Question

阅读下面短文，然后用60个单词左右概括短文的要点。

Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.

In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.

Though the belief in the advantage of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?

Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist (免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some reason.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Answer

People have mixed opinions towards dirt on our skin. (要点1) For a long time in history, people of some European countries, such as France, believed that dirt protected people from getting ill.(要点2) However, people began to change their attitudes to dirt about 200 years ago. People have been told that washing dirt off our body can keep us healthy. (要点3) But, some scientists believe that exposure to some dirt many help our immune system. (要点4)

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲了在不同的历史时期人们对于泥的态度，以及泥对于身体健康的影响。在历史上的很长时期，一些欧洲国家认为泥可以保护人们免受疾病，而在十八世纪，人们开始改变了这个观点，科学表明把身上的赃物洗干净有利于健康，但是也有科学家认为泥可以帮助我们维持免疫系统。