英语课程计划-World Toilet Day（在线收听）

November the 19th is World Toilet Day (WTD). This day celebrates the importance of something we never really think about too much – the toilet. Imagine life without one. There are many world issues regarding toilets. WTD is a global day of action to raise awareness of the fact that millions of people have no clean toilet. This creates serious health problems in many countries. No toilets or sewage systems means human waste is in the streets. This gets into the water supply and affects crops. WTD is run by the World Toilet Organization. This is a worldwide non-profit group that aims to increase the number of toilets in poor countries. It has a global network of over 200 different organizations in 56 countries.

Toilets have been around for thousands of years. The first known toilets and sewage systems were in the Indus Valley, in India and Pakistan. The modern flush toilet dates back to the sixteenth century. It was designed by an Englishman called John Harrington in 1596. It took another 250 years for his invention to become popular. In the late nineteenth century, rich Londoners installed them in their houses. Toilet design stayed the same for the next three hundred years. Modern technology is now changing the toilet. Japanese makers are making “smart” toilets that can analyze our waste and give us a report on our health. These may help keep all of us healthier in the future by checking our blood pressure and blood sugar levels.