耳塞式耳机会损害孩子的听力吗？

About 20% of children have permanent hearing loss caused mostly by exposure to loud noise， according to the Hearing Health Foundation. Still， “listening to music with earbuds is not a major cause of hearing loss，” says Dr Robert Dobie， a clinical professor of otolaryngology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Instead， other common exposures to loud noise are much more likely to hurt childrens ears， he says. “A lot more kids lose hearing from recreational shooting or hunting than from loud music，” Dobie says. Thats not to say earbuds are always safe. Playing music loudly—especially to block out background noise—can damage hearing. If children hear ringing in their ears when they pull out their buds， or if the world sounds a little muffled， thats a sure sign they need to turn down the volume. But as long as the buds stay at a reasonable volume， Dobie says， “theres not much evidence that they offer any unique risks.”

聽力健康基金会的数据显示，约有20%的儿童存在永久性听力丧失的问题，而这主要是因为暴露在噪音环境下引起的。尽管如此，“戴着耳机听音乐并不是听力丧失的主要原因。”圣安东尼奥得克萨斯大学健康科学中心耳鼻喉科的临床教授罗伯特·多比说。相反，他说其他常见的噪音更容易伤害孩子的耳朵。“因为娱乐射击或打猎丧失听力的孩子比因为大声听音乐丧失听力的孩子要多得多。”多比说道。但这并不是说耳机就百分百安全了。大声播放音乐——尤其是为了屏蔽环境噪音——会损害听力。如果孩子在取下耳机后出现耳鸣的情况，或觉得周围环境的声音听着有些模糊，就是明确的信号，表明需要调低音量了。但只要保持耳机的音量在合理的范围，“没有多少证据表明这样会带来任何特别严重的风险。”多比表示。

Word Study

permanent /'p??rm?n?nt/ adj.永久的;永恒的

clinical /'kl?n?kl/ adj. 临床的;冷淡的

recreational /'rekri'e???nl/ adj.娱乐的;消遣的

The town and its environments are inviting， with recreational attractions and art museums.

muffled /'m?fl/ adj.模糊不清的;沉闷的