The Reading / Listening - Cotton Buds - Level 5

Grandparents have told us for decades not to stick anything smaller than your elbow into our ears. Ear specialists in the USA, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, agree. They say that cleaning your ears with cotton buds (aka Q-tips) can cause long-lasting damage to your ears and hearing. Dr Jennifer Caudle 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, irritation in the canal, and can [make it easier to get] infections."

The Academy recommended that people think of earwax as an essential substance to keep our ears healthy. Dr Seth Schwartz said: "People…want to clean their ears because they believe earwax is an indication of uncleanliness. This misinformation leads to unsafe ear health habits." Our body produces earwax to do the essential job of cleaning the ears, stopping them from drying out, and helping them to sweat naturally. It also protects the ears against bacteria, bugs and dust. Cotton buds can push earwax further inside the ear and cause blockages.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cotton Buds - Level 4 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. Grandparents have told
  2. anything smaller
  3. Ear specialists
  4. cause long-
  5. cotton buds seem
  6. People want to stick
  7. they think it’s the right
  8. make it easier to
  1. in the USA
  2. thing to do
  3. lasting damage
  4. things in their ears
  5. get infections
  6. us for decades
  7. harmless
  8. than your elbow

Paragraph 2

  1. think of earwax as an essential
  2. cause
  3. they believe earwax is an indication
  4. unsafe ear health
  5. Our body produces
  6. stopping them
  7. It also protects the ears
  8. push earwax
  1. of uncleanliness
  2. against bacteria
  3. further inside the ear
  4. from drying out
  5. blockages
  6. habits
  7. earwax
  8. substance

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Grandparents (1) ___________________ decades not to stick anything smaller than your elbow (2) ___________________. Ear specialists in the USA, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, agree. They say that cleaning your ears with cotton buds (aka Q-tips) (3) __________________-lasting damage to your ears and hearing. Dr Jennifer Caudle said cotton buds (4) ___________________ can cause damage. She said: "People want to stick things in their ears and they think it’s (5) ___________________ to do, but [cotton buds] can cause holes in the eardrum, irritation in the canal, and can make (6) ___________________ infections."

The Academy recommended that people think of earwax (7) ___________________ substance to keep our ears healthy. Dr Seth Schwartz said: "People…want to (8) ___________________ because they believe earwax is (9) ___________________ uncleanliness. This misinformation leads to unsafe ear health habits." Our body produces earwax to do the (10) ___________________ cleaning the ears, stopping them from drying out, and helping them (11) ___________________. It also protects the ears against bacteria, bugs and dust. Cotton buds can push earwax further (12) ___________________ cause blockages.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Grandparentshavetoldusfordecadesnottostickanythingsmallerthan
yourelbowintoourears.EarspecialistsintheUSA,theAmericanAcadem
yofOtolaryngology,agree.Theysaythatcleaningyourearswithcottonb
uds(akaQ-tips)cancauselong-lastingdamagetoyourearsandheari
ng.DrJenniferCaudlesaidcottonbudsseemharmlessbutcancauseda
mage.Shesaid:"Peoplewanttostickthingsintheirearsandtheythinkit’
stherightthingtodo,but[cottonbuds]cancauseholesintheeardrum,irr
itationinthecanal,andcan[makeiteasiertoget]infections."TheAcade
myrecommendedthatpeoplethinkofearwaxasanessentialsubstancet
okeepourearshealthy.DrSethSchwartzsaid:"People…wanttocleanth
eirearsbecausetheybelieveearwaxisanindicationofuncleanliness.Thi
smisinformationleadstounsafeearhealthhabits."Ourbodyproducese
arwaxtodotheessentialjobofcleaningtheears,stoppingthemfromdryi
ngout,andhelpingthemtosweatnaturally.Italsoprotectstheearsagai
nstbacteria,bugsanddust.Cottonbudscanpushearwaxfurtherinsidet
heearandcauseblockages.

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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