保持良好的個人衛生非常重要，洗澡則是清潔身體的最佳方式之一。不過，多久洗一次澡最合適？熱水澡和冷水澡哪個更好？洗澡對健康有哪些好處？本期 “隨身英語” 節目圍繞洗澡這件日常必做之事展開討論。

詞匯：personal hygiene 個人衛生

Bath or shower? How do you prefer to keep yourself clean? Whatever your daily ablutions, we know it’s important to have good personal hygiene. Nobody wants to smell, and nobody wants to catch your odour! A shower can bring you certain other benefits, but how often should we wash ourselves under a watery spray?

Although you might think taking a daily shower should be part of your cleaning ritual, there’s no hard and fast rule, although dermatologists agree that as a society, we shower too often. In fact, too much washing can deplete the vital oils in our skin. It can waste water as well. However, if you have a fitness regime that causes you to sweat, a more regular sprinkle of water is recommended to stop you ponging!

How often you shower is, of course, a personal choice. There’s nothing better than a hot, soapy scrub under the shower, and this doesn’t just have to be to clean yourself. Some people enjoy a shower to help them relax, warm up or to soothe any aches and pains. It’s also a good opportunity to wash your hair at the same time. Again, though, experts say we shouldn’t shower too often because, like your skin, your hair contains essential oils that you don’t want to lose through excessive scrubbing.

If the idea of a hot, steaming shower appeals, how about a freezing cold one instead? This might be a necessity if your boiler has broken, but some people choose this option because it has many health benefits, some experts claim. There is increasing evidence that braving an icy shower in the morning could keep illness at bay and may even help your brain stay sharp. A BBC podcast called Just One Thing with Michael Mosley, found the shock of being doused with cold water could have a positive impact on your body and brain.

The thought of a cold shower might not make you jump out of bed in the morning, but whatever the temperature, a splash of water will wake you up and make you feel and smell great!

詞匯表

bath 泡澡
shower 淋浴
ablutions （幽默說法）沐浴
personal hygiene 個人衛生
odour （難聞的）氣味
wash 洗（澡）
ritual 必做之事，慣例
dermatologist 皮膚科醫生
deplete 消耗
vital oil 必不可少的油分
fitness regime 健身計劃
sweat 出汗
pong 散發難聞的氣味
soapy 涂滿肥皂的
aches and pains 身體疼痛
scrub 擦洗
steaming 熱氣騰騰的
freezing cold 寒冷徹骨的
health benefit 健康效益，有益健康
brave 勇敢地做
keep something at bay 預防，防止（不快的事情發生）
douse 潑，濺

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What might help to keep your brain sharp?

2. When might it be a good idea to shower more regularly?

3. Other than getting clean, what other reasons are there for having a shower?

4. True or false? Experts say you should take a shower every day.

5. Why shouldn’t we wash our hair too often?

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. Buying a coffee on the way to work is part of my morning _______.

ablution                        ritual                    odour                       deplete

2. After much _______, I managed to get the paint off my trousers.

ponging                        dousing                scrubbing                braving

3. I’m hoping a cup of honey and lemon will help keep my cold _______.

in bay                           at bay                   at bays                    on bay

4. The firefighter _______ the flames with water.

depleted                       washed                 steamed                  doused

5. Even though the sea was _______, we had a refreshing swim.

freezing cold                 freeze cold            cold freeze              frozen cold

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。 

1. What might help to keep your brain sharp?
Having a cold shower is thought to help keep your brain sharp.

2. When might it be a good idea to shower more regularly?
If you have a fitness regime and sweat a lot.

3. Other than getting clean, what other reasons are there for having a shower?
Some people enjoy a shower to help them relax, warm up or to soothe any aches and pains.

4. True or false? Experts say you should take a shower every day.
False. Not necessarily – there are no hard and fast rules.

5. Why shouldn’t we wash our hair too often?
Your hair contains essential oils which you could wash out through excessive washing.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. Buying a coffee on the way to work is part of my morning ritual.

2. After much scrubbing, I managed to get the paint off my trousers.

3. I’m hoping a cup of honey and lemon will help keep my cold at bay.

4. The firefighter doused the flames with water.

5. Even though the sea was freezing cold, we had a refreshing swim.