D: Today, it's time once again for another Gross Fact of the Month.
今天再来谈下另一个令人厌烦的话题。
Y: Uh oh! I hope no one's eating!
我希望没人在吃饭。
D: Okay, ready? In a recent study of people passing through major U.S. airports, it turned out that about thirty percent weren't washing their hands after using the bathroom.
准备好了吗？最近对经由美国主要机场的人群的调查显示，大概百分之三十的人上厕所后不洗手。
Y: Phew! that wasn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be.
那没有我想象中的那样令人讨厌。
D: Well, think of the consequences. These people who don't wash their hands don't just keep them in their pockets. They walk around shaking other people's hands, holding babies, and handling food and doorknobs.[qh]
想下结果吧。不洗手的人们不会只把手放在口袋里，他们四处走也会和别人握手，抱小孩，拿吃的，并接触门把手。
Y: Okay, so that it a little gross.
喔，那有点恶心。
D: So basically, these folks are running around exposing the fastidious hand washers among us to infections that can range from the pesky common cold to SARS, which can be fatal. After all, many infections are transmitted through hand-to-hand contact.
根本上来说，这些人使那些仔细洗手的人会接触到各种疾病，从普通的流行感冒到致命的SARS。毕竟许多接触是通过握手来传播的。
Y: I see what you're getting at.
我明白你所说的了。
D: What's interesting is that people tend to exaggerate when they're asked about hand-washing. In surveys, ninety-five percent of people claim to wash their hands every time, when the actual observed percentage is much lower. So think about the fact that only around seventy-five percent of people claim to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing!
有意思的是人们倾向于夸大洗手的次数。在调查中，95%的人声称他们每次都洗手，而实际观察到的比率要远低于这个百分比。想想打喷嚏和咳嗽后有75%的人声称会洗手的事实。
Y: The actual numbers there are much lower too, huh?
实际数字要比那低得多,对吧？
D: Probably. On the bright side, since the SARS outbreak in Toronto, hand-washing rates at the airport have been near to one hundred percent. So all it takes to get people scrubbing diligently is a major epidemic.
很可能。好的方面是，自从SARS在Toronto爆发后，在机场洗手的比率接近百分百。所以所需要做的就是让勤洗手成为一种习惯。
Y: You call that a bright side?
你将那称为好的方面？
D: Well, the other alternative is education on the importance of washing hands. Now all we need is a catchy slogan.
另一方面也要教育人们洗手的重要性，我们现在需要的就是容易记住的口号。

consequence n.结果
doorknob n. 门把
fastidious a.难取悦的，挑剔的
pesky adj. 讨厌的
epidemic n.盛行
catchy adj. 易记住的