Whenever I visited my grandfather Jack, he burst with questions. Each time I 1 , however, his face would settle into a puzzled expression. He'd leaned closer. My 2 grew louder and louder until I was practically shouting at him. Then he raised his hands, and 3 me away with a resigned sigh.
Jack loved company, and loved having long 4 . But by the time he turned 80, more than 70% of his 5 was gone. Jack spent thousands on medical-grade hearing aids. They were functional, but made all noises loud. The devices became even less 6 as his ears got worse and worse. Simple conversations were 7 in shouting matches and frustration. Phone calls were impossible, either.
When I visited him in the fall of 2022,18 a pair of earphones. The earphones had a new 9 that lets a mobile phone transmit audio from the microphone directly to compatible（兼容的）hearing aids working with an app. I put them in my grandfather's ears, 10 the app on my phone and spoke into it. Then I watched Jack no d his head in 11 . He understood my words! And when he responded 12 and in complete sentences, it felt like a 13 had closed. Both of us were excited. For the first time in years, Jack and I talked clearly.
These days, Jack and his new earphones are 14 . He's fa r less lonely. He can finally meet people again and 15 entire conversations, as long as they speak into his phone. He is smiling the biggest smile I have seen on his face in years.
