英语导读1000句（五十二）

　　Section 52 Washing

　　Did you know that the use of soap to wash the body is quite a relatively recent thing?你知道时兴用肥皂洗澡并不太久吗?

　　No. What did they use before?不知道。以前人们用什么呢?

　　Powders and perfumes, I suppose.我想是用粉和香料。

　　But people didnrsquo;t used to wash as much as we do today.但是人们不像现在这样常洗。

　　If you think about it, baths and showers were not used much until 100 years or so ago, or perhaps even less.请你想一想，沐浴和洗澡，是近百年左右或者更近一点才比较普遍。

　　Yeah. Showers in most countries are a recent habit.对，在大多数国家，淋浴只是一种新的习惯。

　　What about saunas and Turkish baths?那桑拿和土耳其浴呢?

　　Well, the ancient Greeks and Romans had baths, and possibly they had steam bath too. Thatrsquo;s a bit like saunas.古希腊和古罗马人也洗澡，他们大概也用蒸气，有点像桑拿。

　　But no showers?没有淋浴吗?

　　I donrsquo;t think so. And no shower jell to wash with, or shower caps to keep the hair dry.我认为不是这样，他们没有沐浴露，没有防止头发沾湿的浴帽。

　　I think that nowadays more people shower than bath, donrsquo;t you?我想现在淋浴的人比泡澡的多，你认为呢?

　　Yes. Well, you need a bigger room for a bath than a shower, donrsquo;t you?没错。泡澡比淋浴需要占用更大的地方，不是吗?

　　And showers are quicker, and donrsquo;t use so much water.而且淋浴比较快，用的水也没那么多。

　　Thatrsquo;s important with the modern concern about water consumption.从现代水消费的观念来讲，这一点很重要。

　　But I think it is more luxurious to relax in a hot bath.我觉得在热水里泡澡放松挺奢侈的。

　　Me too.我也有同感。