News URL:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20071012/sc_livescience/discoveryhelpsexplainhowwehearwhispers;_ylt=AgndZcH5BM6VBTTvlMLrqJKs0NUE
Questions and Answers:
1. How do we hear different sounds?
The sound wave travels into our ear and stimulated the hair-like fibers inside. The fibers then produce electrical pulses for the brain to distinguish what the sound pitch is.
2.What is the name of the newly discovered tiny mechanism in our ear?
It is called tectorial membrane.
3. What is the function of the newly discovered tiny mechanism in our ear?
The tiny mechanism can produce a different kind of sound wave that bounces side to side which excites the hair cells and enhance it's sensitivity.
4. How can the new discovery help us?
It can be applied to the making of hearing aids and cochlea implants.
5. Do you agree that this a really helpful discovery?Why or why not?
Yes, I do agree this is a really helpful discovery. It helps the making of hearing aids improve and start to think and try a new way of making the equipment. I think this is a good change both for the equipment user and for the industry.
Words and Definitions:
1.probe: to examine something with a tool, especially in order to find something that is hidden.
2.cochelea: a twisted tube inside the inner ear which is the main organ of hearing
3.coil: a length of rope, hair or wire, arranged into a series of circles, one above the other.
4.glide: to fly by floating on air currents instead of using power from wings or an engine.
5.membrane: a thin piece of skin that covers or connects parts of a person's or animal's body.
6.vibrate: to shake slightly and quickly, or to cause something to do this, in a way that is felt rather than seen or heard.
7.stimulate: to cause part of the body to function.
8.hovering: to stand somewhere, especially near another person, eagerly or nervously waiting for their attention.
9.implication: the effect that an action or decision will have on something else in the future.
10.amplify: to make something louder.
Summary:
Recently, the researchers found that there are a small mechanism in the ear that helps us hear tiny little sounds like whisper. The article explained that we hear things because sound waves stimulated the hair-like fibers in our ears and it shoots out electrical pulses for the brain to determain what the sound pitch is. The newly found tiny mechanism, however, produce another kind of sound wave that bounces from side to side which excites the hair cells and enhance their sensitivity. The discovery explains how we can hear sounds that doesn't have a strong sound wave, such as whisper. Reserchers think that the discovery can be applied to the make of hearing aids, which can improve the sensitivity of recent models.
