綜合類：閱讀判斷Inhalable Water Droplets
You think that the biggest threat to your health when taking a shower comes from slipping on a bar of soap? Well， guess again.
Preliminary studies by engineers at the University of Cincinnati and the Oak Ridge Institute for science and education， also in Cincinnati， indicate that some water-saving shower nozzles produce water droplets so small they can be inhaled， exposing anyone using the shower to several different health hazards.
Using a device called an optical particle counter the researchers tested a number of shower nozzles， both of adjustable and fix-spray styles. They found that some products create droplets less than 10 microns in diameter-small enough to be inhaled. That\s problem， the researchers theorise， because the water may contain trace of chemicals used by treatment facilities to kill microbes and bacteria in the water. These organic compounds are relatively safe to take in by drinking， but may not be safe to inhale.
Another threat may be possible as well. Previous research has shown that the droplets can contain microbes that live inside the warm， wet interior of shower nozzles. When the faucet is turn on， these microbes are swept out through the nozzles. If these droplets are inhaled， the microbes could pose a threat to people who are with asthma and other respiratory problems.
All of this doesnt mean you should skip your morning shower just yet. More research is needed， cautious oak ridge institute scientist Virendra Sethi says， before anyone can determine just how serious — or insignificant — these health risks may be. Moreover， not all water-conserving nozzles produce inhalable droplets. "It all depends on the design of the nozzle，" says Sethi. Right now there is no way for consumers to know which nozzle produce these tiny drops. "We are working to develop specifications for shower head designs that would not generate droplets in the inhalable size range，" he adds.
你認(rèn)為淋浴的時(shí)候?qū)】底畲蟮耐{是踩在一塊肥皂上而滑倒?好的，再猜一猜。
辛辛那提大學(xué)和奧克瑞芝科學(xué)與教育學(xué)院的工程師們的初步研究指出，一些節(jié)水噴頭噴出的水滴如此之小，以至于可以被人吸入，把任何淋浴者置于各種健康危險(xiǎn)之中。
科學(xué)家們用一種叫做光學(xué)分子計(jì)量器的設(shè)備檢測(cè)一定數(shù)量的淋浴噴頭，包括可調(diào)節(jié)的和固定噴灑的兩種。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)一些產(chǎn)品噴出的水滴的直徑小于10微米——小到足可以被吸入。研究人員推論說問題在于水中可能含有微量的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，這些化學(xué)物質(zhì)是水處理器用以消滅水中的細(xì)菌和微生物的。飲用這些有機(jī)化合物是相對(duì)安全的，但吸入它們就不安全了。
另外一種威脅也是有可能的。前面的研究已經(jīng)表明水滴內(nèi)可能包含存在于溫暖潮濕的淋浴噴頭內(nèi)部的細(xì)菌。當(dāng)水龍頭打開時(shí)，這些細(xì)菌從噴頭里被沖出。如果這些水滴被人吸人，這些細(xì)菌將對(duì)那些有氣喘病、呼吸道疾病的人構(gòu)成威脅。
所有這些并不意味著人們應(yīng)該省去早晨的淋浴，奧克瑞芝學(xué)院的科學(xué)家維朗德拉·塞提說，在人們確定這種健康危險(xiǎn)有多么嚴(yán)重或多么無足輕重之前還需要做更多的研究。而且并不是所有的節(jié)水噴頭噴出的都是可吸入的水。“這要看噴頭的設(shè)計(jì)”，塞提說。當(dāng)前消費(fèi)者還無法知道哪一種噴頭噴這樣的小水滴。他又補(bǔ)充說：“我們正在為不會(huì)使水滴被人吸人的噴頭作詳細(xì)說明。”
★1).The first paragraph is a question to which the author hopes to have a positive answer from the reader.-W
★2).Shower nozzles shower nozzles that produce water droplets， big and small， can expose anyone using the shower to health problems.-W
★3).The chemicals contained in water kill bacteria to make it safe for drinking.-R
★4).The problem that inhalable water droplets produce is that they may expose people with respiratory problems to health hazards.-R
★5).The adjustable type of nozzles are less dangerous than the fixed one.-W
★6).People with asthma and other respiratory problems should avoid taking showers.-N
★7).To overcome the problem caused by inhalable water droplets， Sethi， per haps with some other researchers， is drawing up standards for safe shower head designs.-R