(a) Adults can listen to sounds at 100 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems.
(b) Adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 10 hours a week without problems.
(c) Adults can listen to sounds at 100 loudness for 10 hours a week without problems.
(d) Adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems.

5. How does the noise from video games compare to what is safe?
(a) It can be quieter than what is safe.
(b) It can be louder than what is safe.
(c) It is the same as what is safe.
(d) It is not mentioned in the article.

6. What do the people who did the study think we should do?
(a) Ban video games completely.
(b) Teach gamers about the dangers now.
(c) Ignore the dangers of playing video games.
(d) Wait until more studies are done.

7. What does the group that works with the gaming industry recommend to keep your ears safe?
(a) Use headphones that play very loud.
(b) Use headphones that don’t work.
(c) Use headphones that don’t play too loud.
(d) Don’t use headphones at all.

8. What are some ways to keep your ears safe while playing video games?
(a) Turn the volume up, play for long periods, and use regular headphones.
(b) Turn the volume down, play for long periods, and use special headphones.
(c) Turn the volume up, take breaks, and use regular headphones.
(d) Turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The study found that the noise from video games is always quieter than what is considered safe by the World Health Organization.
2. To keep their ears safe, gamers should use headphones that don’t play too loud, turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones that block out other noises in loud environments.
3. Scientists studied lots of people and found that gamers never play with the sound turned up higher than what is safe.
4. Gamers should be taught about the dangers of playing video games too loudly, according to the scientists.
5. Playing video games with the sound turned up too loud for a long time can hurt your ears.
6. According to the guidelines, adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for unlimited hours a week without problems.
7. The World Health Organization has guidelines for how loud sounds can be without hurting our ears.
8. Hearing problems caused by playing video games too loudly may be easily fixable.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did scientists find out about people who play video games?
2. Why is it important to be careful with the volume when playing video games?
3. What is the World Health Organization and what do they say about loud sounds?
4. How can video game players keep their ears safe?
5. What are some tips for using headphones to protect your ears while playing video games?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Scientists found out that people who play video games too loudly for too long can hurt their ears.
2. The scientists looked at information from lots of people who play video games to see how many of them play with the sound turned up higher than what is safe.
3. If you play video games with the sound turned up too high, it can lead to hearing problems that can’t be fixed.
4. The World Health Organization says how loud sounds can be without hurting our ears.
5. Adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems.
6. No, kids should listen to sounds at a lower loudness than adults.
7. The study found that the noise from video games can be louder than what is safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) play
(2) games
(3) problems
(4) tell
(5) sounds
(6) ears
(7) listen
(8) found
(9) learn
(10) gamers
(11) gaming
(12) loud
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. study
Answer: (J) When you try to learn something by looking at details

2. information
Answer: (D) Facts or details about something

3. gamers
Answer: (G) People who play games on computers or consoles

4. safe
Answer: (C) Not dangerous; not likely to cause harm

5. hearing
Answer: (A) The ability to know what sounds are around you

6. headphones
Answer: (K) A device you wear on your ears to listen to sounds

7. World Health Organization
Answer: (L) A big group that helps keep people healthy all over the world

8. adults
Answer: (I) Grown-up people who are not kids

9. volume
Answer: (H) How loud or quiet a sound is

10. breaks
Answer: (F) Short times when you stop doing something to rest

11. industry
Answer: (B) All the businesses that make or sell the same kind of things

12. special
Answer: (E) Not like the usual; made for a specific reason
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did scientists find out about people who play video games?
Answer: (c) They might hurt their ears if they play too loud for too long.

2. Why did scientists look at information from lots of people?
Answer: (a) To see if gamers play with the sound turned up too high.

3. What can happen if gamers play with the sound turned up too high?
Answer: (a) They can have hearing problems that can’t be fixed.

4. What does the World Health Organization say about how loud sounds can be?
Answer: (d) Adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for 40 hours a week without problems.

5. How does the noise from video games compare to what is safe?
Answer: (b) It can be louder than what is safe.

6. What do the people who did the study think we should do?
Answer: (b) Teach gamers about the dangers now.

7. What does the group that works with the gaming industry recommend to keep your ears safe?
Answer: (c) Use headphones that don’t play too loud.

8. What are some ways to keep your ears safe while playing video games?
Answer: (d) Turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The study found that the noise from video games is always quieter than what is considered safe by the World Health Organization. (Answer: False)
2. To keep their ears safe, gamers should use headphones that don’t play too loud, turn the volume down, take breaks, and use special headphones that block out other noises in loud environments. (Answer: True)
3. Scientists studied lots of people and found that gamers never play with the sound turned up higher than what is safe. (Answer: False)
4. Gamers should be taught about the dangers of playing video games too loudly, according to the scientists. (Answer: True)
5. Playing video games with the sound turned up too loud for a long time can hurt your ears. (Answer: True)
6. According to the guidelines, adults can listen to sounds at 80 loudness for unlimited hours a week without problems. (Answer: False)
7. The World Health Organization has guidelines for how loud sounds can be without hurting our ears. (Answer: True)
8. Hearing problems caused by playing video games too loudly may be easily fixable. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧