Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. scroll
    • ex. He scrolled down the webpage until he found the information he needed.
  2. a tendon
    • ex. Mary rested her arm because the tendon in her wrist was sore.
  3. a joint
    • ex. My finger joint hurts after I typed on the computer all day.
  4. stiffness
    • ex. I felt stiffness in my neck after sitting at my desk for a long time.
  5. gently
    • ex. The doctor gently moved my arm to check for pain.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Do your hands hurt when you text or scroll on your phone? Many people feel pain in their hands because they use heavy smartphones for a long time. Typing and touching the screen for hours can hurt a tendon and cause pain in each finger joint. Common signs include stiffness and a clicking feeling when you bend your thumb.

To avoid hand injuries, experts say you should change your posture while using your phone. Holding your wrists in the same position for too long can make the pain worse. You can change hands, use a different finger for scrolling, or use your phone’s voice-to-text feature. Taking short breaks from your screen is also a great way to rest your hands.

Simple hand exercises every day can help reduce pain too. Doctors say you can make small circles with your thumbs or stretch your wrists slowly. You can also put your hand flat on a table and gently move your thumb away from your other fingers. If your pain does not go away after taking breaks, you should visit a doctor.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Texting, Typing, and Using Smartphones

  • Describe the amount of time you spend texting, typing, and using your smartphone. Discuss.
  • Why do you think most people use their smartphones too much? Discuss.
  • Have you tried using the other features of your phone for sending messages (ex. voice-to-text feature, voice message feature)? Why or why not? Discuss.

Hands and Hand Exercises

  • Talk about a situation when you felt pain or tiredness in your hands. Discuss.
  • Do you do any hand exercises every day? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What hand care habits do you think people should learn (ex. stretching your hands, using a different finger for scrolling)? Discuss.