花洒像你想象的那么干净吗？

Is your showerhead as clean as you think?

常速 | 七级（偏易） | 357词| 2min39s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. Why does the showerhead create an ideal ecosystem for bacteria?

A. It stays warm and dries out in a way that supports bacterial growth.

B. It contains minerals that naturally feed microbes.

C. It filters out nutrients that bacteria need.

D. It is designed to trap water after each use.

Q2. According to Frederik Hammes, when do showers become risky?

A. When the user has a weak immune system.

B. When the shower is contaminated with harmful pathogens.

C. When the water pressure is unusually high.

D. When the showerhead is used for too long.

Q3. What can be inferred from the information about tropical climates?

A. They prevent harmful bacteria from forming biofilms.

B. They cause water systems to become less efficient.

C. They require special cleaning tools for showerheads.

D. They allow bacteria to grow more easily due to slower drying.

Q4. According to the study mentioned in the passage, what effect does the shower spray mode have?

A. It determines the amount of water used per minute.

B. It changes how quickly the showerhead dries.

C. It influences how widely bacterial cells are spread.

D. It affects whether minerals accumulate inside the showerhead.

Q5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Showerheads spread more pathogens today than in the past.

B. Modern cleaning products are ineffective against shower microbes.

C. Showerheads should be replaced often to avoid infection.

D. Microbes exist in showerheads, but simple habits can reduce their impact.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

Is your showerhead as clean as you think?

This is a city like no other. An invisible army of microbes lives here, including bacteria, fungi, moulds, and mites, and it’s the one place you’d have hoped would be clean – your showerhead.

microbe n. 微生物

mite n. 螨虫

If you unscrew it and take a peek inside, you might be surprised as to what you find – quite possibly a slimy dark biofilm. When you switch on the shower, it’s not just steam and water that come out, but a blast of microbes as well. Rob Dunn, an evolutionary biologist from North Carolina State University, calls showerheads extreme environments because they are either bone-dry or soaking wet. (Q1) Once you’ve showered, the head remains warm and dries out undisturbed, creating the perfect ecosystem for bacteria to feed on dissolved nutrients from the water.

peek n. 窥视，偷看

slimy adj. 黏滑的，覆有黏液的

biofilm n. 生物膜

It seems the majority of us don’t need to worry about catching a bug from having a shower, though. (Q2) “Only showers contaminated with Legionella and other opportunistic pathogens pose a risk,” says Frederik Hammes, a drinking water microbiologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology in Switzerland. Meanwhile, one study in the US found that warmer areas, like Florida and Hawaii, with higher chlorine levels tend to have more pathogenic mycobacteria, which can lead to higher rates of a chronic lung infection called non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease. (Q3) This is likely because the showerhead has less time to dry out in more tropical climates, so bacteria can grow more easily.

Legionella n. 军团杆菌，军团菌属

opportunistic adj. 伺机性的

pathogen n. 病原体

chlorine n. 氯

pathogenic adj. 致病的，病原的

mycobacteria n. 分枝杆菌；分枝细菌

Even if becoming ill from your showerhead is highly unlikely, you’d probably still like to reduce the number of bacteria coming out when you’re trying to get clean. (Q4) One study found that the spray pattern of your shower makes a difference – mist mode spreads NTM cells a lot more than a massage or rain showerhead, for example. Higher temperatures have also been shown to spread microbes more easily. (Q5) The best way to keep bacteria away, though, is to regularly clean your showerhead by descaling it or soaking it in lemon juice.

descaling n. 除垢

Since we can’t fully eradicate the microbes in our showers, and we like to stay clean, we’ll have to learn to coexist with them.

Part III. KEY

Q1. A.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“Once you have showered, the head remains warm and dries out undisturbed, creating the perfect ecosystem for bacteria to feed on dissolved nutrients from the water.” 意为：“洗完澡后，花洒依然温热，并在不受干扰的状态下自然晾干，这为细菌生长提供了理想温床，使其能够摄取水中溶解的养分。”由此可以推理，花洒由于其干湿交替的特征与温暖的环境共同形成了细菌生长的理想环境，因此答案为A。

Q2. B.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“ ‘Only showers contaminated with Legionella and other opportunistic pathogens pose a risk,’ says Frederik Hammes.” 意为：“Frederik Hammes 表示，‘只有被军团菌和其他机会性病原体污染过的花洒才会构成风险。’”根据原文信息可以推理，健康风险的来源在于“病原体污染”，因此正确答案为B。

Q3. D.【解析】本题为推理题。题目出处为：“This is likely because the showerhead has less time to dry out in more tropical climates, so bacteria can grow more easily.” 意为：“这可能是因为在更加炎热潮湿的气候中，花洒没有足够的时间晾干，因此细菌更容易生长。” 因此答案为D。

Q4. C.【解析】本题为细节题。题目出处为：“One study found that the spray pattern of your shower makes a difference – mist mode spreads NTM cells a lot more than a massage or rain showerhead.” 意为：“一项研究发现，花洒喷洒模式不同会导致不同的结果；例如，喷雾模式比按摩模式或雨淋模式更容易传播非结核分枝杆菌细胞。”依据原文可以推理，不同喷洒模式影响微生物扩散范围，因此答案为C。

Q5. D.【解析】本题为主旨题。题目出处为：“The best way to keep bacteria away, though, is to regularly clean your showerhead by descaling it or soaking it in lemon juice.”意为：“文章指出，减少细菌的最佳办法是通过除垢或柠檬汁浸泡等方式定期清洁花洒。”根据全文可以推理，文章主要传达的信息是“花洒中存在大量微生物，但通过简单方法可以减少其影响”，因此答案为D。

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