The Reading / Listening - Cotton Buds - Level 4

Grandparents tell us not to stick anything smaller than our elbow into our ears. Ear specialists in the USA now agree. They say that cleaning your ears with cotton buds can cause damage to your ears and hearing. A doctor said cotton buds seem harmless but can cause damage. She said: "People want to stick things in their ears and they think it’s the right thing to do, but [cotton buds] can cause holes in the eardrum and [make it easier to get] infections."

The doctors said earwax is an important substance to keep our ears healthy. Many people believe earwax is a sign of being dirty. This is wrong and leads to unsafe ear-cleaning habits. Our body produces earwax to do the important job of cleaning the ears, stopping them from drying out, and helping them to sweat. It also protects the ears against bacteria, bugs and dust. Cotton buds can push earwax inside the ear and cause blockages and damage.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cotton Buds - Level 5 or  Cotton Buds - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/stop-messing-with-your-ears-231408120.html
  • http://gizmodo.com/doctors-seriously-stop-sticking-q-tips-in-your-ears-1790710578
  • http://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-why-it-s-a-bad-idea-to-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-buds


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. anything smaller
  2. Ear specialists in the USA
  3. cause damage to your ears
  4. cotton buds seem
  5. People want to stick
  6. they think it’s the right thing
  7. cause holes in the
  8. make it easier to get
  1. to do
  2. than our elbow
  3. now agree
  4. infections
  5. and hearing
  6. eardrum
  7. harmless
  8. things in their ears

Paragraph 2

  1. earwax is an important
  2. keep our ears
  3. earwax is a sign
  4. This is wrong and leads to unsafe
  5. Our body
  6. stopping them from
  7. It also protects the ears
  8. cause
  1. produces earwax
  2. ear-cleaning habits
  3. blockages and damage
  4. of being dirty
  5. against bacteria
  6. substance
  7. drying out
  8. healthy

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Grandparents (1) ___________________ stick anything smaller than our elbow into our ears. Ear (2) ___________________ the USA now agree. They say that cleaning your ears with cotton buds (3) __________________ to your ears and hearing. A doctor said cotton buds seem harmless but can cause damage. She said: "People (4) ___________________ things in their ears and they think (5) ___________________ to do, but [cotton buds] can cause holes in the eardrum and (6) ___________________ to get infections."

The doctors said earwax (7) ___________________ substance to keep our ears healthy. Many people believe earwax (8) ___________________ being dirty. This is wrong and (9) ___________________ ear-cleaning habits. Our body produces earwax to do the important job of cleaning the ears, stopping them (10) ___________________, and helping them to sweat. It also protects the ears against bacteria, (11) ___________________. Cotton buds can push earwax inside the (12) ___________________ blockages and damage.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Grandparentstellusnottostickanythingsmallerthanourelbowintoour
ears.EarspecialistsintheUSAnowagree.Theysaythatcleaningyourear
swithcottonbudscancausedamagetoyourearsandhearing.Adoctorsa
idcottonbudsseemharmlessbutcancausedamage.Shesaid:"Peoplew
anttostickthingsintheirearsandtheythinkit’stherightthingtodo,but[c
ottonbuds]cancauseholesintheeardrumand[makeiteasiertoget]infe
ctions."Thedoctorssaidearwaxisanimportantsubstancetokeepourea
rshealthy.Manypeoplebelieveearwaxisasignofbeingdirty.Thisiswron
gandleadstounsafeear-cleaninghabits.Ourbodyproducesearwaxtod
otheimportantjobofcleaningtheears,stoppingthemfromdryingout,a
ndhelpingthemtosweat.Italsoprotectstheearsagainstbacteria,bugs
anddust.Cottonbudscanpushearwaxinsidetheearandcauseblockage
sanddamage.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You