Cause and Effect. Cause is defined as a condition or an action that brings about a particular result. Effect is a result of a particular action, or cause. In a cause and effect essay or article, the writer presents one or more causes followed by one or more effects. In some cases, the effects are presented before the causes are revealed. In this selection, the article discusses hearing loss and the events that lead up to it. As you read, find one cause and effect relationship in the article.
Statistics. Statistics are numerical facts or data. You most commonly see statistics in sporting events. Batting averages, free throw percentages, and win-loss ratios are all examples of statistics that athletes and spectators use to keep track of how well the athletes are performing. Your grade point average (GPA) is also a statistic. In this magazine article, find two instances where the journalist uses statistics to emphasize the point he wants to make.
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• Science Connection. Sound is produced when air is disturbed by a vibrating object. For example, in a bass speaker, the air immediately in the front of the speaker is compressed, causing a slight increase in air pressure. It then moves back past its resting position and causes a reduction in air pressure. This process continues so that a wave of alternating high and low pressure is radiated away from the speaker, resulting in the production of sound. Sound is measured by decibels.
• Biology Connection. The ear is made up of three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The outer ear is comprised of the auricle, or pinna (cartilage part of the ear), the ear canal, and the outer layer of the eardrum. Sound enters the ear canal. At the eardrum, sound energy (change in air pressure) is transformed into eardrum movement. The middle ear serves as a transformer, concentrating the sound energy of the air in the ear canal. In this process, the hammer, which is attached to the eardrum, receives vibrations from the eardrum, passes them to the anvil, which then moves the stirrup. The inner ear is where the last energy transformation occurs. A ribbon-like structure, the basilar membrane, holds the spiral-shaped organ of Corti. Thousands of hairlike projections on the organ of Corti receive the sound vibrations from the middle ear and send them to the brain, where they are recognized and interpreted as specific sounds.
How important is your hearing? your sight? your other senses?
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