【英语时差8，16】洗手的重要性

 Don has some pretty disgusting information for Ya?l on this Moment of Science.   D: Today, it's time once again for another Gross¹ Fact of the Month.

Y: Uh oh! I hope no one's eating!

D: Okay, ready? In a recent study of people passing through major U.S. airports, it turned out that about thirty percent weren't washing their hands after using the bathroom.

Y: Phew! that wasn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be.

D: Well, think of the consequences. These people who don't wash their hands don't just keep them in their pockets. They walk around shaking other people's hands, holding babies, and handling food and doorknobs.

Y: Okay, so that it a little gross.

D: So basically, these folks are running around exposing the fastidious hand washers among us to infections that can range from the pesky common cold to SARS, which can be fatal. After all, many infections are transmitted through hand-to-hand contact.

Y: I see what you're getting at.

D: What's interesting is that people tend to exaggerate when they're asked about hand- washing. In surveys, ninety-five percent of people claim to wash their hands every time, when the actual observed percentage is much lower. So think about the fact that only around seventy-five percent of people claim to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing!

Y: The actual numbers there are much lower too, huh?

D: Probably. On the bright side, since the SARS outbreak in Toronto, hand-washing rates at the airport have been near to one hundred percent. So all it takes to get people scrubbing² diligently³ is a major epidemic⁴.

Y: You call that a bright side?

D: Well, the other alternative is education on the importance of washing hands. Now all we need is a catchy⁵ slogan. 

1 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

2 scrubbing   

v.用力擦洗，刷洗( scrub的现在分词 )；取消（原有安排）；对…不予考虑，取消；涤气

参考例句：

• I found him in the kitchen, scrubbing the floor. 我见他在厨房擦地板呢。
• Give them a thorough scrubbing and soaking in hot water. 好好洗洗，用热水烫一烫。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 catchy   

adj.易记住的，诡诈的，易使人上当的

参考例句：

• We need a new slogan.The old one's not catchy enough.我们需要新的口号，旧的不够吸引人。
• The chorus is very catchy to say the least.副歌部分很容易上口。